That is 12 hours a day for six days, and three hours on Sunday.
That’s fine to get a key project done or in a short-term crisis. But only for one week.
Here’s the test. Are you loving it? That’s the point – to be happy. What is it doing to your family? Your health (Mental and physical).
Despite the legends of young programmers in Silicon Valley sleeping on the couch, working 60-70 hours a week not good for you or for your business.
Define your job correctly. Make your job fit into the number of hours you want to work. For me, it’s about 52 hours a week. (Think Daily is what throws me over 48!)
Make the work fit the hours, rather than the hours fitting the work.
When I was young, I would work till 1am +-… then sleep on a fold out miliary cot in my office and get up early and do it again. I left no time to listen to God’s voice. Then I heard, and now for years, I work only 50 to 52 hours a week. When I realized that my purpose in life was to follow Jesus, I set my mind to work to live, and never again live to work.
44 hours
I work about 80 hours a week
A key point you make here is different seasons in your work life require different hours.
Go, Jim!
I work 60 hours a week – I have been delegating and training new leaders to work closer to 50.
When I was starting my business in my early 20s I worked at least 60 hours per week and sometimes 80. I started from scratch though and had to build the business from the ground up in every aspect. It worked and we were successful. However, if I had to do that all over again now I would not be able to put in those hours and in fact I would not. I learned the hard way that we don’t have to do everything ourselves, that sometimes we have to go out on a limb and trust others to share the load.
Larry, I want you to know that I greatly appreciate you working those extra hours to produce the Think Daily columns! I love reading them every day.
P.S. I work just over 50 hours per week on average.
Doesn’t it depend on what we consider “work”? Is it time on the clock for which we are paid? Is it time doing only the highest value activity that grows our business? Is it time doing things we don’t want to do? Is studying considered work? What about producing something that is intended to improve the local ecology, or producing a product for barter or reciprocal gifting where no money is exchanged and doesn’t show up on a tax return? The nature of “work” time seems fuzzy.
I tell everyone I work a half a day now. They say … wow that’s great! I say yeah 12-14 hours a day. Every day. Not as much on weekends!!!
60ishhhhhh
Thank you for the shout out Larry — back at ya!
50ish/wk
Too many! Lol. Article is spot on & reminds me to cut back. Always look forward to reading these & share many with my three children.