The most important thing for founders to remember, even if they are under the gun is that keeping employees working longer hours for a sustained duration will r

The most important thing for founders to remember, even if they are under the gun is that keeping employees working longer hours for a sustained duration will result in a less reliable product. I have tried to work 80-100 hours on several occasions for a month or so and just ended up ripping up most of what I wrote. I have settled into an average of about a 65 hour workweek by picking up the laptop whenever I feel like it and stopping when I feel the pointless churn beginning. My output, as measured by Pivotal Tracker is much higher working less hours, point being my meaningful productivity is higher. If I had an employee working that much of their own volition, I would start offer help on their process and would want to work with them on why they are approaching things in such a brute-force manner. I would also see it as a failure on my part to set the right expectations with customers, investors, etc... Work/Life balance is relative, but I don't think anyone can sustain a quality output at 80 hours a week for more than 3 weeks or so.