Ask HN: What to do if you are ridiculously burnt out?

I'd say chill out, the project is probably not that big of a deal in the scheme of your life. I've been in a situation like that and most of the problem is your own thoughts reinforcing themselves. In reality you can pause work at any time. You can drop out of the project entirely. All it takes is saying "sorry, I'm not going to work on this any more."

So talk with your marketing partner and tell them you're working too hard and need others to help you more, and that you're going to take a week off from stress. Then try to think about other things. Go see people you haven't seen for a while. Come back after a week and see how your partner can address the work imbalance and see if you want to keep going with them. Seriously, just do it.

Are you sure you haven't buried yourself in a technical hole of despair?

If you have, it may be faster to treat your existing version as a prototype and rewrite a highly simplified version (an "MVP"). You can probably reuse a lot of the existing code and fix all of the big mistakes that are dragging you down, like not using React.

Make it your goal to get it released by a certain date and stick to it. Ruthlessly cut features until it's possible to meet that date. Reevaluate every sacred cow. Reason from first principles about what your product absolutely must do.

You need someone who understands business- the fact that you work so hard and cannot finish it is a business problem. Marketing partner is not enough, if he is hard-limited to that role and does not know what to do in this situation.

Just tell him you are reaching a burn-out point and need a few days of complete R&R. That is normal especially when you are working really hard. If he's a good partner he'll understand.

What's the ideal work flow? I tend to lean toward steady, solid flow day after day with a good work/life balance. Others seem to like more of a sprint/celebrate kind of flow. In a small company you should be able to just do whatever is best for you if you are the one writing the code.

Sometimes, the best way to accomplish your goals is to work nonstop. Sometimes, it's more productive to dial back and make a long, sustained effort. Sometimes, the thing you're working on isn't worth the effort, so you do something else.

No matter what you choose, I strongly recommend you talk to your buddy. Don't vent, but try to help him understand what you're going through. Tell him what needs to change, and be concrete. For example: Say you'll work 40 hours a week, plus one weekend a month if there's an emergency. If your requests are wishy-washy or open to interpretation, each of you will have different expectations. It will just postpone the problem.

Lastly, don't get too worked-up about this. Worst-case, you walk away and the project falls apart. The end. Nobody gets physically injured. Nobody's life is ruined. Everyone moves on to other stuff.

Remember: Nothing is ever as good, or as bad, as it seems at the time.