The Work-Life Balance Lie

Let’s cut straight to it:
If you’re a founder, work-life balance is mostly a myth.

For employees? Sure — and it should be.
For you? Not so much.

There can be moments of balance.
There should be time to breathe.
But don’t expect it to be a perfect 50/50 split — not when you’re the one building the whole damn thing.

‍

Chaos Is Part of the Game

Founding a company means signing up for unpredictability.
One week you’re drowning in deliverables.
The next, you’re staring at the ceiling wondering if you’ve done anything that actually matters.

You’ll have quarters that demand everything from you — energy, time, sanity.
And if you’re lucky (or smart), you’ll have windows of calm where you can sit on a beach, cocktail in hand, trying not to brainstorm your next strategy move.

But here’s the kicker:
We don’t just survive in the chaos. We thrive in it.

I’ve got a friend — board member, property investor, wildly successful — who keeps saying he wants to retire.
He’s in his late 30s.

Every time, I laugh.
Because the guy can’t sit still.
He’s not driven by money — he’s addicted to momentum.
To building. Creating. Shaping impact.

If you’re a founder, you know that feeling.
You don’t chase money. You chase outcomes.
Money’s just a side effect.

‍

So… What Does “Balance” Even Mean?

For me, it’s not about equal hours between life and work.
It’s about having control over your time.

Balance is the ability to:

• Work 8 hours if you want to
  
• Take a full day off if you need to
  
• Trust that your business won’t collapse in your absence
  
  

That’s why I fired myself from every role in my company.
(If you missed that post, you can read it here).

Balance is building something that works without you.
So you can choose when to grind — and when to pause.

‍

But Also… Don’t Let It Swallow You

That said, it’s easy to get consumed.

To let your company take over your life.
To let the work become your identity.
To lose yourself in the grind and forget to look up.

Don’t.

See your friends. Visit your family. Take that long weekend.
The best moments in life are the ones shared — not the ones spent refreshing Slack or obsessing over margins.

A few months from now, you won’t remember what you were working on today.
But you will remember the random road trip with people you love.
The night you stayed up too late laughing.
The moments that remind you why you do all this in the first place.

‍

Final Thought

Keep building. Keep grinding. But protect your peace.

Because if you burn out, your company does too.
And no dream is worth chasing if it leaves you too exhausted to enjoy the life it was supposed to improve.

Balance doesn’t mean doing less.
It means building better — so you don’t have to do everything.

Onwards and upwards.