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If you don’t have to work a 9-to-5, don’t do it. I work half a day...

“If you don’t have to work a 9-to-5, don’t do it. I work half a day. When I pick up the kids, I stop working, and if I didn’t get anything done that day, it can wait another day. My partner in one of my businesses is so completely opposite. He’s on 24/7, taking calls 24/7, traveling all the time. He tells me I need to push more and build the business faster so we can exit and get acquired. And of course I want it to succeed. I want to grow it. But in the grand scheme of things, I want my relationship with my kids to be amazing, and that takes priority. I love playing around with them, hearing them laugh, hanging out with my wife, and being engaged with them instead of thinking about business. So, in my mind, if my kids are at home and I’m working, it better be insanely important. My partner and I just think about life differently, and that’s fine. We worked it out. He knows me. He’s used to it. He makes fun of me for it. Because you don’t have to kill yourself and work crazy hours unless that’s what you want to do. Everybody’s got their own path to follow — I want to work less, spend time with my family, meditate. You know, take a walk and just experience life.”⠀

  1. 6

    I love this. Life's about priorities, constraints, and focusing on what matters. Your kids are learning a lot from the actions you take. You don't have an obligation to create anything. You're doing that because you choose to, and the world appreciates that. But choosing family time over the grind is what's going to get you far!

    1. 1

      100% - it's your choice! :)

  2. 2

    Nothing is more important than work/life balance. Kudos to you, Dmitry. Your kids will be grateful to you down the road. :)

  3. 2

    If you can build the discipline to get your responsibilities done within your "work hours", this is definitely the perspective to have. There is no reason to go to the grave and neglecting your whole family for a software product.

    Good for you to have this perspective early on!

    1. 1

      100%! The thing is changing how much time you consider appropriate for "work hours" is the hardest part of the puzzle, at least it was for me. In this day age everyone is trying to do more and more every day, not less, we are pushing everyone else to do more, accomplish more, speed up, efficiency, etc. You're going against the world in a way if you're pushing for less every day. :)

  4. 1

    Totally agree. I might add: there are different phases in life, and it's important to realize which one you're in, and how you might want to adjust your priorities depending on that.

    When you have small kids (i.e. < 5), they really need a lot of your time, and this is when you make the biggest impact as a parent. Don't squander that time by focusing too much on work/traveling/working long hours, etc. Remind yourself that your kids will be older someday, and you'll have more time to devote to other things (i.e. work) then. But those years with your kids when they're little; you'll never have a do-over on those.

    1. 1

      Thank you for this note, puts things in perspective. I agree 100%. I am not there yet - my kids are very young still, I devote a LOT more to kids vs. work now. My thinking is that later down the line I can do "more work". :) Do you have kids? What did you do?

      1. 1

        I have two kids (7 and 10). I took every Friday off from work until my kids were three years old. It was by far the best decision I've made in the last ten years. A Friday afternoon walk to the library with my daughter when she was three years old is the thing I remember most from that entire year.

        Now that they're getting older, in school, and doing more after school activities, I feel more comfortable devoting more time to work, traveling for conferences, etc.

        1. 1

          Got ya, awesome. mine are 3 and 5 and I try to spend as much time as possible. Work half days mon-fri 9-2.

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