A N. Y. Times article on people who are sick of too many hours at work tells the story of Diane Knorr, a former dot-com executive:

"The first time I got a call way after hours from a senior manager, I remember being really flattered" and thinking, Wow! I'm really getting up there now.

But gradually, her work and family life became a blur with hours that were hard to scale back.

"If I leave at 5 and everyone else leaves at 6:30, I might look like the one who is not pulling his weight," she said.

In college, Ms. Knorr set a goal of making a six-figure salary by the time she was 49. She reached it at 35, and "nothing happened; no balloons dropped," she said. "That's when I really became aware of that hollow feeling."

Knorr eventually quit her job and started a non-profit organization.