There Are No Rules to How Much and When You Should Work

This is all about running your own business / being an entrepreneur.

The four-day work week. Never work on the weekends. Half days only. As a business owner / entrepreneur you hear it all the time. People have built brands around when they share how much you should work. Or can work. But in reality, there is not cut and dry formula.

How many times have you seen someone asking on social, "Who is working this weekend?" What a stupid question. Sometimes you might ask yourself, what is the right answer? If I say yes, does that make me look like a hard worker, a dedicated entrepreneur or someone that doesn't have a life. You shouldn't even have to ask yourself that. And who gives a sh*t.

Then there are vacations. If you tell someone you have not taken a vacation for 2 years, they shudder and think there must be something wrong with you. Also, when someone asks you that, I am tempted to ask, define vacation? Because if we are defining it by the level of travel and exotic places to visit, maybe those are not as important to you as they are to others.

I started my first freelance gig in 1988, and started our first business in 1993. So I have been doing this stuff for a long time. And guess what. Each phase of my life I chose when to work. There were 7 day weeks. Long days, short days. Day's off. By the time we really had our business going, it was just my wife and myself. And oh, always a cat. So we chose what worked for us.

And that's the key to it all. If you do this entrepreneur gig for a good chunk of your life, there will never be a set schedule for the duration. Just like life, the time you put into your business will change.

Now I am at the age where some people have retired, or are thinking about it. I'm not. Do I work 7 days a week. Sometimes. Do I have the flexibility to take an afternoon off and get some chores done? You bet. Do I feel bad when I set at my desk on the weekend and work? No way.

Your mind, your body, your soul will guide you. Not some freaking book or a webinar. You can use those for recommendations on what you may want to change, but go with your gut feeling and not some influencer who thinks, their way, or the highway.