Note: I am flying to New Jersey this morning for our Copy Accelerator meetup. So today’s email is a reprint of an oldie but a goodie.
Everytime I write an email talking about why you shouldn’t work 80 hours a week, I get a bunch of responses from people asking…
“Do you think you’d be successful today if you had worked less back then?”
This is an interesting question.
Because most people who ask this see it as a black and white thing.
They think you either work 80 hours a week and you’re successful.
Or you work 20 hours a week and you’re a lazy bastard with no money.
There doesn’t seem to be an inbetween.
But here’s what I can tell you from experience…
If you’re putting in 80 hours a week consistently…
And if everything in your life is about work…
It’s not a matter of “if” you’re gonna burn out…
It’s only a matter of “when” you’re gonna burn out.
I can guarantee ya that.
If you’re working from 8 AM to 8 PM each day…
And working on Saturdays and Sundays…
And never taking vacations…
And ignoring your family on Christmas morning to check your stats…
You are going to burn out.
That’s a fact.
Sure you might make a bunch of money…
But you will be miserable.
Take it from someone who’s been there.
In 2016, I made the most money I’ve made in a year (somewhere around $2.2 million) and I was working non-stop.
I was always on my computer.
Nothing else in my life mattered but work.
Normal stuff like dating, going to dinner, and hanging with friends was pushed aside.
And even though I had a great year…
I wound up burnt out.
I lost all my passion for doing what I was doing.
I dreaded waking up the next morning…
That was my wake up call.
The 80-hour week is not sustainable.
It’s similar to running black-hat ads on Facebook…
It can work in the short-term…
And you can make a bunch of money…
But it won’t last.
Cause you can’t sustain it for 2 years, 5 years, 10 years etc…
And that’s the problem.
If you want to be an entrepreneur (or copywriter) with staying power you have to have balance in your life.
You have to make time for non-business stuff.
That’s the key.
The more balance you have, the better chance you have of being successful long-term.
And that should always be your goal.
Long term success.
Keep that in mind…
Enjoy your Friday,
– Justin
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