Working less is your secret weapon.
I didn’t always think this way. To get my startup off the ground I was under the illusion that every second counted. Slacking wasn’t an option.
But I realized quite quickly that this mentality is unhealthy and counterproductive. My focus, motivation and energy were all taking a hit.
As a society, I still think we tend to glorify overwork at the expense of our wellbeing—and it isn’t healthy.
We all know the benefits of getting rest but it can be challenging to actually take the time to really recharge.
I wrote about how Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit, thinks about his personal energy like a bank account. And how thinking about your energy the same way you think about your finances can do wonders for your productivity, health and happiness. 🙌
https://lumes.store/blogs/healthy-hustle/alexis-ohanian
Let me know what you think! What do you do to stay healthy while you're hustling?
I like this! There's a theory that work will naturally expand to take up all the time you have to do it, and I find that this is very true, especially when it's work you genuinely enjoy. Creating limits on myself ("Everything needs to be done by 4" or "I have two hours for this project, then I'll work on something else" etc) helps me do better work than if I feel like it can all stretch out and take as long as it takes. I find myself more focused that way!
Thanks @HaldenIng! That's exactly what I'm getting at. I think it's super important to set limits even though we could potentially work on something for longer. Like you say, limits can actually help us be more productive, not less.
I agree with your perspective though to nuance it a little bit - I'm not sure individual tasks always stretch out to fill available time, but projects without deadlines will. Deadlines, even just the "when does my work time end today?" kind force you to prioritize and make trade-offs.
Do you think it was an illusion when you were overworking to get your startup off the ground? Or do you think you would have been able to get it off the ground without working that hard?
I have worked the hardest I've ever worked over the past 2 years. Now at a place where I can step back into normal-ish hours, but I don't think we'd be where we are now if we didn't work crazy hours.
So yeah, to some extent I do believe that working more is probably necessary (maybe unavoidable) in the early stages. But once your business is up and running, I think there’s more room to recharge when you need it. Of course, not every business or industry is the same so this is a generalization. But I think maybe it’s about realizing when you do have a bit more room to be flexible with your time, and finding a more sustainable schedule.
Since switching to more fixed work schedule, I’m actually seeing better results—both in the quality of my work and business-wise. Probably because I’m “forced” to prioritize the tasks that should/will have the most impact.
What is your fixed work schedule - 5 days, 9-5? For me, the amount of hours I work isn't correlative with output, it's entirely dependent on sleep. Better sleep = better productivity. I can work insane hours for weeks, and if I'm sleeping well, I'm OK. I have one bad night of sleep and I'm useless the next day.
It may be because I just watched the Bill Gates Netflix documentary (highly recommend!), and seeing quotes from Elon (http://bit.ly/2Kd9PbN) and others, but I'm sort of fired up to keep working, although I could slow down if needed.
I usually make a rule to finish at 7pm at the latest. Having a strict schedule helps me be more focused. But I agree 100% with your comment about sleep - if I don’t have at least 7/8 hours, I can barely work the next day.
Have you read Why We Sleep? It completely changed how I thought about resting and recharging.
It looks interesting, I'll add it to the list, thanks.
I hear dat! Exercise. Often when designing things for myself or clients you hit a wall. I used to sit there and try to power through. Now I put my phone in a draw and go for a walk. Works every time. :-) Great post. This is an important discussion.
Thanks @richardesigns! Exactly, all great ideas come in moments of rest. I think it's an important discussion too - I think you can be successful and work hard without having to damage your physical and mental wellbeing :)
I think is tough and really depends on the person. A lot of people can’t handle working many hours. I think more then the hours and hard work, is the stress.
It’s the late night fixing bugs, it’s not being able to break through it’s all the little stuff that creates stress that’s ultimately bad for you.
If your working really really hard and you are stressed because of it, you shouldn’t keep workout hard. You need to take a step back, find out what’s hard. And look for a better way to do things - based solely on your self
Definitely agree with you here. I think part of "working less" is sometimes walking away from a task or project when you've hit a brick wall. Most of the time it's better to tackle it again with a fresh mind, instead of stressing yourself over it.
That is why I discourage my team and colleagues to go overtime as it will make them unproductive after say 8 hours of work. Everyone have their own limitation, I could probably code for 10 to 12 hours, with coffee, but beyond that I feel unproductive and can be easily distracted. I always believe in time management is the best way to work.
Completely agree! Of course, there are times, like you said, where you can work for longer - especially if you're solving a problem or feel really into your work. But most of us are only truly productive for a short space of time.
I'd actually tend to disagree.
While I think the Gary Vee hustle mentality is a little cringe-y and I think a lot of the "up at 3am to lift weights and then make 15 sales calls" is equally ridiculous, anything I ever did that reached any form of success only happened after a lot of exhausting work.
I think hard work is good, admirable, and essential.
Sure, it's not everything, but without it there is no true fulfillment.
I think we actually agree more than you think. Definitely not promoting laziness here.
I'm a firm believer in hard work and I think it is a necessity if you want to make something a success. It's actually why I chose to write about Alexis Ohanian. He talks about something similar in this interview and it really resonated: https://youtu.be/avERe0tYMwU?t=1809
So in short, what I'm promoting is a more measured approach to work. I don't think working around the clock 24/7 is necessary or sustainable. Will there be nights where you work late? Sure. But it shouldn't be the norm in my opinion.
I agree with this concept to an extent. I'm a big fan of Cal Newport's Deep Work -> https://www.calnewport.com/books/deep-work/
We have less time for deep, meaningful work than we think. I think it's important to optimize our schedules for getting the most important/difficult things done, as they drive 80% of the value (Pareto Principle).
However, the overwork problem in tech and other industries doesn't seem to be going away. The trick is finding your edge (which is different for everyone) and seeing how you are most productive.
Yeah it's definitely tough to change but I think the fact that we live in a culture where overwork is the norm is not healthy.
I think it's quite similar to what Naval Ravikant says about 'diseases of abundance' and setting your own boundaries. Basically, I think that because technology allows us to work any time we want, it doesn't necessarily mean we should. Agree with prioritizing but would also add that setting boundaries is equally important!
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