Fuck unrealistic deadlines and unnecessary stress.
Fuck shipping half-assed unfinished products.
Fuck working on shit which is a net negative on the world.
Fuck using stupid-ass "frameworks".
I'd rather be a beggar than do that shit again.
I believe burnout comes from forgetting who you were before you learned your professional vocation. For me the little kid that likes legos and video games, where “computers” are some weird abstract thing in the lab at school. Putting my work-self before that kid leads to disaster. I’m a human being before I’m a programmer. I can allow myself to change: to even dislike programming, to explore other ways of being and playing.
How do you fix that? Of course depends on the severity:
- A solid vacation leaving your work laptop at home.
- getting into hobbies and interests away from work so you get some perspective
- taking an n month sabbatical
- deciding to switch careers entirely…
1. Seeing my GP and going back on antidepressant medication (burnout may be a symptom of an underlying condition).
2. Taking up the offer of set of six free counselling sessions offered by my state.
3. Continuing to apply my own personal coping mechanisms (e.g. mild exercise, adequate sleep).
4. Recognising that burnout / depressive feelings / anxiety can sometimes re-occur for a while despite your best efforts and the above practices, and that is OK.
In my opinion, it's important to acknowledge that relying on just one of these points exclusively may not be enough for you to stave off burnout. My mistake was thinking there was a silver bullet, and tackling that would be enough to 'fix' myself. Instead, a multi-pronged, long-term plan was necessary for me.
I wish you all the best :)
If I take a year off I forget how to think and work I think.
Don't bring anyone else and take time to figure you how you got there and where you want to go in life.
Remember most code is meaningless, and unless you happen to work where people's lives depend on you getting it right, relax.
I'm about 5 months out of it now and feel like a normal human being for the first time in years.
