HR Strange But True

‘Real Work’ or Just ‘Work’—Mark Zuckerberg Talks About Work/Life Balance and Success

In a “town hall-type” Q&A on Facebook, CEO Mark Zuckerberg told his over 31 million followers about his “workweek” and how he achieves work/life balance. But he had to define “work” before he started—and it’s a good thing he is exempt.


**Photo Credit by iStockphoto & Getty Images**

The first question from a follower asked him how many hours he works in a week. He first responded by breaking out his answer into “real work”—corporate matters such as meetings—and “work”—reading and thinking about the mission of his company and how to achieve it.

He then answered that he spends about 50 to 60 hours per week in the office doing “real work.” [For what he means by “the office,” see this recent HRSBT post.]

What does he read when he is just working? He answered that he leans toward nonfiction—not much of a surprise—mainly books from his A Year of Books challenge reading list.

Numerous replies on the Q&A asked the CEO for a job. When a direct question was posted on how to get a job at Facebook, the CEO sent readers to the Facebook Careers page, which says, “We hire trailblazers, hackers, and pioneers. We want people who can solve challenging problems, make a real impact, and build something big. You should join us” … “Want to help?”

And how did this CEO answer the question: “What’s the most important secret of success?” His answer was simple—“Don’t give up.”

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