DJC Insights
Why "Balance" is a Myth in High-Growth Phases
The Instagram Illusion
Open social media, and you will see "wellness influencers" preaching about work-life balance. They tell you to work 4 hours a day, meditate for 2, exercise for 2, and spend the rest of the time drinking organic matcha latte in a Bali villa.
That sounds lovely.
But if you are trying to build a high-growth startup in a competitive market like Southeast Asia, that advice is not just useless—it is dangerous.
Let me be honest: You cannot build a rocket ship while working 9-to-5.
During the launch phase of DJC, "balance" was not in my vocabulary. I was obsessed. I was thinking about the product in the shower. I was answering emails at traffic lights (don't do this). I was dreaming about database schemas.
Obsession is a Season
I am not saying you should work 100 hours a week forever. That leads to burnout and death.
But you must accept that obsession is a temporary necessity.
Think of a plane taking off. It uses 80% of its fuel just to get off the ground. The engines are at maximum thrust. The vibration is intense. It is loud. It is scary.
Once it reaches cruising altitude, the pilot can throttle back. The ride becomes smooth. You can walk around the cabin.
But if the pilot tries to "throttle back" while still on the runway because he wants "balance," the plane doesn't fly. It crashes into the fence.
Startups are the same. In the early days (0 to 1), you are on the runway. You need maximum thrust.
Managing the Trade-offs
So, if balance is impossible, how do you not destroy your life?
You don't aim for balance; you aim for conscious imbalance.
Communicate with your "Stakeholders": Your family and close friends are your shareholders in life. Sit them down.
- "Hey, for the next 6 months, I am going to be absent. I am going to be stressed. It’s not because I don't love you. It’s because we are taking off. I need your support."
- Most people can handle absence if they know why and for how long.
Quality over Quantity: I might not be home for dinner every night. But on Sunday morning, from 8 AM to 12 PM, I am fully present. Phone away. Playing with the kids. Taking the wife to brunch. 4 hours of 100% presence is better than 10 hours of being physically there but mentally on Slack.
Protect the Biological Basics: You can sacrifice hobbies. You can sacrifice Netflix. You cannot sacrifice sleep and exercise.
- If you stop sleeping, your IQ drops. You make bad decisions.
- If you stop moving, your energy crashes.
- I treat my sleep and gym time as "maintenance work" for the machine (me).
The Light at the End of the Tunnel
The goal is not to live in this state of chaos forever. The goal is to build systems (as we talk about in our other chapters) so that the business can eventually run without your constant obsession.
But you earn that right. You earn the right to "balance" by surviving the chaos of the beginning.
So, stop feeling guilty because you aren't living a balanced life right now. You are building something. And building requires fire.
Embrace the season of the hustle. Just make sure you have a plan to land the plane eventually.
Dave Chong DJC AI Sdn Bhd