Ryan Serhant, who begins his day at 4:30 a.m., claims most fall short of their dreams as their true desire is ‘simply to be lazy’

In the modern business landscape, leadership can often resemble an endless race. This is perhaps why certain top executives, such as CEOs, work through every day of the week—holidays included—to maintain an edge.

Ryan Serhant operates under this same total-commitment philosophy.

The social media influencer, television personality, and founder of SERHANT. has earned a name for himself not only by selling luxury properties to wealthy clients but also for managing his schedule with almost scientific exactness.

His day begins at 4:30 a.m., with the first hour dedicated to responding to emails. Following a 90-minute exercise session, he launches into meetings and client duties that can extend until 11 p.m.

He readily acknowledges he maintains very little sense of a balanced personal life.

“I absolutely have an issue; I truly live to work,” stated Serhant, who is married with one child. “Even on trips, I feel a strong eagerness to return to my central work hub.”

For numerous employees, securing balance has grown more crucial. According to Randstad’s 2025 Workmonitor report, it was the primary factor considered when assessing present or potential employment. This marked the first instance in the survey’s 22-year run that work-life balance outranked salary as the leading motivator.

However, Serhant contends the discussion around work-life balance is more complex. He suggests many individuals face difficulties because they are not truthful with themselves.

“The simplest person to deceive is your own reflection,” Serhant further noted. “Individuals are not candid about their objectives. They believe they desire to get married, they believe they want X, they believe they want Y, but their genuine desire is inactivity. Their true aim is simply idleness. Their real wish is merely to hit the jackpot.”

Ryan Serhant’s schedule strategy: treating time as money—literally

Long before his current recognition as a CEO and media figure, Serhant understood that to achieve his ambitions, he needed to gain strict control over his daily routine.

“I conducted a time audit and recognized how much capital—meaning time—I was allocating to activities where I should have been investing instead,” Serhant informed an interviewer.

This insight formed the basis of his scheduling method, where time equates directly to money. He organizes his days using a framework where each minute represents one dollar. Calculating 24 hours multiplied by 60 minutes results in $1,440 available daily. After subtracting time for sleep and eating, he establishes what he terms his 1,000-minute principle.

This framework—which is examined by academics—promotes deliberate time distribution while also fostering a broader viewpoint. If a supervisor shouts at you for five minutes, that is only a $5 loss. Does such a minor cost warrant wasting the remaining $995 of your day?

For Serhant, establishing goals is his guiding principle. His 2026 objectives involve growing SERHANT. into a brokerage led by artificial intelligence and further extending its presence into additional states. He emphasizes that even if goals are not fully met, it is vital to continually advance your career according to your own vision:

“Stressful days will occur. You will feel drained, upset, you will weep, you will fall ill. All of life’s inevitable challenges will still arise, but you will at least understand the direction of your progress. You will follow your own rhythm rather than another’s tune.”

Adhering to this approach has boosted Serhant’s standing as a premier real estate broker. His company—comprising close to 1,500 agents and approximately 200 full-time staff—finalized over $6 billion in sales just last year.

Billionaire business leaders like Jeff Bezos and Reid Hoffman agree: work-life balance isn’t a reality for success

Serhant is not the only one who holds the view that those aiming for high achievement might need to sacrifice a conventional work-life equilibrium.

LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman has consistently maintained that anyone seeking to embark on an entrepreneurial venture, specifically, must devote themselves entirely to launch their concept successfully.

“Whenever I listen to a founder discuss, ‘This is my method for a balanced lifestyle,’ they lack the dedication to truly succeed,” Hoffman mentioned during a 2014 class. “The truly exceptional founders are those who state, ‘I plan to invest absolutely everything into this endeavor.’”

Amazon cofounder Jeff Bezos expressed a similar view during his presentation last year at Italian Tech Week.

“I am not fond of the term ‘balance’ because it suggests a compromise,” Bezos remarked. “Frequently, people inquire, ‘How do you manage work-life balance?’ My response is ‘I prefer work-life harmony, since contentment at home enhances performance at work. Improved performance at work, in turn, improves life at home.’ These elements are interconnected. It is not a rigid exchange.”

Even former President Barack Obama has acknowledged that the journey to excellence will occasionally demand placing work before personal life.

During a speaking engagement, he commented: “To excel in any field—athletics, music, commerce, government—there will be phases in your life where equilibrium is lost, where your focus is solely on work, and your attention is undivided.