I came across this article today while (ironically) at the office checking in some code changes I made as a result of a fit of inspiration that struck late last night. The title: Balance is Bunk.

A few of choice quotes that caught my eye:

“…in real life, success in work is predicated on achievement. In a competitive business environment -- which is to say, every business environment -- leadership requires commitment, passion, and, to be blunt, a lot of time…”

“…building something great, leading change, truly innovating – ‘it's like falling in love. You have to abandon yourself to it…There's the risk of inherent contradiction between wanting to do something entrepreneurial and wanting to have balance.’…”

“…I don't look at balance as an ideal. What I look at is, Am I happy? If the answer is yes, then everything else is inconsequential. If you look at the number of hours I work, it's probably extreme. But those hours talking with an adviser over dinner -- is that work? Well, yeah, but it's also stimulating.’…”

“…Most achievers don't work hard just at work. They think about their work a lot of the time outside the office. Even if they acknowledge the value of paying attention to their families or their health, they're consumed -- and thrilled -- by the task at hand. Stewart Friedman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, and Sharon Lobel of Seattle University have a term for such folks: ‘happy workaholics’…”

The whole article is over at FastCompany here.

Update: Go read haacked's musings on this article, too.