Just Thoughts #47: Mental Health, Ambition, and the Illusion of Endless Work in the Age of AI
Navigating the entrepreneurial pressure cooker: Why prioritizing well-being isn't just good for you, it's essential for sustainable success. Plus: how to prevent, and recover if there are issues
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Podcast Summary Generated with NotebookLM.
The first rule of Just Thoughts: Why should I think that way?
Headlines in this edition;
Beyond the Grind: My Mental Health Journey and the New Rules of Ambition
Mental Health and Performance - By The Startup Ministers
What are others saying?
Founder experiences
What does the literature say?
The Four-Day Work Week: Effects on Performance and Mental Health
Paywall.
Preventive Measures: Organizational Network Analysis, Engagement Surveys, Personal Coaches & Self-reflection exercises.
Recovery Measures - Find Hope, Be Merciful, and Balance Loads
Poem: Love is Hope & Flow AI video
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Beyond the Grind: My Mental Health Journey and the New Rules of Ambition
Mental health is close to my heart. I’ve been through clinical support to overcome my issues, and the aftermath of that process is that I’m highly attuned to my mental health at any given time, something I’ve reflected over multiple times in previous writing.
Just Thoughts #15: Mental Health and family
The content in this article is “handwritten” and only co-piloted with Grammarly’s spell-checking and re-phrasing for the desired tone of voice. I’m dyslectic, so using it removes my cognitive impediments.
I've cultivated gratitude for life's smaller aspects, yet an insatiable drive and hunger for ambition persist. It often feels as though the entrepreneurial world I resonate with was, and will remain, unprepared for someone like me, rather than me failing to meet others' expectations.
This presents a dichotomy: the challenge lies in balancing the acquisition of new knowledge with the application of existing expertise. Furthermore, while all endeavors demand effort, determining sufficient effort remains elusive.
Given the rapid pace of AI advancement, it seems counterintuitive that increased working hours would be necessary, especially when these tools are designed to enhance efficiency, even for those at the forefront of AI development.
Recently, Mark Zuckerberg and Meta embarked on a hiring spree, luring top talent from competitors with significant bonuses. This occurred after Sam Altman's earlier comments regarding Zuck's attempts to recruit OpenAI personnel.
Meta's apparent success prompted a two-fold response from OpenAI: a recalibration of salaries, followed by a company-wide week off, presumably to address employee overwork.
The rapid pace of technological development, intense competition among industry leaders, and global interconnectedness create an environment where the world seems to be constantly observing. Yet, no performance science supports the notion of an 80-hour work week.
I understand the allure of working long hours; in my youth, I even joked about what people who worked only 40 hours a week did after Wednesday. What I didn't realize then is still relevant today.
Before delving into work-life balance, I want to explain why I chose the #aiandchill series, the post highlighted above.
Instagram's recent changes to discoverability have made it a prominent factor in search results. This means Instagram is no longer just a social media platform; it's now a critical part of your overall SEO strategy. This change helped me find this seemingly insignificant channel, but the relevance was high.
Learn more about what Google indexing Instagram means for your business's visibility.
Second, it exemplifies AI's capabilities: clips can be automatically generated without significant creative skills, requiring only intent and a clear guide on tool usage and order, which the channel's creator seems to be doing.
Mental Health and Performance
The Startup Ministers (featured first time in Just Thoughts #4) recently covered the topic of wellbeing. Ran the podcast first through NotebookLM to get a long-form summary in English, and then shortened the summary in Gemini before making my edits.
"The Entrepreneur's Pressure Cooker."
The Problem: Founders face widespread stress and burnout (50-70% affected), yet a culture of silence persists due to stigma and fear of investor perception. This chronic stress significantly impairs crucial decision-making, directly harming company performance.
The Solution: Prioritize Founder Health for Company Success.
Founder well-being directly equals company performance.
Proactive self-care (e.g., consistent routines for sleep, exercise) is essential for the "marathon" of entrepreneurship.
Kristo Ovaska, a high-profile founder, courageously broke the silence by taking a significant break for his health, family, and learning, returning "even more effectively."
Practical strategies include realistic time management, direct stressor resolution, and leveraging support systems like co-founders, advisors, and professional help.
Ultimately, sacrificing personal well-being for success can lead to a hollow victory. Sustainable entrepreneurship demands prioritizing the founder's mental and physical health.
To highlight: Jyri believes that 3-5 sessions of strength training and the same amount of cardio per week (e.g., cycling to work or running) are sufficient to ensure a founder can sustain their efforts for "10 years or more”. There is likely some science to back this one up.
What are others saying?
In contrast, Harry Stebbings and Martin Mignot are both prominent investors who have publicly advocated for extremely demanding work schedules in the startup industry, such as working seven days a week or adopting the “996” model (9 am to 9 pm, six days a week):
Stebbings claims that nonstop, high-intensity work is necessary to achieve global-scale success in tech startups.
Mignot argues that such relentless work schedules are becoming the norm in high-growth Western tech companies and that founders should not apologize for setting such demanding expectations for their teams.
Both suggest that this level of dedication is crucial to compete with the fastest-moving global tech competitors, especially amid rapid advances in areas like AI.
Their views have sparked debate and significant backlash, with critics warning that such work culture promotes burnout, jeopardizes mental health, and risks long-term business failure due to exhaustion.
However, research strongly refutes the idea that sustained extreme work hours yield positive individual or organizational outcomes in the long run. There is nothing that will support these thoughts.
Founder Experiences
The Startup Ministers mention Kristo Ovaska as a founder, setting the right example. A few years ago, he posted the following on LinkedIn.
When it comes to the pressure he was experiencing, I was there before it boiled over, running people operations, and I ran a project before it all went down that highlighted the problem. Let’s just say I saw it coming, based on data, the same way people could predict who the next pope is.
However, I was grappling with personal struggles that consumed all my energy, leaving me with nothing to contribute to Smartly.io at the time. I'll delve deeper into these challenges and other solutions within the paid content. It's important to highlight, Kristo, that I absorbed all the correct lessons. If a workplace truly seeks authentic leadership to foster a healthy performance culture, Smartly, at that time, established a benchmark worthy of emulation.
While not perfect, it possessed the fundamental elements of perfection. With the implementation of suitable data systems, one could readily pinpoint the stressors within the workforce, which is, in essence, the system itself.
What does the literature say?
Before we discuss the types of data that can reveal strains in the workforce, based on my experience at Smartly.io, let’s review some books I’ve come across that have shaped my understanding of mental health and performance in organizations. Here’s a perplexity search on to support my writing on the subject.
True support for mental health and performance demands moving beyond token solutions to creating ecosystems where people find joy, connection, and meaning in their work, supported by authentic—rather than performative—leadership and organizational structures
I recalled reading a book, "Great at Work," which cited research suggesting an optimal range of 40 to 60. Perplexity then provided a supporting table.
Summary
You’re likely recalling findings popularized by Morten Hansen’s "Great at Work", which explicitly analyzed the connection between work hours and high individual performance, settling around 50 hours per week for top achievers—but always with an emphasis on effective use of hours, not mere quantity.
There is no universal consensus, but several influential business figures and certain productivity literature have floated the 40–60 hour range as territory for exceptional output, with the critical caveat that hours beyond a certain point can greatly diminish returns and increase burnout risk.
Sustainable models prioritize working smarter, maintaining focus, and integrating work with life, rather than merely extending hours.
Additionally, there is the whole notion of the “four-day work week” popularized, and a few notable studies that have gotten reactions on social media. Here’s a perplexity search on the subject.
The Four-Day Work Week: Effects on Performance and Mental Health
Key Benefits
Improved Mental Health: Multiple large-scale studies and trials have shown that shifting to a four-day work week can significantly reduce work-related stress, anxiety, and rates of burnout. Workers report better overall well-being and greater satisfaction with work-life balance, including having more time for rest, exercise, and family responsibilities.
Boosted Productivity: Contrary to traditional expectations, a well-implemented four-day week often leads to higher productivity per hour. Employees become more focused, meetings are kept shorter, and there is sharper prioritization of tasks. In Microsoft's Japan trial, productivity soared by almost 40%.
Reduced Absenteeism: Companies that made the shift have noticed fewer sick days and better employee attendance, as individuals have more time to recover and manage personal obligations.
Talent Attraction and Retention: A compressed work week is a powerful recruiting and retention tool, appealing especially to workers seeking a better quality of life. Trials have shown notable drops in staff turnover after implementing four-day weeks.
Cost Savings & Sustainability: Less office use and commuting reduce operational costs and environmental impact, with some firms reporting substantial energy and facilities savings.
Preventive Measures: Organizational Network Analysis, Engagement Surveys, Personal Coaches & Self-reflection exercises.
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