Worshipping the Almighty All-Nighter

Somewhere along the way, agencies decided that the more you suffer, the better the work. The late nights, the seventh round of “quick tweaks,” the group Slack chat that never sleeps, all of it celebrated like a badge of honor.

But, I’m not so sure that’s how it really works. Some of the best ideas don’t show up at 2 a.m. with cold pizza and half a deck done. They show up when people aren’t fried, when they actually like their jobs. At least, that’s been true in my experience.

We love to brag about the grind. “We’re built different.” “We go the extra mile.” Cool. But if your extra mile is just more time rearranging the same PowerPoint slides, maybe the road goes in a circle.

As I have said before, too many agencies confuse the process with product. Six rounds of revisions don’t always make the work better. They just make everyone tired and a little resentful. Still, I get it. Some shops live by that rhythm and produce incredible work. I just don’t know if it’s because of the grind or in spite of it.

Why We Keep Doing This

Old habits. Ego. Maybe a little trauma. I really don’t know.
But, a lot of creative leaders came up through places that treated exhaustion as a personality trait. “I went through hell, so now you will, too.” It’s not mentorship. It’s just repetition.

And, because long hours look like dedication, they’re easy to praise. Nobody wants to admit that “the hustle” might just be poor time management wrapped in a motivational quote.

I’ve Been the Employee and the Owner

I’ve done the all-nighters. I’ve worn the dark circles like war paint. Then I started my own studio and realized something wild. No one does better work when they’re half-dead. Long hours don’t make heroes. They make people who stop caring. At least, that’s what I’ve seen.

When you reward time instead of ideas, you get burnout, drama, and a lot of half-good work. You get people who perform productivity instead of creating. You get endless motion and zero momentum.

Just Off the Top of My Head

• Reward brains, not hours
• Cut a few rounds of revisions
• Trust your people to be adults
• Let them go home
• Lead like balance actually matters

Creativity isn’t about who suffers most. It’s about who still has enough energy to care.

Because when you build a culture around time spent, that’s all you’ll get time spent. But when you build one around results that matter, the late nights start to take care of themselves.

Michael is the Creative Director and co-founder of FoxFuel Creative. He loves British music, vintage German cars, and American history, and his sarcasm knows no bounds. #DreamBig