4 ms·

(I'm the author of the article) Good comments, thanks. I was hoping others would argue the other side; indeed that's also why I started the post with four exc

(I'm the author of the article) Good comments, thanks. I was hoping others would argue the other side; indeed that's also why I started the post with four excellent articles about how you CAN have a family and good health and do a startup. I, too, have done a decent job with exercise and diet. And of course when you allow your health to deteriorate to the point of having medical problems, nothing's worth that (e.g. @pwncat). Still, I've never seen actual evidence for claims that skimping on sleeping and eating for a few years will cause you to "pay for it in spades" (@trevorj). The best counter-argument IMHO is along the lines of @sh1mmer -- that over-extending yourself doesn't equal more productivity. Again, I made that same point myself in my post and included a specific argument for why this is true. In the end though, I maintain that it's the obsession that drives not just the startup but this self-destructive behavior, and the obsession is required. Thanks all for a great debate!

tom_rath 17y ago
If you've not seen any evidence that sacrificing health for work is a losing strategy, you haven't looked hard enough: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kar%C5%8Dshi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kar%C5%8Dshi
ispivey 17y ago
I think many more people can agree that passion/obsession is required; self-destructive behavior can be caused by this obsession. But your post suggest the causal link is the opposite: that sacrificing health and family can lead to success. I think that's misleading, and hope you don't believe it either.
- smartbear 17y ago
  Of course being unhealthy doesn't lead to success. I suppose the title might suggest that but obviously that's artistic license. The message is that obsession is key and often the trade-off is in favor of time with the business and not time where it might be "better" spent. If you're funded, you don't need this advice. If you're not -- and I've done two bootstrapped startups myself -- I'm not sure you can escape it.

tom_rath 17y ago

If you've not seen any evidence that sacrificing health for work is a losing strategy, you haven't looked hard enough: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kar%C5%8Dshi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kar%C5%8Dshi

ispivey 17y ago

I think many more people can agree that passion/obsession is required; self-destructive behavior can be caused by this obsession. But your post suggest the causal link is the opposite: that sacrificing health and family can lead to success. I think that's misleading, and hope you don't believe it either.

smartbear 17y ago
Of course being unhealthy doesn't lead to success. I suppose the title might suggest that but obviously that's artistic license. The message is that obsession is key and often the trade-off is in favor of time with the business and not time where it might be "better" spent. If you're funded, you don't need this advice. If you're not -- and I've done two bootstrapped startups myself -- I'm not sure you can escape it.