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The article is not talking about having "a great career" (which you can have while also having good balance and focusing on things).

To me, the article is more a lament. There is only so much time in this life, and if you're organized (I read that to mean intentional in your execution and not wasting time) then you apply that time to your highest priority.

Work / building things / personal hobbies / your partner / your family / your kids - these all compete. It's impossible to do everything you'd LOVE to do in your building and hobbies without burning the candle on both ends a bit with the other priorities.

You can do it for short periods, but eventually it catches up and you'll either do it all bad or sacrifice something.

Time is finite. Desire / drive are not. Solve for X. I feel what the author is saying every day, but I'm OK with it because there's no question in my mind that my kids and family are going to be the best use of my time and what I'm thinking about on my death bed.

Do I still sleep too little and occasionally overwork to execute? Yes - but you have to pick your spots.

You just can't do it ALL.

(And mind you - that's for me as an extremely involved, work-from-home, caring for children MAN. This is an entirely different equation if you're a female and you don't have support structure. Nobody can have it all but I've probably got the best shot at having a TON of it - but there are still trade-offs)



In my country you're not entitled to your husband/wife money so both parents need to make sure that they're financially independent.


Do you mean in the case of divorce? Or in the case that a husband decides to not be a collaborating partner in raising a child? Obviously to be totally secure you need to make sure you have some money, but ideally it's a collaboration and not a competition even if the law doesn't provide an entitlement.


i really like your framing, this encapsulates the problem very consisely:

> Time is finite. Desire / drive are not. Solve for X


Thank you! That's very kind. It's definitely not an easy equation to solve and is a constant moving target :)




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