Many people on social networks today criticize people who do not follow a balanced life. Even though I understand the goodwill of their spirit, I'm afraid that, in my experience, if you are willing to get ahead and progress in your career, putting some extra work into learning or doing new things you yet do not know will probably help you more than living a balanced life.
I have spent intermittent years putting in many hours and other years where I had a more balanced life. From those years where I put in many hours, I would make a distinction between three ways of putting many hours into work:
- Some years, when the company was pushing me to do more volume of more or less similar work
- In other years, after wrapping up my day at work, I spent more time experimenting/learning by doing side projects for myself or even the same company I was working for.
- A few years where my job was challenging me to put in more work every day, to be able to learn the ropes of my job faster
Of the three mentioned above, I only regret the first one. Being pushed to do more of the same work sucks and does not necessarily helps you progress in your career. However, the other two were crucial in my personal development and career progression.
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