A Balanced Life: The Killer of Innovation

I hear this a lot: “You need a more balanced life. You’re obsessed with certain things—you shouldn’t spend so much time writing (or reading, or travelling, or listening to music, or whatever).” Others hear it about exercise, athletic pursuits, music, art, or work.

Yes, if you focus so intensely on one thing that you forget to eat, bathe, or kiss your wife (or husband, or dog), then balance is worth examining. But there is little in life that deserves more of your attention than your passion. If you have a family, of course, you need to “balance” that to some degree (maybe you shouldn’t have one?). And you may lose a partner if your other priorities interfere with nurturing the relationship. Partners should support each other’s passions, though. That gets dicey, and I won’t dive into it here. Maybe another time.