Ask HN: How do you keep from getting burnt out?

by jit_hackeron 2/23/2014, 3:10 AMwith 3 comments

HN -

What do you do when you start to feel burnt out with a gig? Aside from the obvious answer that is?

I've been working a lot, for quite a long time, at my current start up. It's a mixed bag, I love it, I love the team and I want for it to work so very bad. But just like you're favorite cereal, after a while you can get tired of it. In my case, I don't want to give it up, I just need to find a way to recharge.

Any Advice?

by kfawcetton 2/23/2014, 3:41 AM

Get sleep. Get exercise. Eat well. Only drink alcohol on weekends and never during major development stretches.

by mello151on 2/23/2014, 6:12 AM

Maybe a vacation or sabbatical?

Or if you have spare time and some other type of work piques your interest work some on a different project. I've worked in groups where when it's a down cycle, it's really really down... like boring me to tears down. So I started trying to learn stuff that I never deal with at work, even when it is busy. When I would go back to the regular gig it was nice to look at the same code with a "new set of glasses".

by mattmon 2/24/2014, 1:44 AM

I've had the same issue. It's pretty simple and you identified it. You're working too much. Cut back on hours and eventually your body will refresh and you'll feel energized again.