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"Work-life balance is for the weak." I once heard that from a founder in his 30s. When I met him again at 38, he was divorced, had a heart condition, and his startup had sold cheaply because he no longer had the strength to fight.
No, work-life balance is not weakness. It's a sustainable strategy.
“When a plane has an incident, the oxygen mask drops — you're told to put yours on first, then help others. Founding a company is the same.”
6 Practices from Sustainable Founders
1. Protect deep work hours like VIP clients. 2-4 hours a day, no notifications, no meetings.
2. Fixed morning ritual. No email before 9am. Exercise, meditation, reading — your choice, but have a ritual.
3. Personal board of advisors. 3-4 people you can be completely honest with about your mental state — not investors, not your team.
4. No-meeting day. Many CEOs I coach set Wednesday as a meeting-free day. Results improve noticeably.