This is such a simplistic, winner-take-all viewpoint. Example: having an awesome marriage can open a bunch of doors and afford you the time, energy & space to DO a lot more things. Same with a family & friends. It must be sad to go through life viewing every course of action as work that eats limited capacity.

That doesn't say they're avoidable blunders. It says that they cost time and energy, and therefore preclude other opportunities.

But is having a good marriage a blunder compared to having a great career? I don't think he's saying that.

thank you. also, what does "GP" mean in this context? mistyping of "OP"?

No problem. And I’m delighted to find out that there is actually an Ask HN to answer your question: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8363625

So in our case here, GP is nocoiner.