In 1994, my brain started thinking about my startup 24×7. It hasn’t stopped since. It’s not awesome.

I know the “grind hard” startup narrative is that we should always be thinking about our startup and marry every thought to that commitment. And honestly, I get it. That sounds really committed.

But when does that break? When do we hit a point where our startup is consuming all of our thoughts and emotions and isn’t productive anymore? How do we balance the drive that fuels us with the guilt that prevents us from separating our jobs from our lives?

Why We Can’t Stop

I think a lot about why my brain won’t stop thinking about my startup. I mainly think about that at 3 a.m. when I’m staring at the ceiling trying to tell my stupid startup brain ...