I was speaking with a Senior Analyst at a mid-market Investment Bank recently.

The conversation eventually turned to working hours.

I asked:
“How does your 14-16 hour day look like?”

His answer surprised me.
“Most days are closer to 10-11 hours.”
“But during active deal periods, 14-16 hours becomes normal.”

Not because someone is sitting in Excel all day.
Because multiple deals are moving simultaneously.

A typical deal flow looks something like this:
• Pitching potential clients
• Winning mandates
• Preparing marketing materials and presentations
• Building financial models and valuations
• Identifying potential buyers or investors
• Running investor outreach and roadshows
• Managing diligence requests
• Coordinating stakeholder discussions
• Negotiating valuation and transaction terms
• Reviewing term sheets and transaction documents

Now imagine handling 4-5 live deals at the same time.

One client wants revisions to a deck.
Another investor needs additional analysis.
A third deal requires updating valuation assumptions.
A fourth transaction has diligence questions that need immediate responses.

Suddenly you’re spending:
• 2-3 hours on Deal A
• 2 hours on Deal B
• 3 hours on Deal C
• 2 hours on Deal D
• Plus internal reviews, calls and coordination

The hours add up quickly.

What makes Investment Banking demanding is not usually the complexity of a single task.

It is the constant switching between multiple high-priority workstreams where every client believes their deal is the most important one.

That is why strong analysts are not just good at modelling.

They are exceptional at:
• Prioritisation
• Attention to detail
• Communication
• Managing pressure
• Working under tight deadlines

The Excel model is only one part of the job.

The real challenge is keeping multiple transactions moving forward simultaneously without dropping the ball.

That is what creates the 14-16 hour days people often hear about.
And that is what analysts get exceptionally good at over time.