Since Tim Ferris released his book The 4-Hour Workweek, many people have jumped on the work less, make more bandwagon. I’m not one of those people and I’m going to tell you why.

While I know that there is value in working smarter, not harder, I think four-hour workweeks or even four-hour workdays are overrated!

If you’re passionate about what you do you’ll find that it’s easy to put in the time.

What “Work” Means

I LOVE what I do! I have so much passion for my business. I would be working all day every day if I could!

When I truly enjoy what I’m doing, it doesn’t seem like work at all.

How do you define “work?”

To me, work is anything tangentially related to my business.

Of course it includes making, marketing, and selling my products. It also includes balancing the books, keeping records and buying supplies.

And work includes things that might not be so obvious, like:

• Chatting with my customers
• Taking a class to improve my skills
• Pinning food photos on Pinterest for future inspiration

Finding Life’s Purpose

My business is the vessel that carries my life’s purpose. I thrive on achievement and I know that the best way to reach my goals is by putting in the time.

Achievement follows hard work!

When I invest more hours into my business, I continue to add accomplishments to the milestones I already have under my belt:

• My business generated a five-figure sales number every month in 2014
• My Instagram account grew by 8,000 followers in less than nine months
• My products have been featured in national magazines

In the business world it’s not enough to coast along.

There will always be competition and other challenges in the marketplace.

I never would have accomplished these things if I didn’t have a true desire to succeed, work hard, and put in the time necessary to move forward.

Work-Life Balance

This is not to say that I don’t value personal time off. It’s not all work and no play!

I also love shopping, dining out, and unwinding at home.

I think it’s very important to take a day off every now and then to recharge my batteries.

Good physical and mental health are important factors in making sure that I continue to enjoy my workdays.

I easily spend eight full, focused, hours working each day. Yet I still have time every day to:

• Work out for an hour
• Fix and enjoy dinner
• Decompress by watching TV, reading, or playing video games
• Hang out with my hubby
• Get eight to nine hours of sleep each night

All of these things keep me healthy, happy, and ready to go to work the next day.

If you have passion for what you do then it won’t feel like work—and you won’t spend the day watching the clock.

When you can really put your heart into what you do, your business will thrive.

Having said that, I don’t have kids yet, so I cannot speak for stay-at-home moms and dads who are trying to run small businesses.

I can only imagine that it’s very difficult to find the best balance in each situation. Perhaps there’s a time when I might consider working less.

Now that I’m kid-free, I plan to continue building my business and achieving my goals while doing what I love!

I want to hear from you!!

What are your thoughts?

What does “work” mean to you?

Do you want to work less?

Let me know in the comments below!