After giving a talk at a London University at around 9pm about startups, I was asked by an enthusiastic student “how do you keep up with your personal life with all that work?”. I laughed to myself and said “I don’t have one”. Now, it’s not that I can’t have one, but it’s a matter of priorities. What matters more to you? Watching the new summer blockbuster film or solving a problem that could change the world as we know it?
The reality is that most people start work at 9 and leave the office by 5 only to watch TV for the rest of the day, then count the days to the weekend until they can do it all again the following week. Please understand that there's nothing wrong with that, but if you’re working on something bigger than yourself for more than just a pay cheque, work never really feels like work.
To me startup life is different. It requires a level of discipline and consistency that the average human being cannot mentally or physically commit to in the long term. There’s a certain amount of delusion and commitment that you need to just get you from one day to the next. Above all else there is the stark realisation that no one, other than members of your team understand the struggles you go through. Not your parents, not your partner and certainly not your friends, they may try and support you and believe in you but they’ll never really understand. Not really. Eventually those relationships will begin to wane especially when you start to miss birthdays, weddings and even funerals. These are all things I’ve done, not out of malice, but I simply can’t be in two places at once.
“Nobody is busy, it’s just a matter of priorities” –Unknown. I don’t know who said it, but they are absolutely right! You’re not as important as what I'm working on. This may come across as selfish and self centred and you are absolutely right, but it’s for a good reason. Startup’s are like elections, they are binary, you either win or you lose and I choose to win.