A bit of self assessment as to what tradeoffs one is willing and able to explore or make to create long-term better balance is required. Am I thrilled every day that I have less money to live in now and in the future than if I’d stayed in the corporate pressure cooker? No, but the respect, rare autonomy, and seasonal downtime that I’ve found at least in my role in academe, as well as the reward of seeing my graduate students fulfill their aspirations to make a difference in the world, more than offset the reduced compensation.

Ozyasar’s essay is helpfully concrete in how to make changes, not just adjust to chronic overwork. His analogy suggesting that those who work at 98% of capacity all of the time don’t have enough reserve to dig into when extra effort is really needed is vivid.

What’s the adage? No one has on their list of regrets that they wish they’d spent more time at the office.

Everything I’ve read suggests that the generations entering the marketplace today are not willing to conform to the business models the American baby boomers lived with–80 hour consulting weeks, 60% time on the road, virtual withdrawal from family life, dog-eat-dog competition. They may not be invited to: ironically, those hungry to adopt it appear to be young educated Indian and other Asians able and eager to fill the jobs rushing offshore from the US. And most Europeans never bought the model, universal though Americans may believe it was.