I've been working on a startup with a friend while we're both interning at different companies in Seattle. It's definitely been hard because we basically work for 8 hours, then come home, eat, and work for another 4 or 5 on our startup.
Honestly, though, that's what I want to be doing. Seeing this thing come together actually makes me happy and gets me excited. It's been a rollercoaster though, some days are awful--like when we don't make any progress.
We make sure to take breaks often enough. We usually play a level of Halo on legendary or go see a movie (Superbad is hilarious!) when we need one.
All I can say is never give up. You will regret it more than you can possibly comprehend.
Oftentimes, working/thinking about my startup consumes my attention, such that my wife thinks I don't care about anything else... I find it hard to understand why other people just don't "get it" when it comes to entrepreneurship.
yes, my partner feels all i do is work work work. Always telling me to plan other things like vacations, or dates out. This has been a real drain on the relationship. However, i'm noticing that if i communicate more about what i'm working on every day, it smooths things over, and the same goes for friends and family.
It's the same with other things that you're passionate about. Your mind gets used to thinking about it and you don't even notice that it consumes all of your attention.
I'm sure your wife has something that she's very into but you just don't get/understand/grok.
I'm not sure how much my experience can relate to yours,but after thinking about your question for a while I personally found there's nothing I'd rather be doing more right now at the age of 22 then working on my startup.
I guess to answer your question. Its impossible for me to not have a life because of it, since right now it is my life.
a startup is your life buddy. Anything else you do is considered as an escape from that life. Some escapes are nice (like when you have sex or go for a walk or drink) and some suck (like when you go to your day job)
Yes. And "having a life" is overrated, as was noted already. I work 4-5 hours a day on a startup project, and another 4+ on a "real" job to pay the bills.
However, I still find plenty of time to spend on things other than work, whether it be personal project/hobbies/self-improvement, or hanging out with friends. So I may or may not have a life, depending on what standard you're measuring by. But I'm happy.
I had a great situation early in the summer. My apartment has a great deck and we would have parties 3-4 nights a week. At that point I was working on my startup, well, not very much.
In mid-July they started doing construction and we can't have any more parties for now. So I went in full time startup mode. My "life" is definitely on hold for a bit, but hopefully it is the jumpstart that I need to really get things moving.
Hard things are sometimes good, but could you sidestep whatever it is that's holding you up? Maybe look at the problem from a different angle. Keep fighting!
One good thing about developing and making products yourself is that you can give those ideas time to develop. User feedback is key, I find if I just keep on doing what the users asks for then the product just gets better. They think of ideas I never would have.
I know the feeling. You may feel like shit, but wait until you stop working and you will soon feel dead. I rather feel shitty than dead. you know that songs that goes like "don't stop. believe it....."
Honestly, though, that's what I want to be doing. Seeing this thing come together actually makes me happy and gets me excited. It's been a rollercoaster though, some days are awful--like when we don't make any progress.
We make sure to take breaks often enough. We usually play a level of Halo on legendary or go see a movie (Superbad is hilarious!) when we need one.
All I can say is never give up. You will regret it more than you can possibly comprehend.