A better way to phrase this is that "it's better to work smarter, than it is to work harder." Also working smarter requires taking a step back from what you ar

A better way to phrase this is that "it's better to work smarter, than it is to work harder." Also working smarter requires taking a step back from what you are doing to think about how you are doing it. The ability to do this regarding a task is inversely proportional to the amount of your time you spend on the task. This is why I find 60-80 hours works ok for me but that includes a large number of different kinds of work, and it includes all my personal project time. To live is to work. To work is to produce things (whether it's dinner for your family or a cool new app). Humans have an inherent need to be creative. But neuroplasticity (ala "Modern Times" with Charley Chaplan) is a real problem here, and if you spend 60 hours a week writing software, you will not be able to step back and really think through how to get more done faster.