I'm not in a startup either, but my thought has always been, you put as much effort in as interests you. The goal is to get an idea good enough to make you want to obsess over it.

I guess my problem is that I keep hoping I'll meet a girl who feels the same way. Every girlfriend I've had has been less intense (I think that's the word I want?), and as a result when I get into these moods where I want to write for 8 hours straight, or code like mad, or whatever, she doesn't understand. And then, in turn, they never have these moments that I do, where you pour yourself into something and suddenly have something magical and your own.

I hope there're girls like that: I've met a few guys like that, but never girls. A guy can dream, I guess.