How this 39-year-old entrepreneur clocks in 11 hours of work, yet makes times for fitness, family; 'I just try to…'

We all jostle for space, right? Amidst the hectic demands of a stressful job, and the race to get ahead, personal life and fitness often takes a hit. Yet, there are so many people in the world, who not only work super hard, but also make time for themselves, and their fitness. Desmond Lim , a 39‑year‑old startup founder, routinely clocks around 11 hours of work each day, and still makes space for family moments and regular workouts. The way he weaves together these three strands of life yields a handful of lessons, for anyone caught in the work‑life tug‑of‑war. Here’s how he makes it work….

Making mornings right

According to ‘CNBC Make It’, Desmond Lim rises at 6:30 a.m, carving out 75–90 minutes for a workout. To him, staying fit isn’t a pastime-it’s a cornerstone of his success and overall well‑being. Whether he’s shooting hoops, swimming a few laps or hitting the gym, the activity wakes up his body, and sharpens his mind before the workday kicks off. His passion for sport, honed by captaining basketball teams and even representing Singapore’s National Youth Team in his younger years, underscores how essential regular movement is, for lasting health.



The ‘Schedule’ method

Lim draws inspiration from Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham’s essay on time management. Liam calls it the " schedule," a cadence that flips between jam‑packed meeting slots, and blocks of creative work. Rather than forcing himself into a mode, either a manager’s over‑filled calendar or a maker’s deep‑work periods, he smartly blends the two. As a result, his schedule weaves together calls, meetings, team lunches, and then shifts into stretches, for project work. The combination leaves his mind agile, and his work running. He says, “the emotional ups and downs are always very challenging. The highs are very high, the lows are very low.”

Crystal‑clear demarcations, for family time

Even though Liam’s workday stretches into the night till 8.30 pm, the entrepreneur strictly earmarks his weekends as family time. He tucks his work phone away in a cupboard, that thwarts any work‑related disturbance. This decisive split grants him the latitude to recuperate, and relax with his loved ones. Lim concedes that steering a startup is a taxing ask, yet making time for family is important for mental health and enduring stamina.

Crafting your own pulse

Lim’s mantra is straightforward-“Find your rhythm. Guard your energy." This means designing daily routines that match personal productivity patterns, and making deliberate choices to conserve physical and mental resources. By sticking to that routine even when the startup roller‑coaster throws highs and lows, he manages to stay balanced. While he accepts that uncertainty is a part of entrepreneurship , he constantly reminds himself that health, and simply being alive, form the bedrock, for everything. He says, “every year, you still think the company could die. And then I just try to remind myself… you are still alive, healthy, everything is good.”



Passion outside work

Lim encourages all entrepreneurs to find a passion that lies outside their business and to pursue it with dedication. For him, sports fill that role-a source of energy razor‑sharp focus, and fresh renewal. By devoting time to activities that exist purely for joy and health far removed from the grind of work, the 39-year old stays balanced. This passion for sports also reinforces his commitment to physical fitness, enhancing stamina and resilience needed for both personal and professional challenges.

Desmond Lim’s practical strategies highlight how even the busiest professionals can dedicate time to family and fitness by setting boundaries, respecting personal rhythms, and combining focused work with meaningful recreation. This line of thinking reveals that achieving a work‑life balance isn’t a pipe dream; it becomes feasible when the concept is reframed as an effort to guard energy, and to give precedence to the priorities that lie outside the confines of the office.