Overwhelmed by Startup Life? There’s a @bfeld and @abatchelor book for that.
Yesterday afternoon, a man named Masashi Fujita from Hitachi Japan came to our office with a translator to interview me about Paid, PAID, Vacation.
Mashashi is trying to help Japanese companies understand the concept of ‘work-life balance’ a bit better.
Masashi gave me a questionnaire prior to our interview for me to fill out. It took about 15 minutes, and it asked questions like:
- How many a hours do you work at the office? How many hours a week do you work in transit or at home? (A: 45 & 30)
- How is your typical day allocated from 6AM to 12AM? (A: 6AM-8AM waking up, email. 8AM-7PM, to / from work. 7PM-8PM, Dinner. 8PM-11PM, Work.)
- How many parties do you attend per month? (Personal: 3, Work Related: 8)
- What percent of your free time do you spend alone? (A: 10%) With your spouse? (A: 70%) With your friends? (A: 20%)
As I filled out the questionnaire, my answers were pretty revealing about the startup life I’m leading.
My takeaway was that I spend very little time by myself. I get very little ‘Bart’ time and I overcommit and overcook myself way too frequently.
This results in me crashing and burning out — hard — a few times a year. Sorta like the old Windows Blue Screen of Death. But in my case, it usually takes a few days for me to completely reboot.
If you’re an entrepreneur (or in a relationship with one), you probably know what I’m talking about. The good news, is: you’re not alone and help is on the way.
In their book, Startup Life: Surving and Thriving in a Relationship with an Entrepreneur, Amy Batchelor and Brad Feld discuss these types of issues in a no-nonsense practical way.
The book contains unbelievably candid stories from other entrepreneurs about their relationships.
It contains practical advice. It’s not heavy handed. It’s funny.
On countless occasions, I would laugh as I read something and point it out to my wife Sarah: “See? I’m not the only one!”
For example, Amy’s stories about Brad’s continued belief in his teleportation ability (and his propensity for lateness) made me howl.
Laura Vernon describing Todd Vernon ‘s uselessness in the mornings made me nod my head vigorously.
Brad’s ringtone for Amy is The Imperial March (her selection) and he doesn’t care about fashion (except for this investment).
I could go on and on, but I don’t want to spoil the book.
Without a doubt, Startup Life is the best relationship book I’ve ever read. It’s so good, I’m providing copies to everyone at FullContact.
As entrepreneurs, sometimes we don’t have the time for books. We consume small morsels — blog posts and tweets — instead of full meals.
If you read one book this year, make it Startup Life.
Seriously, do yourself a favor and go buy the book.
As always, if you’re an entrepreneur that’s not yet ramen profitable , email me and I’ll buy you a copy.