I'm 26 but couldn't agree more with a lot of what's said. I'm married younger than most in my industry and feel an intense pressure to work all hours of the week, essentially be on call 24/7. And most kids entering my field do, they make their job their whole life. I'm just not willing to do that and think it's very important to draw those work/life boundaries. It doesn't make you less of an asset at your job because most of the work I see is work for work's sake, to seem like they are putting in the effort. Working smarter, not harder is absolutely right. And there are also other tactics that are important. Working from home if need be, adjusting your hours so you can make time for your family/kids and still get things done, etc. Burn out is a big risk and my guess is that even though most kids in startups are young, there are many who are unsuccessful because they think they need to work 100+ hour weeks and just can't maintain the pace. They get burnt out, fail at what they're doing, and end up squandering a lot of talent. If they'd just rationed their energy, who knows what could have happened.