It’s a struggle for most working people to find the right balance between working hard at something you love and participating in the life you love. Owning my own business for the past two years has taught me that it’s even more crucial to strike that balance when your “office” is just steps away from your kitchen, living room, and bedroom. The upside is that you can work when you want to — and that’s the downside, too. Back in my corporate drone days, I wouldn’t normally be found at my computer at 10 PM, but these days it’s sometimes difficult to draw the line.

At the same time, I really cherish my freedom to be free from work, and I find myself nearing the point where my time is more valuable than the money I make by working. I’ve often scoffed at myself — work/life balance, Dan likes to tease, is code for laziness — but the truth is, we could all probably take a few more long weekends without doing much permanent damage to the global economy. When I came across this Bertrand Russell quote at kottke.org, I was tickled. Oh, Bertrand, right again.

I think that there is far too much work done in the world, that immense harm is caused by the belief that work is virtuous, and that what needs to be preached in modern industrial countries is quite different from what always has been preached.

From “In Praise of Idleness“