[qazxcvbnmlp]

Burnout comes from reward != work/effort put in over a long period of time.

Building your own thing can be very conducive to burnout b/c most of the time you’re not really getting a lot of positive ideas.

Everyone likes to say that vacation is the solution to burnout, and it can be, but it’s not the end all be all. Your brain needs to feel contentment at the end of a typical day. Contentment indicates you’re filling all your emotional needs. Just like relaxing is a need, being told your work matters is an emotional need too.

You want something “real” - eg tangible evidence that what you are doing matters.

If you have financial means - I’d recommend taking a part time job where your output is immediately visible (bartending, carpentry, landscaping, (I personally load bags on airplanes)). Remember the goal is not to make money, it’s to have people tell you what you are doing matters. Eg, have someone notice the extra 5 mins you put in to make the lawn lines straight. See the smile on a regular when you remember their order. Etc.

[lostlogin]

> Burnout comes from reward != work/effort put in over a long period of time.

I don’t agree. You can be well paid and well rewarded and burnt out. People need holiday, breaks and time to relax. If you are busy and stressed for a long period, hobbies don’t get time, life admin doesn’t get done and exhaustion comes to dominates weekends and evenings.

[satisfice]

Think about “reward” more broadly. When it comes to burnout, your body doesn’t care about money. Money is not a reward in and of itself, but rather it’s your feeling about money that matters.

When you experience burnout, it’s not due to muscle fatigue or lack of sleep. Burnout happens when you aren’t getting something that you need psychologically, over a long period of time. Then the psychological deficit begins to have physical symptoms.

I experienced burnout quite a bit in the first half of my life; hardly any in the second half. I’m 57.

The advice I got that helped the most is to listen to that little voice in my mind that was telling me “stop, I don’t like this!”

Also, I learned that when I am helping people and I feel respected in what I do my mind will happily endure whatever must be done.

Burnout is the result of a spiritual vitamin deficiency. I realize that is a metaphor for “chronic cortisol poisoning” or some biochemical thing, but the solution is to discover and stop the dynamic on the level of your mind.

[Zeik]

I am 10 years younger than you and had my share of burnouts. I think you have a good tip there: stop doing stuff you don’t enjoy. But I would add another suggestion: do stuff you do enjoy. It’s really important. Burnout leads to life without joy. Joy prevents burnouts as it helps to keep balance between work life and life outside work.

Also strangely enough, for me starting freelancing has helped a lot. I have a feeling that if I get “ stop, I don’t like this!” thoughts, I can just leave the project. I have never done it yet but that is a possibility and I have saved some money so that it is a true alternative. Also now that I am not employed at some startup/big company anymore, I don’t need to think career or continue at work place I don’t enjoy because of stocks/options. Moneywise not a best solution but it has made my life better and I don’t have burnouts anymore.

Most important thing for me is my business, and most important thing for my business is my happiness and well-being because without me my business doesn’t survive.

[JohnFen]

I agree. I've known lots of devs who've suffered burnout over the decades (although it's far more common now than it used to be). I did myself, as well.

All of those devs were well-compensated. I don't see even a hint that the level of compensation enters into it in my small, not-statistically-significant sampling.

[unforeseen9991]

Yeah, by that definition people going to school or learning a new career that can take years of effort would all be in perpetual burnout.

I think that's way too simplistic of a definition of what causes burnout.

[muzani]

There's less burnout in school because there's a goal. You put in effort, you get an A. You get enough A's you get a good job.

Some put in effort but don't get an A. That can cause burnout.

Some put in effort, get A's, but don't get the dream job. That's a massive source of burnout and depression.

It can stretch on further too. Some land the dream job but don't land the dream home. Another source of grief.

But for the most part, the grading system can also shield you from burnout because it feeds you the results you expect to get from the effort.

[huijzer]

How about we tune the definition to: burnout occurs when you feel that your life is not going where it should be going and your attempt to change that don’t work out?

[lostlogin]

> by that definition people going to school or learning a new career that can take years of effort would all be in perpetual burnout.

That’s my point - many are.

[badpun]

> Building your own thing can be very conducive to burnout b/c most of the time you’re not really getting a lot of positive ideas.

That's a very good observation. Once in my late twenties, I took two years off to pursue an idea which didn't pan out in the end. Luckily, I ended up with minimal debt only, and was able to quickly return to working for others afterwards. But, since that experience, my motivation levels for anything I'm doing work-wise have never been the same. BTW, perhaps they were just too high before (the naivety of youth) and are not at a proper level.