[dekhn]

What would the consequences be if you stopped working so hard?

(answering your questions: many people feel like they are trapped working long hours while others appear to be goofing off. It is widespread. It's worse in large orgs where folks get good at getting job security. I don't know if you're a jamoke for actually working like you do, but it sounds like you're not enjoying it (some people actually like 'working' long hours).

And yes, learning to politick and schmooze is the key. But so is learning to say "no", and just not working for a while.