> But don't lay on your death bed wishing you'd worked less and loved more.
The advice in the original article is not new. In fact it is the default advice that is given to all, very unlike what the OP has mentioned. I haven't seen any person with experience mention that personal life is a sink. It could be an advice that is ignored the most, but it definitely is the advice that is also given most frequently.
The term 'Workaholic', is a negative even in its name. And I don't believe anyone, who has done even the slightest of introspection, consider being a workaholic to be the most optimal condition for them. They might love their work, I do as well, but I think the intensity is often due to either grandness of their objectives or due to lack of alternatives. Given then humans have a propensity to overestimate the impact of the our own work, they also tend to underestimate the comparative value of things that do not directly and visibly help in achieving that goal they desire so dearly. And what they desire is not always what is considered acceptable or good, but what is considered extraordinary and different. We have seldom celebrated people for having a balanced life. The most important aspect of people whom we have admired, as a community, is never the balance that they have in their person and professional life, it is their impact on the world - the size of the dent they created. Hence, even though some of us know they might not make it, they hope that if they work just an hour more a day at the expense of existence of a personal life - it might increase their chances. They are ready to lose it all but never to be ordinary. These are the risk takers who have a choice at having a relationship but choose not to take it. For they fear they might die in mediocrity.
And then we also have the other kind, those who don't have a choice. Work being what gives them some hope of acceptance. Some relevance. I often think that one way of thinking of our primary motive is that we want to have some relevance, that we want to be remembered when we die, we want to be missed when we are missing. We want to be either extremely very relevant to a few people or be at least be somewhat relevant to masses. We do see the value of love and the value of all the very personal relationships that we have, successul or unsuccessful. We might even value them more than the relevance that we get in lives of many through our work. However, some of us are too unfortunate in the pursuit. And too afraid. And to bring some luck to our misfortune, work seems to be a safe choice. A choice is to work, for the rewards are largely under our own control and independent of how we look. Work is a safe haven in a world that has marked us to be unattractive and unworthy of affection. Of course those of us who feel this way, are at fault. We could change the way we dress, go to gym and travel; basically do things that we don't enjoy to get a chance at a game that we suck at. But we sometimes think, "fk it all, I will just work" for that at least might bring some minimum guaranteed rewards. We are the risk averse who fear we might get nothing but disappointment, again, if we pursue something personal and lovely in life.
The message is that you (and I, for I have days when I think exactly what you described) are missing out on things that are more stable, more useful in the long run.
> Should I have just grabbed any woman that would have me, even if I'm not interested in them for the sole purpose of "developing a serious relationship"?
I too have fallen for women multiple times and failed on all occasions, and developed in the pursuit without any successful. But I do imagine that I might be missing out on the experience that one gets from events after a successful pursuit; some of which could probably be gained even from a less-fortunate more-superficial relationship.