My Burnout Experience

The vacation thing is so real. The dread when it's almost over and then coming back and just not feeling any better. I think the most crushing thing is the thought that "well, the vacation was meant to help and it didn't...I guess this is just my life now."

I was just telling my colleague at work that the reason I’ve changed my attitude recently at work - after months of feeling like I’m on the edge of burnout - is because I found channels like yours and theo’s that have reminded me of the joy and beauty of programming. Thanks dude. Little things make big differences.

Primeagen has such a way with words "I did six years in the Bay Area." That's how you call a prison a prison without calling it a prison. So poetic

Hearing that his burnout lasted 2 years honestly makes me feel better. It's been about 3 years for me and I always thought burn out was this temporary thing like 1-2 months. I feel lazy, I feel like an imposter. I just can't get motivated to do anything except side projects

I now know why my Netflix TV app crashes all the time

I left a $200k (80hr/wk) job for a $65k (40hr/wk) job because I literally hated my life and all facets of it during burnout. I was doing nothing for myself and everything for a company that I knew was never going to be 'capable' because of upper management incompetence. I now have the worlds chillest manager, job security on an incredible level (govt) with a pension and so much free time I'm coding again and even picked up new hobbies like machining and working on my old pickup truck. The people in my life say I'm more fun to be around and that I've become "my old self" again. Burnout is real. Grinding is something we all have to do at some point to get things done but grinding for grinding's sake is moronic.

Really helps to hear that even someone who seems super passionate about programming also has struggled with burnout. Going through some weird periods of life right now with depressive episodes and it's made it difficult for me to want to keep learning & programming as much, which in turn makes me feel bad about not being productive.

Thanks so much for sharing your story - very similar to mine. I had severe burnout that got worse and worse by the end of covid. I eventually quit my job, and went full stop for almost a year, playing golf every week. Just like you, the "vacation" didn't help, and I took my bad mentality with me, even to something like golf, and it started to become a point of frustration too. That was mentally really hard to take ... golf had been my favorite hobby, and to see that become something negative left me feeling pretty hopeless. As I stepped back into working, I found that picking up a side project that I wanted to work on just for me (no hard goals or timelines for commercializing it), insulating my identity from the job, and realizing that the results don't really matter that much in the grand scheme of things, helped me to enjoy the process of creating again.

Thank you for sharing your story. I recently went through a crappy situation (very different circumstances though), and also had the same outlook on my job (there is a lot changing there too). I was able to pull myself out by doing exactly what you mentioned: side projects (that reminded me why I went into software engineering), as well as some networking. I realized that I need to focus on myself so that I can grow into the engineer I want to be. By refocusing the mindset, I can spot opportunities to develop myself and my team. Thank you for everything that you do, Prime!

In my experience burnout means that you need change in one way or another. That could mean a different job, project, sideline project, hobby or something else. Out with the old, in with the new. Burn out is caused by excessive routine. Work typically causes burn out when there is a lack of overall progress.

Every Prime's struggle story: 1) I had a problem 2) By the power of my will I decided to solve it. 3) I solved it I love it

Your previous comment about working for companies who view software as a profit center aligns well with your ability to affect change at Netflix. I imagine that working for a company that does not enable you to find meaning in company improvement making burnout recovery impossible.

Sometimes just getting your eyes off yourself and thinking of ways to serve other people is a huge game changer as well

When Prime says to start working out, also don't start doing 2 hours of high intensity cardio to the point where you are too time short and drained to do anything productive afterwards, balance

When people had to plow fields or die, they didn't plow alone. They worked, ate, slept and partied together. They were a village, a community. And if someone was toxic they were kicked out of the village because if they didn't kick toxic people out, the village would collectively starve.

wtf it's not about paradise city

I hope this job gives you a sense of purpose. You help a lot of people in a lot of different ways. My favorite thing about you is, for lack of a better way to put it, your spiritual awareness--You do a lot of inner reflection and it shows. I think a lot of people are drawn towards you for that reason whether they know it or not. You are so silly and playful yet very sincere and straightforward. You share your flaws and the struggles you've gone through with us. You're a great role model in how to approach life and the struggles that come with it, but most of all how to approach our own human flaws and shortcomings. You help a lot of us feel seen and less alone on this journey we call life. I love you from one silly human to another, and I SEE you.

I appreciate you opening up about your journey through burnout and how you eventually overcame it. I'm currently experiencing burnout myself, but in my case, it's caused by the complex dynamics within my in-law family. While I've dealt with work-related burnout before, this situation is impacting me more deeply, affecting my passion for programming and my overall enthusiasm for life. Your story gives me hope that I, too, can find a way to navigate this challenging period and rediscover my zest for the things I love. Thank you for the inspiration!

This was probably one of my favorite videos from Prime. Had a similar experience with burnout, but in my case what helped me get out of it was getting a new job.

Great video - need to watch this often to remind myself. Especially the part of "why did I start doing this in the first place?" - I really can't remember why I got to coding in the first place. I remember my first project, but I can't remember why I went with it.