I think I’ve found the remedy to my experience of burnout.
I burnt out hard last year and earlier this year (frontend dev). Mental exhaustion, dissatisfaction with work and colleagues, and especially the boss at the time.
I made several major changes to fix this.
- Dropped to 32 hours in my contract (with pay cut)
- Requested to move teams (request fulfilled)
- Deep dived into my weak areas that were causing work stress
- A short holiday
Now I’m happy as can be. Sure I earn 20% less now, but it’s just money. I now have a 50% longer weekend (2 days -> 3 days) AND a 20% shorter work week (5 days -> 4 days)
This is the best move I have ever made.
Working 5 days a week is a grind, no matter which way you slice the pie. It’s a marathon that never ends. I think it’s okay for most jobs, but in dev jobs you can’t be on autopilot. So often I’m solving bugs that haven’t been seen before.
A 4 day week doesn’t seem much different on the surface, but it’s a major change. It no longer feels like a marathon. I actually get more work done comparatively, as I’m more focused and less stressed.
Furthermore, I’ve stopped doing projects that relate to my normal stack in my spare time.
In my ample spare time, I deep dive C programming and graphics.
I burnt out hard last year and earlier this year (frontend dev). Mental exhaustion, dissatisfaction with work and colleagues, and especially the boss at the time.
I made several major changes to fix this.
- Dropped to 32 hours in my contract (with pay cut)
- Requested to move teams (request fulfilled)
- Deep dived into my weak areas that were causing work stress
- A short holiday
Now I’m happy as can be. Sure I earn 20% less now, but it’s just money. I now have a 50% longer weekend (2 days -> 3 days) AND a 20% shorter work week (5 days -> 4 days)
This is the best move I have ever made.
Working 5 days a week is a grind, no matter which way you slice the pie. It’s a marathon that never ends. I think it’s okay for most jobs, but in dev jobs you can’t be on autopilot. So often I’m solving bugs that haven’t been seen before.
A 4 day week doesn’t seem much different on the surface, but it’s a major change. It no longer feels like a marathon. I actually get more work done comparatively, as I’m more focused and less stressed.
Furthermore, I’ve stopped doing projects that relate to my normal stack in my spare time.
In my ample spare time, I deep dive C programming and graphics.