How to keep oneself from burning out?

software developer salary is way higher in the US than the UK average of 13 dollars euro, perhaps you need to move somewhere else that pay a lot more for software developer. Make friends so you won't feel fully burned out.

Doing refreshing things on the weekend, like maybe a new game, or hangout with a friend, maybe go for a walk if your area isn't too bad. When you wash dishes, do another chore, and then you have more free time on the weekend. Hangout with your friends atleast once a month or something, it'll feel refreshing, even if you guys don't do anything.

Dunno, if you find out let me know.

Dunno. I am 30 yo and I am kinda happy the life I have right now.

I consider myself a researcher / scientist so everything that impacts my imagination (a very powerful tool I use as a daily basis ie: at work, as research or simply to observe way life goes... Yet friends laugh about that) is something I have learnt to balance. Because I have to deal with a ton of real life stuff, including paying the rent and investing in research as the circle I have built does the same)... Not to mention real life is quite challenging in Chile, thus, there isn't any room for feeling beaten or burned out.



Perhaps what helped me was doing daily exercises and mind training for years. Thing is, once you find what fuels your soul, then that will be your path. Don't give up or get too distracted. I know this sounds cliche.

@Coto So, Idk if I'm right, but you can enjoy your life and still get burnt out. Like, sometimes you get flustered by everyday things, and it burns you out for a bit

Once you leave your parents basement real life forces you to live real life as it is and you miss these subtle things such as burning out.

Ah, sorry I forgot I live in a fake life because I'm pampered kid, and I live with my parents.

Either you have a high horse, or you misunderstood me, I'm not saying it doesn't exist, I'm saying even if you enjoy your life, and enjoy your career, it can sometimes get mundane for a little, and you won't feel like doing anything.

idk how, honestly i just let it happen, exams burn me out for a week or 2 because i always feel pressured and anxious and sometimes i cant think straight

The book "essentialism" is good, it talks about saying NO to everything except what's absolutely critical for your success (think of the 80/20 rule). From age 18 to 21 I worked like a dog, 80 to 100 hours per week. Now I have slowed down a lot and am earning more than I used to, so yeah. Work smart AND hard, but don't work so hard that your health suffers.

You cant talk about real life and how to overcome it if you are a kindergarden kid living in your dad's basement. I mean life will show you what I mean here. Plain truth.

Once you pay your stuff and /or maintain a family once you read your posts you'll know what I mean. You won't tell your boss "sorry boss i am burnt out". There will be +50 people taking your place.


@DeoNaught



On the other hand I hope the first post helps or somewhat tells own real life experience that may be of help to OP

Maybe lay off the pot every night and save that for a Friday night/weekend treat

I'd probably also suggest the same with the mid day beer. Don't get me wrong; I'm all for a mid-day beer. But only if it's followed by another one, and another, and another...

These drugs slow our bodies down and while they might give us a short term feeling of being relaxed, they're actually poisons that our body has to spend precious energy dealing with.

Stop smoking dope and your wages will probably start going up.

@Lucifer666 I was working full-time and studying (some semesters part-time, some full-time) for 4 years. Let me tell you my days.

Weekday
5:30: wake up, get dressed in exercise clothes, eat
6:15: leave for work, riding my bike
6:45: arrive at work, shower, dress in work clothes
7:15: start work (checking the temp periodically and doing uni work when quiet)
4:00: leave work
4:30: arrive home, do uni work
6:00: make dinner, eat, put leftovers in container for lunch next day
6:30: (if lecture night, 1-4 times a week) attend online lecture
8 or 8:30: do uni work, group meetings with other students if we have a group assignment
11:00: bed

Weekend
9:00: wake up, get dressed, shower, eat
10:00: do uni work and review lecture recordings ALL DAY with maybe 1-2 hours of breaks for eating and napping
9:00: go to sleep

How to cope? Just remember it will end eventually! Mine ended midway last year, I love going to bed at 9pm every night now and spending the weekend tending my garden or just relaxing. And don't worry about grades, a saying here is "Ps equal Degrees" (the grading system here is fail-pass-credit-distinction-high distinction). When you've graduated and have something on your CV nobody cares about your grades so don't stress about them, it isn't worth the strain on your mental health.

You showered at work?

Sounds kinda weird, but I split my sleep schedule into halves and I feel generally more refreshed, don't drink coffee anymore, and usually sleep less than I used to (from 9 hours normally to 6 now). The extra time helps and I feel less sluggish, but the trick is to listen to your body

@VinsCool otherwise I'd be sweaty and gross from cycling. Plus saves on electricity and water bills

Oh and if you can afford it, treat yourself with something you really love when you pass a subject. E.g. a massage or a new video game. You can also motivate yourself by daydreaming about the sorts of things you can do after you've graduated and you have more free time - a holiday? Buying an old car to restore? Painting your house? Moving to a nicer house? Getting a pet? Starting a garden? So many possibilities, and they're all there for you if you can manage to work hard right now!!! Another helpful thing - write down all the subjects you've got left on a poster size piece of paper and stick it up on the wall. When you pass one - put a big red line through it - SO satisfying. And seeing that list get smaller and smaller is quite motivating.

@Quantumcat stole your format for easy of use

Weekday
4:00: wake up, enjoy the dark and silence for a bit(rests basicly everything), shower every other day
6:30/6:45: leave for work, walking to it
6:45/7:00: arrive at work, start stuff up
7:00/7:15: start work, atm php coding(scraping all them websites)
15:30: leave work
15:45: arrive home, sometimes to store for some stuff for cooking
6:00: make dinner, eat, sometime for two days
8:00: To bed
every other weekend to mother

Weekend
5:00/6:00: wake up, get dressed, shower, eat
saterday: depending on what i just kinda do, a bit more fancy cooking(stuff with longer prep and such), gaming, clothe washing, long walks
sunday: weekly grocery's, going home if i have been at mother's, D&D with friends once a while.
8:00: go to sleep

Like Quantumcat said, treating yourself once you have fulfilled a milestone, can help to keep positivity and enjoyment to a degree.
Changing up what you do during downtime can also help, take a walk, trying a new genre of music/games, just trying something new.
When you have the time during work, closing your eyes and folding your hands over them, for some darkness can help rest you a little.
Even still learning something new can help, though unless its something that can pay off fast(learning a little bit of code, and directly making something with it) it will accelerating the burn out.
And if you have vacationdays/hours, planning them just right can give some more rest(lengthening weekends or simply having a rest day)

You got the same issue as I do.
You feel like you're fighting the clock, this is exactly the same problem I feel I got. It's all in my mind and I got more hours than I feel I do, but it's still a fight mentally for me.

I'm looking for a solution for me as well, so if I find a solution, I tell you.

@Coto this isn't a competition of who has it worse. Not having to deal with burnout and enjoying your daily routine does not mean it's the fault of others who don't feel the same way. I don't live with my parents. I don't understand why you're assuming I'm this pampered brat who is just being exposed to my first sense of responsibility; it's quite infantilising. I have also never complained to my boss about feeling burnt out? (Unless this was directed at @DeoNaught instead of me, in which case, my bad! Though points still stand.)

I live in a flat by myself halfway around the world. My parents back home (somewhere in the Mid East, I shan't be too specific) went bankrupt and are getting a divorce this summer so I can't really rely on either even if I wanted to. The only reason I need a bit of help paying rent sometimes is bc minimum wage in a part-time position here simply cannot cover one person's rent, unless I'm living in a house share, which is out of the question for me due to mental health problems that would make cohabitation bad for all of us.

I would work full-time but as per UK law as a foreign student it is illegal for me to work more than 20 hours a week (which is silly, because I'm at work often nearly double that duration in a week but am still paid for 20.) I graduate this summer and can start working full-time provided I get my visa/sponsorship and it's part of my larger goal to settle in the UK as I simply cannot go home; it would tear me apart. (N.B I first came here as an asylum seeker but after chatting with a lawyer and realising just how shit it is to be an asylum seeker in the UK I've been working my ass off to try and get sponsored instead.)

I am curious; what sort of things are you talking about when you say "things that impact your imagination" that require balance? Just trying to understand better so I can see if this is something relatable/applicable.

Thanks for the discussion guys keep it coming. Maybe I'll make an update blog post about what I can take away from this and try to incorporate a greater sense of purpose into my life.