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Kevin O’Leary has a new piece of advice for getting rich: “work 25 hours a day, eight days a week.” He told a Harvard Business School podcast this month that the idea of work-life balance is, for founders, complete nonsense (1).
Here’s the funny part. Just four months earlier, O’Leary said the opposite. He called founders who brag about 18-hour days “stupid,” and warned he won’t invest in someone who shows up looking half-dead — because you need sleep, food, and exercise to make good decisions (2).
So which Kevin should you listen to? Neither, really. I built MoneyTalksNews.com, and I never once worked “25 hours a day” to do it. True, there were long hours when I started this business in 1991. But over the years, I’ve learned that the rich don’t out-grind everyone. They out-think them.
The data backs that up. A Stanford study found productivity per hour falls off a cliff after about 50 hours a week — past 55, you’re spinning your wheels, and someone working 70 hours gets no more done than someone working 55 (3).
Here are six ways to work smarter, not harder.
1. Stop confusing being busy with getting ahead
O’Leary’s “25 hours a day” sounds tough, but it’s terrible math. Past 55 hours a week your output flatlines (3) — you’re just trading your health for the feeling of working hard.
Even O’Leary knows it. On that same podcast he admitted he wasn’t around for his family. The grind always sends a bill, and it always comes due.
2. Put your money to work the hours you can’t
The hardest worker in your life should be your money. While you sleep, eat, and live, it can be out earning for you — but only if it’s in the right place.
If your savings are sitting in a big-bank account paying next to nothing, you’re leaving free money on the table for zero effort.
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3. Stop overpaying for stuff you already buy
Working smarter also means plugging the leaks. Most households overpay on insurance for one dumb reason: shopping around feels like a chore. Three out of four drivers don’t even compare rates once a year (4).
Five minutes of comparison can save you hundreds — no grind required.
Are you still paying renewal rates on your car insurance? If so, you are probably throwing away money.
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Quick gut-check — if your money advice is coming from random online influencers, you’re playing a dangerous game. I’ve been a CPA since 1981 and writing about money since before the internet existed. Sign up for the free Money Talks Newsletter and get expert advice that’s been tested by time.
4. Hire the expertise instead of grinding through it yourself
One big waste of time: trying to do everything yourself. Don’t out-work a problem you don’t understand — hire someone who does. The wealthy don’t manage every dollar themselves; they delegate the hard parts and spend their time where they’re strongest.
If you’ve got real money in play, a good advisor is leverage, not an expense.
One Vanguard study shows DIY investors turn $500K into $1.7 million over 25 years – while those with advisors reach $3.4 million. You could be missing half your potential wealth.
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5. Use cheap money instead of expensive money
Smart people don’t just earn more — they borrow smarter. When a big expense is unavoidable, financing it at 0% beats draining savings that’s busy earning interest, or putting it on a card charging north of 20%.
The catch, and it’s a real one: this only works if you clear the balance before the promo window closes. Treat it as a tool, not a crutch.
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6. Guard your time and health like the assets they are
Here’s the part the hustle crowd misses: burnout is the most expensive thing you’ll ever buy. Bad sleep and no recovery lead to bad decisions — the kind that cost far more than a few extra hours ever earned.
O’Leary, in a rare honest moment, admitted he wasn’t the father he could’ve been. That’s the real price of “25 hours a day.” Don’t pay it.
The bottom line
Getting rich isn’t about grinding until you collapse. It’s about setting things up so your money, your tools, and your good decisions do the work — then having a life worth coming home to.
O’Leary’s right about one thing: the early years of building something take real sacrifice. But “25 hours a day” forever isn’t a strategy. It’s a slow-motion mistake — and even he seems to know it.
Sources: Fortune (1); Inc. (2); CNBC (3); Motley Fool Money (4).
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