Should startup founders take weekends off?

It's a marathon...why not. I have been a fool working 7 days a week, to realise late that it just takes away the fun of building a startup. Weekends are for brainstorming, when you are relaxed you think about what went wrong or right in the past week. And come back stronger

100% I'd go as far as actually make it part of the company's policy. if you're overworked or if you have a burnout it will end up costing you more than you think.

I would tend to agree with @iscu_andrei, although I would suggest to try going slower on the weekends, and to take the time to breathe. You want your startup to be successful, yes, but you don't want to burn out in the process

I recently 'had' to take a day off, so I did. The next day turned out to be my most active day since a long time. With that I decided to relax more on Saturdays and Sundays.

Your brain needs downtime to recharge, and that's when you're able to think creatively, which you need as a founder. Do I take full weekends off? No, too much to do. But I do try to take at least 1-2 days completely "off" per month, and sleep in at least one morning per week. I also find that screen-free recharge times are critical (I have a membership to a local float tank center- 90 mins of sensory deprivation + epsom salts = bliss)

Yes, absolutely - we need to recharge.

I wouldn't say "hard" weekends off because you have a lot of work to do as a startup founder (if your ambitions involve a large exit). But you shouldn't work nearly the same amount you do on weekdays either, otherwise the days will become a blur and you'll burn out. But spending 2-3 hours on Saturday and Sunday to brainstorm, plan, and just think higher level is super useful and you still have plenty of time to rest and relax.

@sergei_timoshenko, great question! I think this boils down to affordability: can they afford to? Usually, the founders have the drive and the vision that makes a startup successful. There's much to take into consideration before one could even ponder the possibility. Family, stress, costs, etc. My honest opinion is that they can't afford to. A small sacrifice in the begining pays off in the long term. But I am interested to see different opinions and the considerations they are based on.

Mental health is fundamental 🧠 Take your time for family, friends and passions 💆🏻‍♂️💆🏻‍♀️

depends on your situation. I've run one part-time business on the side doing only 5 hours per week. It's mostly automated and has been growing decently over the years. That being said, it is not designed to pay for my life. I like having a business that can be sustained without worrying about taking money out or whether I have enough attention for it on any given week. I just feed the profits back into it and have been doubling it every year and will eventually sell it for a nice profit. If your business needs to feed you and pay the bills and provide security, then you should work hard as hell until you achieve the level of profitability needed for it. I am in this stage with another business of mine that I just launched. After it has grown enough to reliably take care of you, it depends on you and your goals. Some people want a simple and flexible business and other things are more important in life. For other people (like me) I have big goals and my business is the key driver to making those goals happen, so I'll always go the extra mile. I also never plan on retiring or stopping and am more concerned about leaving a lasting impact and legacy, so it'll be pedal to the metal til death for me. But, that's not for everyone. Despite that, I have, however, found that I get more done when I take one day off per week and don't think about work and sleep in twice per week. That is enough for me to recharge my batteries, take care of the other aspects of my life, and come back strong the next work day.

Let's be real even if we do get the weekend off, we rarely take it. Taking the weekend or time off, I would boil it down to mental health. Can you continue and be happy? It gets to a point just continuing in a cycle of "trying your best" you become vulnerable to negativity and fall prey to your own thoughts and self-doubt. I've woken up in sweats because of my job and literally started working because I thought I wasn't doing enough and disappointing everyone I know. So sometimes the best thing is to step away then see things in a different light rather than be miserable even if it means taking the weekend or a whole workday off. I would sacrifice my income if it means I can step away to save myself. *I know that having the option to step away is a privilege and I acknowledge that I am extremely fortunate.