I’d read plenty about burn out, as unfortunatley it’s a pretty common occurrence amoung tech start ups. The combination of high stress and long hours seem to be a great recipe for burn out.

In that classically human way, I’d always thought it would never happen to me. Although this wasn’t just denial, I really thought I was safe from ever getting burned out.

I don’t buy into the mentality that you have to work 80+ hour weeks to build a successful business, and as such I maintain a pretty good work/liffe balance. When I was running Saber, my average work week probably involves only 35 hours of sitting in front of a computer screen. Sure, some weeks I’ll work more if I’m really in the zone, but it’s by choice, I avoid ever feeling like I have to work long hours.

I also consider myself to be a laid back person, I don’t get stressed out easily. Hence I thought I was safe from ever getting...