Your appointment with the Grim Reaper
I don’t mean to sound like a so-called self-help guru or anything, but if there’s one thing that I’ve learned in 30 years is that if you are going to work hard for success (whatever that means to you), do it in a way that does not take your health away. As a tech entrepreneur, it is very tempting nowadays to try to go after the “next big thing” while leaving your quality sleep and healthy habits in the trash bin. Successful people work hard for their success, but often the periods are broken up into months or years that don’t go by at the speed of lightning and that can place a very high price tag on your mental and emotional health, which affects the quality of your life sooner or later. Work hard, work smart, solve problems and create value, yes, by all means. Just don’t do it at the cost of your well-being.
I myself prefer to use the adjetive ‘smart’ when I refer to work, but when someone who knows us well tells us not to work so hard, we need to listen. There are many other possible reasons you’re being told you’re working too hard. And if a person with no interest in sabotaging you tells you you’re working too hard, listen and consider making adjustments. They might be doing you a favor. And you might also be postponing your appointment with the Grim Reaper.
How does all this line up with software development? Well, a healthy, happy, balanced team will marvelously and painlessly give birth to your brainchild, and siding with them will no doubt add years to your life. So go and ideate, launch, exit, make a ton of money, have a couple of beers and do a lot of good. We’d love to partake in it!