Old Rule:

Hustle harder. Sleep when you’re dead. Success comes to those willing to outwork everyone else.

I bought into it.

I’ve always been the “worker.” My work ethic was so tied to my character that I couldn’t tell where one started and the other ended. And when that was ever challenged? Let’s just say I will never forget that day or the way it made me feel.

For so long, I wore that badge with pride. In my twenties, I worked two jobs—sometimes three. Even when I could have stayed home, I didn’t. I felt so uncomfortable not “producing” that I went to work just to hand my paycheck over to daycare. At the time, I told myself it was about being responsible, about proving I could handle it.

Now, I realize how unhealthy—and honestly, how sad—that was.

I was building my entire identity around how much I could grind, how much I could take on, and how little I could rest. And the truth? That’s not a badge of honor. It’s a slow erasure of yourself.

Early in my business, that same pattern followed me. Late nights, skipped meals, bottles of wine, showing up sick because “there’s too much to do.” I thought if I could just push a little harder, I’d finally get to that magical place where everything felt easier.

Spoiler: that place never came.

Instead, I was running on caffeine and cortisol, snapping at my family, and feeling like my business owned me—not the other way around. And every woman I talked to was nodding along, saying, same.

Why This Rule Doesn’t Work for Us

The grind culture we’ve inherited was designed for a very specific kind of person: someone who had someone else—almost always a wife—running their entire home life.

They could put in 12-hour days at the office because someone else was managing the kids, making sure dinner was on the table, keeping the laundry moving, handling school permission slips, booking the dentist, buying birthday presents, calling the plumber, making travel arrangements, and keeping the dog from eating another pair of shoes.

Any of this sounding familiar?

That’s not our reality.

We’re running businesses and running households.
We’re the ones juggling multiple school drop-offs, sitting in orthodontist waiting rooms, booking haircuts, making sure the pantry isn’t just full but full of things everyone will actually eat. We’re the calendar keepers, the maintenance schedulers, the emotional glue that holds the household together.

And we’re doing it while also answering client emails, creating marketing plans, managing staff, showing up for events, and still somehow finding time to feed ourselves and maybe—if the stars align—work out or get a full night’s sleep.

Let’s be honest: most of us don’t just need a wife… we need two.

And here’s the kicker—the grind isn’t even good business strategy.
xhaustion leads to bad decisions.
Fatigue makes you sloppy.
Burnout takes months—sometimes years—to recover from, and the cost of that recovery is far higher than the cost of slowing down in the first place.

The truth? The grind isn’t a badge of honor. It’s a slow leak in your energy, your creativity, your relationships, and your ability to actually enjoy the business you worked so hard to build.

The Rewritten Rule: Work in cycles, not sprints.

Give yourself seasons of push and seasons of rest. Protect your energy like it’s the most valuable currency you have—because it is. The old way of working assumes we’re machines—always “on,” always producing at the same speed, with the same intensity, every single day. But we’re not machines. We’re cyclical. Our focus, creativity, and stamina rise and fall in patterns—by the hour, the day, the week, and even across the year.

In an hour:
Even the most productive people can only focus deeply for about 45–90 minutes before they start to fade. Build in micro-seasons within your workday. Push for that focused block, then stand up, get a drink, stretch, walk outside, or do something that lets your brain reset before diving in again.

In a 24-hour day:
Your energy peaks and dips. Maybe mornings are when your brain is sharpest—save that time for the big, strategic, creative work. Afternoons might be better for admin or lighter tasks. Evenings might be a full rest season—no laptop, no work talk, just refilling your tank. Corporate 9-5 scheduling is out. Create your own.

In a week:
Not every day has to be a “full throttle” day. You might stack client calls or meetings on certain days and protect other days for deep work or creative projects. You might even experiment with a midweek half-day or a lighter Friday that lets you close the week in a calmer state.

In a month:
Some weeks will naturally require more push—launches, events, big deadlines. Others can and should be gentler. If you know you’ve got a big output week coming, block lighter weeks before or after so you’re not running on fumes.

In a year:
Nature already knows how to do this. Plants don’t bloom year-round. Bears hibernate. The ocean tides shift. We’re no different. You might have high-energy seasons (spring/summer) where you’re launching, creating, and networking more—and slower seasons (fall/winter) where you’re evaluating, restructuring, and letting ideas incubate. The key is to honor these patterns instead of fighting them.

When you stop expecting yourself to be at your peak 365 days a year, you start working in a way that’s sustainable. And the wild thing? You’ll often get more done in less time—because you’re working with your natural rhythm instead of bulldozing over it.

Take It and Run

This week, block out one 24-hour period where you do no work. No email, no “just one quick thing.” Watch what happens to your creativity and focus when you come back.

Your Turn

Have you ever felt proud of being “the hardest worker in the room”—only to regret it later? Tell me in the comments.

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