Note: I started writing an email today about finding balance in your work life, but then realized this email I wrote last year really nails this topic. So today’s email is a reprint of an oldie but a goodie.
Everytime I write an email talking about why you shouldn’t work 80 hours a week, I get a bunch of responses from people asking…
“Do you think you’d be successful today if you had worked less back then?”
This is an interesting question.
Because most people see this as a black and white thing.
Either you work 80 hours a week and you’re successful…
Or you work 20 hours a week and you don’t have any money…
There doesn’t seem to be an inbetween.
But here’s what I can tell you from experience…
If you’re putting in 80 hours a week consistently…
And if everything in your life is about work…
It’s not a matter of “if” you’re gonna burn out…
It’s only a matter of “when” you’re gonna burn out.
I guarantee ya that.
If you’re working from 8 AM to 8 PM each day…
And working on Saturdays and Sundays…
And never taking vacations…
And ignoring your family on Christmas morning to get some work done…
You are going to burn out.
That’s a fact.
Sure you might make a bunch of money…
But you will be miserable.
Take it from someone who’s been there.
In 2016, I made the most money I’ve ever made in a year (somewhere around $2.2 million) and I was working non-stop.
I was always on my computer.
Nothing else in my life mattered but work.
Normal stuff like dating, going to dinner, and hanging with friends was pushed aside.
And even though I had a great year…
I wound up burnt out.
I lost all my passion for what I was doing.
I dreaded waking up the next morning…
For me, that was my wake up call.
The 80-hour week is not sustainable.
It’s kind of similar to running black-hat ads on Facebook…
It can work in the short-term…
And you can make a bunch of money…
But it won’t last.
Cause you can’t sustain it for 2 years, 5 years, 10 years etc…
And that’s the problem.
If you want to be an entrepreneur (or copywriter) with staying power you have to have balance in your life.
You have to make time for non-business stuff.
That’s the key.
The more balance you have, the better chance you have of being successful long-term.
And that should always be the goal.
Long term success.
Keep that in mind…
Enjoy your Saturday,
– Justin
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