Sometimes you should work on the weekend

I’ll never forget a dinner a few years ago with three very successful CEOs. They each told me about their wonderful businesses –– then about their divorces and their strained relationships with their kids, all because they worked too much. No thanks.

I just re-listened to Rework by Jason Fried and DHH. I love how they take down the cult of workaholism: “Workaholics aren’t heroes. They don’t save the day, they just use it up. The real hero is home because she figured out a faster way.”

I’ve been working hard to work less, to come home earlier on weekdays, to focus my energy only on the big stuff, to travel, to see friends, and to avoid the lonely middle-aged man trap written about in a recent Boston Globe article. Building a company is a marathon, not a sprint. I need to stay fresh to do my best work. It sets the tone for our leaders and employees. As part of this, I try to avoid weekend work.

At the same time, one of the final paragraphs of Rework struck me: “Inspiration is a magical thing, a productivity multiplier, a motivator. But it won’t wait for you. Inspiration is a now thing. If it grabs you, grab it right back and put it to work…On Friday I was inspired by a few things. I swore off the weekend and dove into it. And I got about 2 weeks of work done in 24 hours. Inspiration is a time machine.”

Inspiration tends to go into overdrive for me on the weekend, when I’m out of my day-to-day work. Inspiration is fun and energizing, too! So, I have a new perspective: Seize inspiration when it strikes, even if on the weekend, as long you make up for it during the week with extra non-work. Leave early on a Tuesday, sleep late on a Thursday, do a long lunch with a friend, be a present husband, etc. But don’t let inspiration pass.

(Written on a weekend)

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