Hard things
jasonleow • 15 Mar 2026 •
Do hard things. Sure.
But hard isn’t waking up at 4am. It is doing that one thing that truly moves the needle. It’s doing marketing when you hate marketing. It’s speaking to users when it’s more fun building. It’s fixing a bug you dread to fix when building new features give you more joy.
I spent years waking up at 4am. I tweeted about it. I basked in the applause of my apparent grinding and suffering that I forced myself through. But look at where it got me.
Nothing so far.
I’d say, nothing, ever.
Just sleep deprivation.
Burnout.
Belly fat.
Poor health.
A fried nervous system in permanent fight, flight and freeze mode.
Sure, go do the hard thing.
But please please please make sure it moves the needle.
Not hustle theatre.
And please please please take care of your health while moving the needle.
Do the right hard thing. Don’t just do hard things and ignore the hardest thing that is self-care.
That’s the hardest thing.
Comments
Me too! Trying to quit that addictive habit now
I’m over the hustle-and-grind culture as well. One of my big takeaways from my visit with Steve is that I want more joy and fun in my life, including in business.