Burnout isn't a feelings problem. It's a systems problem.
And systems problems have systems solutions.
After studying developers who maintained 20+ year careers, I noticed something: they all built automated systems to protect themselves. Not motivation. Not discipline. Actual systems.
Here's the technical approach to not burning out.
The Burnout Detection Script
Most developers notice burnout 6 months too late. Build an early warning system:
// Weekly burnout check - runs every Friday
const burnoutIndicators = {
technicalDecisionsCared: false, // shrugged at GraphQL vs REST?
learnedSomethingNew: false, // this week?
excitedAboutAnyTask: false, // even one?
physicalSymptoms: true, // headaches, eye twitch, shoulder pain?
skippedLunch: 3, // times this week
workedWeekend: true
};
const burnoutScore = Object.values(burnoutIndicators)
.filter(v => v === true || v === false ? !v : v > 2)
.length;
if (burnoutScore >= 4) {
console.warn('BURNOUT RISK: HIGH');
// Time to take action, not "push through"
}
Track this weekly. Spreadsheet works. Notion works. The tool doesn't matter. The consistency does.
Calendar as Infrastructure
Your calendar is production infrastructure. Treat it like code:
# calendar-config.yml
defaults:
deep_work_block:
time: "08:00-10:00"
days: ["mon", "tue", "wed", "thu", "fri"]
protected: true
auto_decline: true
recovery_block:
time: "12:00-13:00"
days: ["mon", "tue", "wed", "thu", "fri"]
protected: true
label: "Focus Time" # Nobody needs to know it's lunch
weekly_review:
time: "16:00-16:30"
days: ["fri"]
protected: true
rules:
max_meetings_per_day: 4
no_meetings_before: "10:00"
no_meetings_after: "16:00"
# The most important rule
sunday:
work_email: false
slack: false
exceptions: none # Actually none
Deploy this to your actual calendar. Enforce it like you'd enforce rate limits.
Environment Variables for Life
# .env.life - load these daily
SLACK_INSTALLED_ON_PHONE=false
WORK_EMAIL_ON_PHONE=false
NOTIFICATIONS_AFTER_7PM=false
MAX_WORK_HOURS_PER_DAY=9
MAX_WORK_HOURS_PER_WEEK=45
# Circuit breaker
CONSECUTIVE_LATE_NIGHTS_BEFORE_BREAK=2
WEEKENDS_WORKED_BEFORE_VACATION=1
# Recovery settings
MINIMUM_VACATION_DAYS_PER_QUARTER=5
RECOVERY_DAYS_AFTER_MAJOR_RELEASE=2
These aren't suggestions. They're configuration. Violating them should feel like pushing to main without tests.
The Curiosity Cron Job
Burnout correlates directly with learning stagnation:
# Run weekly, non-negotiable
0 10 * * FRI /usr/local/bin/check-learning-quota
# check-learning-quota
#!/bin/bash
HOURS_LEARNED_THIS_WEEK=$(cat ~/.learning-log | grep $(date +%Y-%W) | wc -l)
MINIMUM_LEARNING_HOURS=2
if [ $HOURS_LEARNED_THIS_WEEK -lt $MINIMUM_LEARNING_HOURS ]; then
echo "WARNING: Learning quota not met"
echo "Schedule 2 hours of exploration next week"
# Block calendar automatically
gcal add "Learning Block" next monday 14:00-16:00
fi
One senior developer's rule: 20% of work involves something new. If his job stops providing that, he updates his resume. Automatically.
Git Hooks for Work Boundaries
#!/bin/bash
# .git/hooks/pre-commit
HOUR=$(date +%H)
DAY=$(date +%u)
# No commits after 9 PM
if [ $HOUR -ge 21 ]; then
echo "ERROR: It's after 9 PM. Go home."
echo "Commit saved to .late-commits for tomorrow"
exit 1
fi
# No commits on weekends
if [ $DAY -ge 6 ]; then
echo "ERROR: It's the weekend."
echo "This can wait until Monday."
exit 1
fi
exit 0
Extreme? Maybe. But so is burning out at 35.
Circuit Breaker Pattern for Humans
class DeveloperCircuitBreaker:
def __init__(self):
self.consecutive_bad_days = 0
self.threshold = 3
self.state = "CLOSED" # healthy
def record_day(self, day_quality):
if day_quality == "bad":
self.consecutive_bad_days += 1
else:
self.consecutive_bad_days = 0
if self.consecutive_bad_days >= self.threshold:
self.trip()
def trip(self):
self.state = "OPEN"
self.notify("Circuit breaker tripped. Take action:")
self.notify("- Take tomorrow off")
self.notify("- Schedule vacation within 2 weeks")
self.notify("- Talk to someone who gets it")
def notify(self, message):
# Whatever works: journal, partner, therapist
print(f"[ALERT] {message}")
When the circuit breaker trips, you don't override it. You respect it.
Monitoring Dashboard
Track these metrics monthly:
SELECT
month,
AVG(hours_worked_per_week) as avg_hours,
COUNT(CASE WHEN worked_weekend THEN 1 END) as weekends_worked,
COUNT(CASE WHEN learned_something_new THEN 1 END) as learning_days,
AVG(energy_level) as avg_energy, -- 1-10 scale
AVG(enjoyment_level) as avg_enjoyment -- 1-10 scale
FROM work_log
GROUP BY month
ORDER BY month DESC;
If avg_enjoyment trends below 5 for two consecutive months, that's not a phase. That's a problem requiring intervention.
Deployment Strategy
Don't try to implement everything at once. Roll out gradually:
Week 1: Calendar blocks only
Week 2: Add phone app restrictions
Week 3: Start weekly burnout check
Week 4: Implement learning quota
Month 2: Add circuit breaker tracking
Month 3: Full monitoring dashboard
Gradual rollout. Observe metrics. Adjust thresholds. Like any production system.
The Real Architecture
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ YOUR CAREER │
│ (20+ years) │
└─────────────────┬───────────────────────────┘
│
┌─────────────┴─────────────┐
│ │
┌───┴───┐ ┌───┴───┐
│ INPUT │ │OUTPUT │
│ │ │ │
│Energy │ │ Code │
│Curiosity │Impact │
│Health │ │Growth │
└───┬───┘ └───────┘
│
│ Protected by:
│
┌───┴────────────────────────────────┐
│ PROTECTION LAYER │
│ │
│ • Calendar infrastructure │
│ • Boundary enforcement │
│ • Circuit breakers │
│ • Monitoring & alerting │
│ • Recovery automation │
└────────────────────────────────────┘
Without the protection layer, input depletes faster than it regenerates. System crashes within 8 to 10 years.
With the protection layer, the system runs indefinitely.
TL;DR
Burnout is a systems failure, not a personal failure.
Treat your capacity like production infrastructure.
Build monitoring. Set alerts. Enforce limits. Automate recovery.
The developers who last 20 years aren't more disciplined.
They just have better systems.
# Start here
echo "Take care of the system that writes the code" >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
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