Ramping up a new business is challenging, and there's no doubt that some — emphasis on SOME — sacrifices have to be made. Destination weddings and big vacations may have to wait until your cash flow improves.

However, be careful not to fall into the trap of believing that any time spent away from your business is wasted or counterproductive.

There's an enormous pile of research spanning better than a century that proves humans need time off. Henry Ford knew it when he cut his factory shifts from 60-hour, 6-day weeks to 40-hour, 5-day weeks. The smartest startups know it (New Relic strongly discourages unauthorized overtime; FullContact pays its team $7.5k on top of the PTO to leave their phones and email alone when they take vacation).

Creativity and happiness and productivity are all improved by taking time off. So even when you feel like you absolutely CANNOT take a day to spend with your friends and family once a week, you should.

If you're really feeling stretched thin, chances are your schedule could stand for some optimization. This was one of my biggest challenges, and overcoming it has been the single biggest reward of my career: I now work about 10–30 hours a week and get MORE done than when I was working 70–90 hour weeks.

If you'd like to talk more about scheduling and happiness, I'd love to help. This is right up my alley in terms of expertise and experience. :)

Good luck!