Grammy winner Will.i.am’s success mantra: Why working on your dreams after your 9-to-5 matters more than work-life balance |

Considering the fast-paced world we live in, many people often have stressful lives. They want to be successful, but not many can be so, as they often struggle to strike the perfect work-life balance. However, Grammy Award-winning musician and tech entrepreneur Will.i.am believes that what matters most for one’s success is all about how well they manage their dream-reality balance, more than their work-life balance.At a time when TikTok is flooded with “5-to-9” productivity routines and side-hustle motivation videos, global star Will.i.am seems to be following it long before it became a social media trend. Black Eyed Peas’ frontman and tech entrepreneur Will.i.am is known for writing chart-topping hits like ‘OMG’ for Usher and at 50, hecontinues to shape pop culture. Beyond music, he is also a judge on The Voice UK and the founder of an AI company called FYI. With such a packed schedule, the obvious question is: How does he manage it all?The answer, according to Will.i.am, is simple but far from easy.Forget work-life balance, focus on dream-reality balanceIn an interview with Fortune, Will.i.am revealed his success mantra. He shared that he deliberately maximises his time after traditional working hours. While many people clock off mentally after 5 PM, he sees evenings as the most powerful window to build something meaningful.“If you’re trying to build something that doesn’t exist, it’s about dream-reality balance…Work-life balance means you’re working for somebody else’s dream. But when it’s your dream, it’s not work – it’s something you’re trying to bring into reality,” he told Fortune.For Will.i.am, the 9-to-5 often supports his current responsibilities, while the 5-to-9 fuels his future. After spending his day running his AI business, he shifts gears and pours his energy into his creative ventures until late evening. He also shared that in the initial days of his career, his routine was reversed – music came first, and technology became the late-night obsession.But, the principle remained the same: Build your dream when others are resting.Why the “5-to-9″ mindset worksWill.i.am’s philosophy of working on yourself and your dreams aligns with a growing cultural shift these days. Many millennials and Gen Zs now document their evening routines – learning new skills, launching side hustles, and investing in personal growth after work – on social media, thus making the “5-to-9″ mindset popular.But for Will.i.am, this mindset goes beyond a few productive hours. It’s about mentally detaching from your current reality and focusing entirely on what you want to create. Explaining this, he told Fortune, “I’m not really paying attention to this reality…I’m trying to bring a new one here. And to do that, you need sacrifice.”According to him, the idea of work-life balance doesn’t resonate with people who are actively building something from scratch. Visionaries, innovators, and creators must temporarily let go of comfort to materialise their ideas.Sacrifice, not shortcuts, is the key to successThe artist-entrepreneur is brutally honest about the trade-offs that come with chasing big dreams. While others were socialising, partying, or taking weekends off, he was working.“I didn’t party. I didn’t go out,” he admits. “My friends would say, ‘You work too much.’ And I’d say, ‘Go out? Why?’ I was always in the studio writing songs,” he shared. The award-winning musician also revealed that he didn’t even celebrate his birthday; instead, it was just another day for him. Celebration, he believes, comes later – on the stage, when the dream finally pays off.What young professional can learn from Will.i.amWill.i.am’s story isn’t about glorifying burnout— instead, it’s about clarity. If your 9-to-5 supports your survival, your 5-to-9 should support your ambition. Whether it’s learning a new skill, building a business, or working toward a creative goal, progress happens in the hours most people overlook.His advice to young professionals is clear: If you want extraordinary results, you may need to live an extraordinary schedule— at least for a while.Because when your dream becomes your reality, balance finds you naturally.Until then, work on the future you want to create, especially in your 5-to-9 (aka free time)!