I look at my calendar for this weekend and my head swarms. There are visitors galore – all cool people who I want to see – and I plan to see as many of them as possible.  However, I can’t help but get slightly anxious, knowing that running from one social engagement to the next will prevent me from fully focusing and achieving excellence in my output.

Here’s the thing. Success boils down to two things: relationships and execution. These go hand-in-hand: building relationships provides links that can help you execute. But both take time. When one starts to dominate, the other will weaken. It’s simple logic. So, how do you craft a perfect balance so you can be a good friend, yet also get shit done? (and exercise and 8 hours of sleep)

I’ve never doubted my ability to maintain connections because I naturally place a high premium on relationships. But the trick now is not allowing it to affect the quality of my work. When it does, it’s time for balance to be restored.

Tonight I had a delightful dinner with a friend. I was home before 10 pm (the first time this week). I was able to bang out a few emails, write this post, and now I’m eagerly looking forward to cuddling up to my new read: ‘By Invitation Only: How We Built Gilt and Changed the Way Millions Shop ‘. I’ll learn about e-commerce and flash sales. Or I’ll just sleep. Either way, this is my version of balance.

To add to the social blitz, it’s a #MOWAweekend. If you don’t understand what that means, check out www.mowa.me, and get invited.

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