"Investor and Shark Tank star Kevin O'Leary once declared that to succeed in business you must be willing to grind out 25 hour work days. He has since walked back on that idea, calling it, in his own words, "sheer stupidity." In fact: "The worst advice I hear young founders talk about all the time is that they want to work 18 hours a day. How stupid is that?" O'Leary said in a video posted on his Instagram page last week."
"The eat-sleep-work lifestyle-also known as the "996" schedule first imported from China, which stands for 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week-has since gained momentum among Silicon Valley tech companies. Despite his previous declarations, O'Leary says it's high time to put that idea to bed. "You've got to get some sleep, you have to eat well to stay focused," he says. "That's how you're successful.""
"Harvard University research found 55% of CEOs get six hours of sleep a night or less. Yet, research consistently shows that productivity is closely tied to sleep. One 2019 study found that sleep-deprived entrepreneurs were more likely to favor weaker business ventures, failing to look past the surface-level features of new business ideas to understand their long-term potential. For the sleepless founder, making important decisions also becomes more difficult after a long day of work, as the effects of decision fatigue start to take hold."
A popular belief promotes extremely long work hours as a path to business success, including 18-hour days and even 25-hour workday claims. The eat-sleep-work '996' schedule (9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week) originated in China and has gained momentum among Silicon Valley tech companies. Long hours and chronic sleep deprivation undermine focus, decision-making, and productivity. Evidence links sleep loss to a preference for weaker ventures, impaired evaluation of long-term potential, and greater decision fatigue after long days. Prioritizing adequate sleep, nutrition, and rest supports better judgment, sustained concentration, and business success.
Read at Fast Company
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]