Balance, and why it's important

Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash

I know it is tempting to work harder, or longer, to finish a project.

That's great in theory, but the problem is that projects never end, and when you push yourself once, it's easier to push even harder on the next project, and even harder on the next project still.

That kind of pace is unsustainable.

You will, hopefully, have a career that spans 50 years. You cannot possibly hope to maintain a breakneck pace for 50 years.

You'll work yourself into an early grave.

Better to develop good habits now, ones that you can maintain for the long haul, and which will allow you to enjoy your life.\

Yes, life. That's why you're doing this, to have a life. A real, balanced life.

There will be times when you will have to grind it out and work extra hard, but that should be the exception, not the norm. I wrote 15 novels in 2018, which was breakneck for me. Between 2015 and 2018, I did over 100 appearances.

Both of those things nearly killed me. However, at least they had an…