Some one once told me that you should give your work your all. That you should eat, live and breath your job 24/7. Even now I shudder when I think about it. I believe that you should work hard yes, you should work damn hard to make what you love but I don't think that this should be at the cost of everything else.
I don't say this just as a decent human being but it also makes business sense. We work in communications, whether that is innovation, direct marketing or social media. We need to know how to talk to our audiences, we need to understand them. What every audience certainly doesn't understand is adland. Spending too much time in this bubble means you will loose touch on what is really important, what matters. You'll be a follower, looking internally. The world is over flowing with creativity and most of it is external to what your job demands from you. Agencies speak of thinking outside the box, so don't live within one.
Your head should be topped up with ideas, stuffed full of thoughts relating to the whole human experience, not just the narrow field that your job requires.
Life outside of work is what fuels you, it is what gives you those bright sparks and insights.
So give your work your best, give it your passion but don't give it every last piece of you.
Find a work environment that encourages you to discover more, learn more and feeds your passion. You know when you've found your fit when your mind is overflowing with ideas and thoughts. So I made this illustration to represent that. Make that face yours, that head splashing with thoughts your own.
In the perfect agency you're head will be overflowing with ideas - Internally and Externally.