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Getting rid of burnout permanently

kentnguyen.com

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Re: Getting rid of burnout permanently

#11

Post by trjordan »

onion2k wrote: post #6

I agree with the majority of the article, but one thing leapt out - the first question that the author suggests might 'help you to pinpoint your resentment'; Why do you want to take a break, go on holiday? What are you really running away from? Taking a break and going on holiday is not running away from things. Even if you're working on something that you absolutely love , with an amazing team of people, doing somet…

I think the article exactly agrees with you.

If you think that going on holiday will make things easier at work, you're probably wrong. Work is work, and taking a break from it doesn't make it not work. More importantly, if you take a break for a bit, then come back to the same grind, it's still going to burn you out.

If you are worried that you're burning out, and you find yourself trying to solve it by taking more vacations, ask yourself, "Why do I want to take a vacation?" You will probably find you want to get away from something (the "wrong" reason), vs. trying something new or doing something different (the "right" reason).

Like you said, take vacations that are a change of view (even if that view is just the beach for a week), not to quit missing your Tuesday Night Dinner.

Re: Getting rid of burnout permanently

#12

Post by amwelles »

The only way I've been able to avoid burnout is to be deeply involved in things outside of work. I work a 9-6 front-end development job, but I also teach people how to train their dogs once a week, I write creatively for my own purposes, and I teach coding classes a few times a year. By adding variety and focusing on a few things that are important to me, I don't get burnt out on any of them. It does mean that I'm busy, but I've never felt more stable than I do now. I think having those competing priorities helps me keep the balance that I need to avoid burnout.

Re: Getting rid of burnout permanently

#13

Post by lostcolony »

amwelles wrote: post #12

The only way I've been able to avoid burnout is to be deeply involved in things outside of work. I work a 9-6 front-end development job, but I also teach people how to train their dogs once a week, I write creatively for my own purposes, and I teach coding classes a few times a year. By adding variety and focusing on a few things that are important to me, I don't get burnt out on any of them. It does mean that I'm bu…

In what context do you teach coding? I thoroughly enjoyed teaching while a TA in college, and have periodically thought I'd enjoy doing it again, but I don't have the inclination to go back for further degrees, nor deal with academia.

Re: Getting rid of burnout permanently

#14

Post by valevk »

In my opinion and unfortunately experience, burnout is tightly coupled with procrastination. Neither burnout, nor procrastination is classified as disease, though. It is known, that a burnout is a life-management difficulty. [1]

To get to my point, the whole burnout process starts with procrastinating. However, the sources for procrastination can be very different. This is where you should fight the problem. If you have depression, get help. If you are lazy, well that sucks. (Sounds easy, I know. It is not easy in real life, I know). But in the end, your own inaction is digging your grave.

It's not the break you need. You need a new approach to handling life. Handling life differently. If you keep "only" taking breaks, the burnout becomes a cycle, instead of a one-time exhaustion. And you will go throught this cycle often.

The fact that I'm writing this, instead of studing/working, shows that my procrastination problem continues to grow, and eventually enlarging the burnout on the horizon.

[1] http://apps.who.int/classifications/icd10/browse/2010/en#/Z7...

Re: Getting rid of burnout permanently

#15

Post by amwelles »

lostcolony wrote: post #13
amwelles wrote: post #12

The only way I've been able to avoid burnout is to be deeply involved in things outside of work. I work a 9-6 front-end development job, but I also teach people how to train their dogs once a week, I write creatively for my own purposes, and I teach coding classes a few times a year. By adding variety and focusing on a few things that are important to me, I don't get burnt out on any of them. It does mean that I'm bu…

In what context do you teach coding? I thoroughly enjoyed teaching while a TA in college, and have periodically thought I'd enjoy doing it again, but I don't have the inclination to go back for further degrees, nor deal with academia.

I've been teaching with Girl Develop It. If you have a chapter in your area, I highly recommend it! Both men and women can attend/teach, although its main goal is to promote more women in tech.

Re: Getting rid of burnout permanently

#16

Post by 127001brewer »

Why do we work?

Let's say that for most people following Hacker News, it's because their work matters to them; and, for others, it's just a paycheck.

Because of these differing work attitudes, you will see some expression of "burnout" (or some other work-related unhappiness). Keeping in mind these differences can help, but it won't solve this fundamental difference within a team.

Re: Getting rid of burnout permanently

#17

Post by kentnguyen »

trjordan wrote: post #11
onion2k wrote: post #6

I agree with the majority of the article, but one thing leapt out - the first question that the author suggests might 'help you to pinpoint your resentment'; Why do you want to take a break, go on holiday? What are you really running away from? Taking a break and going on holiday is not running away from things. Even if you're working on something that you absolutely love , with an amazing team of people, doing somet…

I think the article exactly agrees with you. If you think that going on holiday will make things easier at work, you're probably wrong. Work is work, and taking a break from it doesn't make it not work. More importantly, if you take a break for a bit, then come back to the same grind, it's still going to burn you out. If you are worried that you're burning out, and you find yourself trying to solve it by taking more…

Exactly what I meant. Thank you.

While you don't have to agree completely with me, and holiday are always nice. But if you need to take a holiday, then perhaps you do have something on your mind that you want to get rid of.

Re: Getting rid of burnout permanently

#18

Post by cenhyperion »

I firmly believe that the reason most major religions standardized a sabbath day was for mental health reasons. There's a lot of value to taking a day for yourself in which you do no work.

Even if you love what you do, you can't do it for 10 hours every single day for years.

Re: Getting rid of burnout permanently

#19

Post by cenhyperion »

lostcolony wrote: post #13
amwelles wrote: post #12

The only way I've been able to avoid burnout is to be deeply involved in things outside of work. I work a 9-6 front-end development job, but I also teach people how to train their dogs once a week, I write creatively for my own purposes, and I teach coding classes a few times a year. By adding variety and focusing on a few things that are important to me, I don't get burnt out on any of them. It does mean that I'm bu…

In what context do you teach coding? I thoroughly enjoyed teaching while a TA in college, and have periodically thought I'd enjoy doing it again, but I don't have the inclination to go back for further degrees, nor deal with academia.

Reach out to local high schools, most these days have some form of CS classes or after school programming activities and love having local professionals come in to teach.
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