I'm both frightened and intrigued by a new Center for Work-Life Policy study I found via the Fast Company blog.  According to the new research and the CWLP study, work for many has become the ultimate extreme sport - high level, high impact workers pushing themselves beyond their limits; working around the clock and around the globe. “Extreme Jobs: The Dangerous Allure of the 70-Hour Workweek” examines this alarming trend and describes the new American nightmare in all of its sexless, vacationless, eating-at-your-desk glory.

To qualify as an extreme jobber, a worker must meet the following standards: first, work 60 hours a week or more, then, meet at least five of the following conditions: have work whose flow is unpredictable, work under tight deadlines, have work events outside of regular work hours, be available to clients 24/7, have P&L responsibility, have a large amount of travel, or a large number of direct reports, have a scope of responsibility that amounts to more than one job.  Some interesting factoids from the study and the 1.7 million Americans who hold extreme jobs:

• What are the causes of extreme jobs?  Globalization, Blackberries and Type A personalities conspire to produce overload.
• Where are extreme jobs? All over the economy, in retail and the media as well as on Wall Street.
• The personal costs: Nearly 60% of extreme workers believe that their career undermines their relationship with their children, 50% say their work interferes with their sex life.
• Why do so many high achievers still love their extreme jobs? They’re hooked on the adrenaline rush and gargantuan rewards.
• Women are being left behind in new ways:  Few women hold extreme jobs; they’re not afraid of the pressure or responsibility but can’t pony up the 70-hour weeks.

Does anyone else think that an entire generation of Americans is headed for a midlife crisis?  How can current twenty and thirty-somethings keep up this pace without eventually burning out and ending up completely ineffective?  If you have an extreme job, I’d love to hear from you.  Do you recognize that your job doesn’t lend itself to work/life balance and are you looking for a better solution, or are you so addicted you think you’ll be in it for the long haul?