[irremediable]

Thanks for sharing your story. This is part of why I love HN: I can learn from the experiences of people who're interested in similar things to what I'm interested in, but who're much further along in life.

Also wow, well done on shielding your junior engineers from the worst of the death march. Did you suffer much from burnout during your heroic effort? How did you cope?

[Bahamut]

I have a lot of resilience from a lot of life experiences. This not having been my first crunch time also helped me cope - I focused on getting as much of a good night sleep as I could (typically 6 - 7 1/2 hours a night, usually ended up closer to 6 - 7 1/2 is my optimal amount), and dosed on lots of caffeine if not well-rested. Exercise is also important.

I did have to sacrifice all other interests thought during the time period though. All I know is, I'm definitely taking a vacation in two months.

[politician]

Not the OP, but similar situations. My coping strategy involved vitamins - a generous dosage of B-complex, and a mandatory eating and sleeping regimen. Survived potential burnout myself, and won concessions for team recovery. I've done this a few times now, difficult, but still works.