In other words, long hours only really make sense if the work you are doing is effective. This is a distinction drawn by John Mackin,entrepreneur co-founder of the Business Scale Academy

“The amount of time you work and the actual progress you make aren’t always the same thing,” he says. “What matters is knowing your key milestones and having a clear plan for reaching them. Strategic decisions and high-level actions can drive growth without requiring long hours.”

And as he sees it, the key to establishing a decent worklife balance is to leverage other people, through hiring, outsourcing or partnerships. “If there’s no plan for expanding and delegating, pushing longer hours won’t be sustainable. Without a structured scaling approach, you’ll quickly hit your limits, which can lead to burnout or the need to step back just to regain balance,” he adds.