The lifestyle business bullshit

David on 37Signal’s Signal vs. Noise blog wrote that there’s no need to sacrifice yourself to work to be successful.

“It’s been a long time since there was a direct correlation with the number of hours you work and the success you enjoy.”

It’s one of those “my thoughts exactly” posts. Taneli Tikka futher develops the idea in his response. “You need to stay in shape, sleep well and exercise. “

Creativity and innovation indeed flourish only in an open and relaxed environment. One cannot be creative and productive, while exisitng in a state of permanent sleep deprivation and overtime work.

Examples of these successful and respected people are just confirming the idea that it is possible to run your own successful business(es) while enjoying life to the fullest extent. Reading books, watching movies, going to concerts, spending time with family and friends, socializing and doing things that are not related to your work are essential to be successful in what you do for a living.

This lends so well to the discussion I had with my colleagues on Friday – about the value of overtime work in the difficult times of the project. When overtime need continues for more than one week, it is causing more harm than good – not only to the spirit and productivity of the team, but also to the end result of the project. Working harder doesn’t make things happen faster, no matter how much you want it to be so.