For Cisco’s chief product officer, Jeetu Patel, that reality translates into working seven days a week, typically starting around 6 a.m. and sometimes stretching past midnight. Yet even with marathon days, Patel insists his version of balance only works because he sets strict guardrails.

His first rule: no meetings before 9 a.m., unless the invite comes from CEO Chuck Robbins or the Cisco board. Those early hours, before the sun is even up, give him time to plan his goals and focus on high-impact work.

“Picking the highest quality problems that you want to spend your time solving is 90% of the battle,” Patel told Fortune. “Because the quality of problem that you pick to solve is actually directly proportional to the outcome that you’re going to have.”

Even with an around-the-clock schedule, Patel acknowledged that balance is not static. There are periods in life when personal affairs demand more attention—and that’s okay. For example, before his mother passed away in 2023, he spent eight weeks at her side in the hospital, barely working.

“You have to figure out a way to make sure that it works for you, and you have to make sure that the people around you think that that’s okay, and you have to create that system for yourself. I don’t think anyone else can create it for you.”

Work usually comes first—but with two exceptions

Even in weeks when Patel is working 18-hour days, there’s one person who can pull him away from work: his 14-year-old daughter. 

“I still work seven days a week but my daughter is allowed to come into any meeting and ask me for anything—she can just walk in,” he said. “She doesn’t have to knock on the door. She can just walk up anytime.”

Patel takes the same non-negotiable approach to staying healthy, even if he admits it’s not a perfect routine.

“I actually feel like my own health is important and more important than anything else,” Patel told Fortune. “And if you do that right, then you do have the ability to take care of your family, you do have the ability to work. But if you put your health last, then I think at some point in time that goes sideways pretty fast.”

Patel’s workout routine is modest—he tries to get in at least 20 to 30 minutes a day—but consistency is his ultimate goal because no two days can look the same in business.

“There are times when I’ll fluctuate in weight and I feel pretty shitty about myself,” he said. “Then I’ll try to get completely into it. Right now, I’m somewhere in the middle. I’m not in great shape, but I’m not in terrible shape. You just have to make sure that you keep adjusting.”

Tech leaders work around the clock—but workers want balance

For Patel and other tech executives, long hours are often a necessity. Fierce competition, rapid product cycles, and the pace of innovation leave little room for downtime. The idea of work-life balance is often viewed as aspirational rather than attainable.

Cisco’s chief people, policy, and purpose officer, Francine Katsoudas, wrote in 2021: “There’s not a delineation between work and life. ‘Balance’ went away years ago,” advocating instead for empathetic teams and leaders, especially when it comes to mental health.

Yet younger workers may feel differently. The Randstad 2025 Workmonitor report found that work-life balance is the top factor talent considers in their current or future job. About 83% of respondents listed it as a key consideration—right behind job security—with pay ranking third at 82%. In the study’s 22-year history, it’s the first time work-life balance has surpassed pay as an incentive. 

For his part, Patel is skeptical about balancing everything, if it wasn’t already clear from his punishing work schedule.

“In my mind, quality of life and work life balance, I don’t think those things are evenly distributed,” he said.