A few years ago, I was working 70+ hours a week.
I thought that's what it took to win.
In reality, I was just tired, unfocused, and constantly reacting instead of building.
My schedule was a mess, I had no control over my time, and my brain was fried.
Then a founder conflict forced me to step back and rethink everything.
I cut down to ~40 hours a week and rebuilt my routine from scratch:
↳ Wake up naturally around 7:30 AM (no alarm, not a slave)
↳ Deep work and founder calls from 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM
↳ Training from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM (run or gym depending on the day)
↳ Lunch, walk the dog, clear my head
↳ Back at it by 2:30 PM, finish by 6:30 PM
↳ Evenings to recharge (with the occasional 1-hour sprint later if I feel like it)
No weekends. No holidays. No exceptions.
What changed? Everything.
I started sleeping better, thinking clearer, and making better decisions.
MRR started growing faster than ever.
Fabien and I became more aligned, more focused, and more productive.
It's not about working less for the sake of it.
It's about working at the pace you can sustain for years — and win the long game.
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👋 Hey, I'm J.Y!
I'm the co-founder of BuddiesHR, the #1 suite of Slack apps.
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