I believe in working very hard. Ask anyone who knows me, and chances are that they will tell you that they think I work too hard. I know that I do spend a significant amount of my time working, but I can’t imagine what else I would be doing. I have still managed to maintain a social life, so I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything by racking up the hours in my office.
Although I do think everyone should work as hard as possible, I also acknowledge that there is a lot of value in occasionally taking a break. If you try to work your hardest 365 days a year, you’re going to get burned out, and your performance will suffer. However, if you take the occasional break, you can get away and recharge your batteries. This is exactly what I did when I went to Tampa a couple of months ago. Even though I only went for four days, I made my time there as relaxing as possible, and when I returned, I was ready to get back to the office.