Balance is a Myth

People talk about work-life balance. And try to find ways to achieve it.

To achieve greatness in something - whether it's your work, your job, your family, a project, a business, etc., then "balance" is not the right frame of mind.

A much better way to think about it is "rhythm".

Instead of trying to juggle family, friends, and work all at the same time, it's best to focus deeply on one thing for a period of time. For, if one is building a business, then that period might last not only weeks or months but even years. Everything else is secondary. Everything!

It is probably not a popular opinion, but it is what it is.

Did Bill Gates have "work-life balance" when he built Microsoft? Or did J. K. Rowling have "balance" when she wrote the last book in the Harry Potter series? Or Steve Jobs when he built Apple or Elon Musk when he built SpaceX, Tesla, and other companies? Or what about legendary basketball players such as Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan?

This list could go on forever, but that's enough for now to get the idea.

To get a glimpse of the massive intense focus and work these people and others have put in to achieve their greatness, I recommend reading e.g., Elon Musk's biography or Relentless by Tim S. Grover.

Believe me, there was no "balance" in these people's lives. At least for certain periods.

So, rhythm is a much more accurate way to go about pretty much everything in life. There are periods when one focuses on work and periods when family/friends get the focus.

As I mentioned before, it's not unusual for this "period" to last years not just months. There's nothing wrong with this.

Extraordinary results require extraordinary sacrifices.

k.