Why You Can’t Always Hustle 24/7 Like Gary Vaynerchuk

Do you follow Gary Vaynerchuk on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter?

(It’s like he’s everywhere sometimes!)

If you know what I’m talking about, you’re served daily Gary’s optimism-first, ‘stop-your-whining-and-get-shit-done’ attitude.

Which I totally admire. And I admit, I love watching his predictions, his “live in your parents’ basement until you make it, and don’t have a social life” advice…

He posts an update, and I eat right out of the palm of his hand every single time, and I turn into a raving fan-girl. I kinda look like this when I’m reading his updates…

Drunk with power.

I love Gary’s $1.80 Instagram Strategy… (it works by the way. You can see my results on my Instagram Stories as a Highlight here.)

I love his Innovate or Die analysis of Toys R Us… (they didn’t change their stores into experiences.)

I love his secrets to success… (know your opportunities, then strike.)

Then there are his daily vlogs that present his on-brand mantra of ‘go, go, go… I’m on a plane to five different cities today, and EVERYONE can survive on 5 hours sleep like me! YOU GOTTA HUSTLE!’.

Now I love Gary Vee, but that is INTENSE!

Now because I’m an #overachiever, and I love to work until I drop (without ending up in hospital) to get things done, I’m here to tell you Gary Vee’s work-life strategies may not work for YOU.

Gary has said that while you’re at home watching Netflix, he’s out having a business meeting at 8pm. He basically never stops.

Sure, Gary is someone to admire and and look to for inspiration… but do you want to spend every waking moment focusing on your business?

Believe me, I’m tough on myself, too.

I want to get up at 5am, fully recharged, without having to shuffle around in the dark for the coffee pot, and hit the gym and do some reps (I don’t even know what reps are, but I think I should be doing them).

Then I want to have walking meetings like Zuckerberg does, and get stuck into some work with clients who pay on time without having to send a reminder email…

But it doesn’t always work out like that.

I read an article that Anna Wintour gets up at 5am and plays tennis.

Richard Branson also rolls out of bed at 5am to fit more into his day.

Elon Musk works 100 hours a week.

Deepak Chopra spends two hours meditating every morning (I can barely find 10 mins to meditate without my mind listing out the shopping list for the week).

The only person who breaks this routine is Ramit Sethi, who says he wakes up, rolls over and checks Instagram, reads Twitter and emails, then heads over to Slack to tell a few jokes.

(And I think waking up at 5am is only good if you’re going to the airport to catch an early-morning flight.)

So what does this tell you?

It’s okay to achieve success at your own pace.

Rihanna’s got it right.

Sure, you can take inspiration from what other people have done and try it for yourself, mix it up a little, take some bits from one person and some bobs from another, but make it your own and find a daily ritual that works for you.

But ultimately, strike a balance that works for you and also includes the ‘life’ part of work-life balance.

We need that downtime to recharge.

Try slowing the hustle a little and see what happens. Here’s how you can do it…

1. Step away from the computer (or phone, or tablet).

Don’t feel guilty if you feel like a break and want to watch a trashy TV show or pore over the latest gossip mag. The trick is to allow yourself these guilty pleasures.

And enjoy them; don’t feel bad about them. It’s worse to feel bad while you’re doing something ‘off the clock’ because you feel you SHOULD be working.

Check your ‘shoulds’ at the door and just ‘be’ for an hour. Or a day. Or even a weekend.

2. Don’t procrastinate.

Taking a break is definitely a must-do, but if you’re taking a break to avoid doing something, that’s where the trouble starts. Don’t stop doing what you need to because you find it difficult. If you’re stuck on a task, google it. Phone a friend. Or ask a question in our Facebook group of digital marketing specialists and Facebook Business experts.

It’s time to focus and get your stuff done, so you can enjoy yourself (and not be fretting or distracted by some business stuff) when you do take a break.

3. Find your own routine.

Does it annoy you when you read these articles that say, ‘wake up at 5am! You can function on 4 hours sleep! Get more done! Roll out of bed and head to the gym!’

Yeah, it makes me feel anxious, like I won’t be successful if I don’t wake up at 5am to go to the gym, drink that kale juice, and then work solid for 20 hours every day and never see my dogs. But you need to find a routine that works for you. You can’t model it entirely off someone else’s.

So while working 20 hours a day may work for someone like Gary or 100 hours a week works for Elon, it may not be sustainable for you.

And realise that’s totally okay. Accept it and work within your limitations.

There is time in the day for work and play. Let’s embrace the hustle, but also, let’s accept there is life outside of our daily grind.

If you like what you read, it would mean the world to me if you gave it a 👏🏼 and share it with your friends.

What’s the no.1 thing you are doing today to achieve success (at your own pace)? Let me know in the comments!