I would always travel and adventure when the burnout built up. Worked perfectly to relieve it. Inevitably after some time I would start to get some motivation back and craving for intellectual stimulation, that's when I could start learning new things, new projects and the desire to get back into work.
Ask HN: What to Do After Burnout?
21–30 of 78 posts
Re: Ask HN: What to Do After Burnout?
#22Re: Ask HN: What to Do After Burnout?
#23I took 9 months off to find the joy again. Then I found an established company that produces something useful for society and that has plenty of people that has been working there for a long while.
Re: Ask HN: What to Do After Burnout?
#24For the last five years I've worked exclusively with non-profits and companies who are aligned with some sort of social good. Coming from the agency/startup world, things are completely different for me now. Can't get something done at 6pm on a Friday? That's okay no problem we'll look into it Monday. Or Tuesday. Or Wednesday. Or next quarter. It's a completely different way of working, antithetical to the adrenaline…
Sorry but how do things get done at that place? Can’t imagine not getting things done, I mean non profit it’s in the name but whatever cause it’s for surely suffers..
Not all non-profits are government funded rent seeking bureaucracies
Re: Ask HN: What to Do After Burnout?
#25I have set extremely clear boundaries on my time and enforced them religiously. This has caused massive problems, including potentially destroying my company. I have simply accepted those problems as the cost of reading my son bedtime stories.
The overtime culture in startups is toxic, because efficient output is u-shaped over time: if you work too hard your productivity goes down. It requires very mature self reflection to know that slowing down will actually speed up the work.
tldr, boundaries boundaries boundaries. Maturity.
Re: Ask HN: What to Do After Burnout?
#26For the last five years I've worked exclusively with non-profits and companies who are aligned with some sort of social good. Coming from the agency/startup world, things are completely different for me now. Can't get something done at 6pm on a Friday? That's okay no problem we'll look into it Monday. Or Tuesday. Or Wednesday. Or next quarter. It's a completely different way of working, antithetical to the adrenaline…
Sorry but how do things get done at that place? Can’t imagine not getting things done, I mean non profit it’s in the name but whatever cause it’s for surely suffers..
Things are getting done all the time, but there is a lot to do and few resources so prioritization is important and context is key.
Re: Ask HN: What to Do After Burnout?
#27Burnout is a thing which should be taken more seriously by more people. Go on holiday. At least two months. The first week you'll think you're still at work. The second week you might have some time to collect your thoughts, and plan. Then beyond that you might hopefully have the headspace to catch up on chores and life admin. Month two is for enjoying yourself and your family. Do the above first. Not addressing your…
> Go on holiday. At least two months. If the OP is US based, then this may pose an issue as I'm not aware of any employer that would allow this, and presumably his family's livelihood and health insurance is dependent on his employment. A lot of that is an assumption, but quite a common situation.
The employer doesn't have to allow it if OP uses FMLA.
Re: Ask HN: What to Do After Burnout?
#28IME working at a big tech company post-burnout is much more relaxing than working at a startup. There is definitely opportunity & reward for working hard and getting stuff done, but planning timelines and deadlines are so much longer. And none of the existential dread from “will we run out of runway” or “how do we get to PMF”.
Especially if you go in a level or two below your actual tryhard level, you’ll still likely earn more than you would in a startup (sans home run exit). You can still do good work on interesting problems, but with more breathing room for work/life balance.
Re: Ask HN: What to Do After Burnout?
#29I'm going to share this article that helped something click for me when I was experiencing a burnout. https://lifeofaudrey.com/essays/surviving_burnout.html
The part that really spoke to me was the first paragraph. It helped me find my way.
Re: Ask HN: What to Do After Burnout?
#30Burnout is a thing which should be taken more seriously by more people. Go on holiday. At least two months. The first week you'll think you're still at work. The second week you might have some time to collect your thoughts, and plan. Then beyond that you might hopefully have the headspace to catch up on chores and life admin. Month two is for enjoying yourself and your family. Do the above first. Not addressing your…
This. Stop thinking about work by not working. Stop any development on your own side projects - nothing dev related.
Take time. Life is not a grind. North American culture is really bad at promoting this. Fully disconnect is the only real way to recharge, change your perspective and future plans.