Startups are hard, so work more, cry less, and quit all the whining by Michael Arrington has been doing the rounds recently, as have various outcries against its fairly daft proclamations.
Two great posts about this from a few days ago are Startups, lack of sleep, and finding better ways to do business by Rachael Andrew and on doing what you love, loving what you do, and not burning out along the way by Scott Anderson. Both sum up things more eloquently than I can, but I want to pick up on a few of the points that I feel quite strongly about.
I don't shy away from working hard, or from putting in long hours when necessary. This has to be the exception rather than the rule, though. Working into the evening, or on weekends, quickly takes its toll on health and sanity. I'd much rather put in fewer, higher quality, hours than lots of hours at steadily declining quality and productivity. Extra coffee only helps up to a point!
I love my job, but my life outside of work is just as important to me. The balance and the contrast is what keeps me happy, healthy, and excited about the next project. And now is a very exciting time to be a web developer. (More on this soon.)