How To Stop Getting Overwhelmed By Your Tech Job

Feeling swamped in your tech job? You're not alone! In this episode, I dive into the heart of what makes our programming world so overwhelming and, more importantly, how you can navigate it with ease.
►► Stay calm, keep growing, and have a life! Download my FREE career guide for having a healthy career in software development roles → jaymeedwards.com/developer-ca...
In this video, I'm not just talking at you; I'm talking with you. We'll explore the common pitfalls that lead to feeling overwhelmed in tech jobs and share practical, actionable strategies to help you manage your workload and stress levels. Whether you're a seasoned programmer or just starting out, this video is packed with insights tailored just for you.
Programming can be a rollercoaster of challenges and triumphs, and it's totally normal to feel overwhelmed at times. But don't worry, I've got your back! We'll look at how to prioritize tasks, set realistic goals, and create a work environment that supports your well-being and productivity.
Remember, being overwhelmed doesn't mean you're failing - it's a sign that you're pushing your boundaries and growing. So, let's turn that overwhelm into empowerment together!
Thinking of making a career role change? Know your options! Check out TechRolepedia, my data hub about the top 25 roles in tech:
ttps://jaymeedwards.com/access-techrolepedia/
Need help with your career? Learn about career coaching:
jaymeedwards.com/services/sof...
CHAPTER MARKERS
00:00 Introduction
01:41 How To Stop Being Overwhelmed By Your Tech Job
02:31 1.1 Relentless Pace of Projects
03:17 1.2 Pressure To Continuously Learn
04:32 1.3 Glorification of Hustle Culture
05:47 2 Signs of Being Overwhelmed
06:01 2.1 Constant Fatigue / Lack of Motivation
08:36 2.2 Brain Fog
09:41 2.3 Feeling Inadequate Despite Achievements
10:36 2.4 Anger at Requests for Help
12:13 2.5 "Too Busy" for Social Activities
13:08 3 How To Reduce Overwhelm
13:21 3.1 Prioritize Your Tasks
15:38 3.2 Learn To Say No
17:20 3.3 Practice Mindfulness or Prayer
19:34 3.4 Exercise and Get More Sleep
21:51 3.5 Social Media Fast
#itjobs #overwhelmed #careeradvice

[@HealthyDev]

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by your tech job? What are you experiencing? What are you going to do about it? ►► Know your options! Access my FREE data hub for the top 25 software industry roles, TechRolepedia → jaymeedwards.com/access-techrolepedia/

[@KustomTweaks]

With AI onboard, the tech is overengineered for the current needs, other branched of engineering are not innovating at much pace as tech and more and more guys are pouring into tech creating this hustle culture. An architect, civil engineer, all happens to be going to tech. There should be a balance of all branches of tech not just computers and coding.

[@applepie9806]

Yes, quite overwhelmed now. It's insane the pace of the job. I'm probably going to ask for a smaller part in the current and upcoming project until I'm more confident of what I'm doing, especially since there's a bunch of new libraries I've never touched before. With the upcoming holiday, I'm going to explore other languages and have some fun setting up my RaspberryPi to get away from the current project and refresh my state of mind.

[@lowwastehighmelanin]

@@KustomTweaksthe barriers to entry on the others should be lowered

[@JustinKSU]

Thank you @HealthDev, your content has helped me and other be a better software engineer!

[@AdamFiregate]

I follow and have multiple tools and frameworks: vipassana and metta meditations, Stoic philosophy, participating in discussion groups in person, meeting friends, walking, therapeutic gymnastics, having massage.

[@bogdanzarzycki9885]

I am not a modern CPU. I do have only 1 core

[@user-pb4qb1xj2v]

I am not "easily distracted" I am hyperthreading

[@MLJenkins]

I’ve had to come to the realization that over commitment by others above me isn’t my fault. I need to get better at saying no, but I’ve noticed now when I try to say no that I get negotiated with (ex “well, maybe you can get this done next sprint instead of this sprint” when in reality I don’t have the capacity for either). Finding a hobby, taking breaks to meditate, exercising are all great ways to reduce stress, but you have to be persistent with them and make sure you prioritize yourself, which I personally always have a hard time doing. But, I’m trying, and that’s more than I was previously.

[@TOn-fx2gr]

I am felling exactly the same, and same thing about the learning to say no , if I say no he will just delay the deadline to the next week as if that's gonna help 😅

[@beybladerdylan]

I've reached a point where I was already feeling overwhelmed and we just picked up a few new initiatives that require large parts of my time. This video couldn't have been posted at a better time, thank you for sharing :).

[@idiocracyishere4531]

You added nothing here.

[@synfiguring]

​​@@idiocracyishere4531whereas you added some hatred and spite and mean-spiritedness, congratulations you bum.

[@synfiguring]

​@@idiocracyishere4531Good God young man, gain some humanity or you will die alone.

[@oscarback6696]

The things that have helped me withoverwhelm is: 1. Have a wind up and wind down routine. I usually start my day with a yoga nidra session and walk my dog. Gives me a slower paced day overall. With the wind down comes a screen cut-off time, usually around 6-7 pm, together with some yin yoga and meditation. 2. No notifications on my phone before start of work day, during lunch and eod. 3. Plan small breaks every 25-30 minutes of work (if you are in a flow you can extend it to max 1-2 hours at a time) 4. Touch grass, no kidding, go out, to the woods if you are able. If you are stuck in a city find a tree and stare at it. Sound really weird but works for me when I feel overwhelmed.

[@zabs1671]

KZbin has been showing me a lot of “I quit software dev cuz of burnout” videos lately. I’m one step from quitting. I really love my job - the dev part, at least . Dealing with clients is extremely draining for me. They’re rarely happy or grateful, even when you do exactly what they asked for. Experiencing major brain fog, can’t wait for my 2 weeks of leave starting tomorrow!

[@bmfitzgerald3]

You found the right channel, check out some more of Jayme's content. He presents a very level headed perspective to help us approach our software careers in a healthy way. Good luck man, you can develop a healthy mindset in dealing with your clients.... and or switch jobs so you don't have to deal directly with clients!

[@burningquestion2396]

As a tech lead, I used to try to please the engineeering manager, the project manager, the product manager, when something was delayed by an hour I'd be the first to hear it and when we did things right I wouldn't be thanked.

[@factorfitness3713]

If your customers are rarely happy even when you do what they've asked, it's one of two things 1) communications or 2) expectation management. It could be that your company is just not setting you up for success or overselling expectations to the point that everything seems like a let down. Start to poke around to see if you can determine if that's the case.

[@AhmedHuzain]

For us juniors getting into tech, overwhelm isn't a "problem". it is simply a part of the job that you need to get along with and integrate into your daily life. 2 months ago, I landed my first job as an entry level front-end developer. And a huge chunk of my job is making ui/ux designs, building back-end applications, and many things that don't fall under my "front-end developer" role.

[@uchihajoel3064]

Man are you in my head? Lol you described everything I feel even the thought of the 100 devs waiting for me to slow down to take my place.

[@jonasbaine3538]

Man I hate my current Kanban management style. I keep wondering why nothing makes sense, no rhythm to meetings, planning or everything then realize we aren’t doing standup, sprints etc. Thinking about starting a business but that seems like working 24/7 instead of login logout job. Exhausted from past experiences and future outlook. Btw, I’m just a lowly manual QA but your content really resonates with most of my experiences in tech also.

[@HealthyDev]

QA is a super important role and I'm happy to have you or anyone else who does it as part of this community. You may or may not know, I started in QA. Have a lot of respect for it.

[@jonasbaine3538]

@@HealthyDev Thanks I appreciate it.

[@bernhardkrickl5197]

Note, that Kanban is not a process. Kanban is about change management. You install WIP limits on your existing process and adopt the rule that you remove blocks first before starting new stuff. Every WIP limit you hit is an opportunity to analyse the problem and make a change to your process to fix it. So, you still can have all the meetings and cycles and whatever process you see fit. Eg. you can easily combine Kanban and Scrum. I think it makes a lot of sense actually.

[@trashmail8]

I just want to comment to let you know that I really appreciate how transparent and how honest you are about this whole topic. Thank you for showing that you're human because it'll help many others to drop the mask and shield and enable them to improve their situation. You're paving the way for many others with this material! Thank you!

[@HealthyDev]

You're very welcome. I don't learn very well from people who don't share their weaknesses, so I don't see how others can either.

[@BGP369]

learning to say no is a skill. whenever you get more than you can handle, make a list and ask manager to prioritize by number - and if they say its "all equal priority" (everything is on fire, all the time, rite), you tell them ok, i will work on the tasks alphabetically. The only reason workers are exploited is because they let themselves be exploited.

[@eyeCU13]

This all sounds painfully familiar. When I started getting overwhelmed, because of poor management and unrealistic expectations, I became more angry and confrontational. I started picking fights with the PM more and more often, until I realised it's time to move to a new company. I threw myself into another ambitious role, under a lot of pressure and this time I lasted only 4 months. I had so much mental and physical exhaustion, because of a burn out, that even a 2 weeks break wasn't nearly enough to recover. Now I'm taking a couple of months to collect myself and figure out what I want to do with rest of my life. I'm not even sure if I want to continue walking this path anymore. Maybe I'll try something else for a while and then decide. Anyway, thanks for the video! This channel feels like a very well intentioned support group for victims of the IT industry :))

[@HealthyDev]

Someone called it "broken coders anonymous" about 3 years ago. That always cracked me up ;). Hang in there. Even if you do have to stay in the industry, it sounds like you've got some ideas of areas where you might be able to deal with stuff better and that's great. And if you decide to exit it - nobody will blame you. We all gotta do what's best for us.

[@eyeCU13]

Broken coders anonymous - sounds nice! I feel like a proud member of this club 💪😄 You know what, I'll probably give it another go. They're not gonna break me that easily. Not without a fight anyway. Let's see what kind of trouble I can get in this time...

[@HealthyDev]

@@eyeCU13 up to you man, that's a tough decision. Definitely don't let me influence it.

[@michaelmemory6938]

Spot on topic! I wish more devs would discuss this instead of glorifying the inevitable path to burnout so many silent devs have gone down.

[@DiogoMudo]

I love the way you share your religious experiences on your videos. As a fellow Christian developer, I would add this tip from Matthew 6:34: Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

[@HealthyDev]

I love that scripture, and boy is it hard sometimes to live it.

[@innocentmazando3808]

That part touched me too. Its very important :)

[@Priva_C]

I'm an Athiest and I LOVE this scripture. Thanks for sharing mate ❤

[@brianduncan3900]

Thanks for reminding me. I needed to hear what I already know. I have a problem saying "no".

[@fshtank]

I appreciate these videos. I read the book years ago “When People are big and God is small” - good adjustment. The prayer and exercise recommendations are key. In addition to family, I have the (dis-?) advantage of running an Awana program at my church. It is a good distraction and demand outside my normal work hours to take me away from work … but comes with its own stresses. Good to get up and away from the job. There are more important things.

[@SM-ok3sz]

I think that knowing when and how to set boundaries is a crucial skill a lot of developers lack. Part of setting boundaries is knowing when to say no. Too often I see developers who are essentially always working and never able to disconnect from work because they never say no. Some developers think they have to do anything an employer asks of them, so they do tasks that are outside of their role and before long their workload has tripled.

[@SM-ok3sz]

I think another cause of never saying no is self worth or ego. A common personality trait of tech people is never admitting they don’t know or can’t do something. Saying no to a task could be interpreted as you turning it down because you can’t do it. Developers with a fragile ego would rather save face than set healthy boundaries.

[@HealthyDev]

@@SM-ok3szI agree. I think at least part of the problem is the fact that most people undergo technical interviews, they start work thinking it's not safe to admit they don't know something. Silly I know, but it seems like a real problem.

[@erzerezrezrezreze]

​@@HealthyDev I am really struggling sometimes because my ADHD gets me into hyperfocus for a few days, nonstop work, 'let's do it!', wreck my brain on solving problems all over. Then the day after comes and people just come up to me and get into all sorts of arguments about why I've done something, I could have done X instead of Y, is Z not better? People don't value what you're doing, they basically barely see further than their own tasks. Work pace is frantic and if you disagree with anyone everyone just piles on you and basically you're made a scapegoat because you started an argument. I don't know why, basically everything that I do gets a negative rep, if I work a lot, everyone has more ammunition because I've done more work. If I do additional tasks, that are outside of my job description, then people just say 'stick to your job'. If I "just do my job" I get by but don't develop myself and also get put on performance plans, because 'I'm not doing enough'. I'm not sure what I can do to get out of this cycle anymore. I think each year I have to quit my job for a few months and find a different one. But then people will always have seniority over me and the cycle continues. Tech moves so quickly that you're struggling to do things well, and then in a few days you need to learn something else because your boss otherwise thinks you're basically garbage and 'not good enough'. Thank you for returning to make these videos and continuing with it. Much respect and thanks again.

[@HealthyDev]

@@erzerezrezrezreze sorry to hear all the challenges you're running up against. Let me first just say you're not alone, I have coached quite a few other people in tech who have ADHD. I think I may have some attributes of it myself, though I don't struggle as much as some. I used to get trapped in hyperfocus as you call it as well. I guess what started to change things, was when I got a job as a consultant. I literally HAD to interact more with people to be successful. To the point that I had a really bad performance review my first year doing it, and they gave me an ultimatum to learn to talk to customers better or look for a different job. When it comes to "just doing my job" and not feeling like you're growing, I can understand that. There's a lot of pressure on us from the media, bosses, and our peers to keep growing. Personally I think we grow a lot more than we realize when just "doing our job". There's a ton of interpersonal stuff I just plain sucked at for the first 12 or so years of my career that took a long, long time to get better at. I guess I got to a point where I started to say NO to that voice in my head saying "you need to learn more! you need to learn more!". It does sound some though, like the culture of the teams you're working in, also aren't very conducive to the way you need to work. I know I'm only hearing your side of the story, but people saying "stick to your job" is something I often hear at companies focused on vanity metrics like the burn down chart and hours worked. They aren't focused on delivering a good product for customers and having a healthy culture. Every company has metrics of some sort, and so I'm not trying to set you up with some unrealistic expectation of work - but some are far, far better than others. I hope you find the right culture to support you where you're at. If you don't give up, you'll get better at setting boundaries, recognizing when cultures are just typical challenges versus toxic, and increase your self confidence. I usually advise people against taking long breaks if that's a regular rhythm, only that it can encourage going full out until your break which really isn't sustainable. But if that works for you, I understand people are all different.

[@SM-ok3sz]

@@erzerezrezrezreze Hyperfocus is not a symptom of ADHD. What you described, especially with the interpersonal conflicts, sounds closer to an autism spectrum disorder.

[@thommccarthy1139]

I'm in frontend and feel that I might start transitioning to backend simply for the way FE is perceived as super duper easy. I really enjoy interfaces but folks act like they fall from the sky. I've worked with backend guys that change one endpoint and since it's voodoo to people they seem less stressed. Frontend is the thing people can see and it's perceived that requirement changes are like moving something around in photoshop.

[@weftw1se]

This is a huge problem IMO. Not helped by back-end devs who denigrate front-end work (and then produce absolute garbage code riddled with bugs when they try to moonlight as front-end devs). Working in more of a full stack role, the complications are just different, not easier or harder. Yes, you may not have as many opportunities to balance a red-black tree when working on a web app, but equally you often have much more control over the environment your code runs in when working on the back-end and don't have to deal with the vagaries of browser compatibility and responsive design.

[@DauntingGecko]

Also working as a FE dev but amongst mostly back end devs. I’ve heard one say “but front end is easy; just putting things in position on the screen. Backend is the brains of everything”. This is from (apparently) a “senior” back end. As soon as she said it,I knew she wasn’t senior - I’ve got 20+ years experience and worked on databases, back end apis and front end. Without question, front end is by far hardest to do. The pace of change and library changes makes it almost impossible to get expert at anything so this is totally ignorant and wrong for back end to thinks it’s like moving stuff around like photoshop and the real complicated stuff only happens at api level (total nonsense). If anyone says this sort of thing it screams out to me that they are either not senior / experienced enough to know what they’re talking about or they just plain ignorant…or both.

[@zane62135]

Frontend is definitely more annoying. 99% of backend work is the same thing over and over. Getting parameters, parsing them, running a SQL query, parsing the results, sending it back, etc. Nothing ever changes is that much. Frontend on the other hand is changing every month, the libraries are absurd, the tasks required of you are always nebulous and artistic.

[@TarynWhite]

Dude, you're speaking to my soul. Been 18 years in the industry, and all of these

[@contrazzed3651]

Getting off social media 4 years ago was the single best decision I've made for my mental health. Ironically I have much better relationships with friends and family than I did before. Thank you for all the videos and advice. It's been a huge blessing for me and loads of others

[@HealthyDev]

Glad to hear!!

[@billmalcolm4291]

yep, appreciate you talking about the reservoir. There have been so many times this year that I came close to blowing up and when I tried explaining what was wrong to somebody, I felt like a fool because each one of these things was manageable on its own, but all together it nearly broke me. I've been contracting for over 2 years now with no PTO and god, please, all i want is some pto to have a day where i do fuck all and they keep telling me ill be converted six months from now, but they told me that back during year 1 and normally i do my crying in the shower to save time, but i think my reservoir is leaking out into my eyes now

[@nii-san5485]

I was getting overwhelmed playing mediator / manager between people more senior than I am, that do not seem to want to work together or cant figure out who is responsible for what then I finally started doing some deeper work on another project where I could actually focus on one thing and accomplish something

[@rollthers3157]

Love it! It's like you were reading my mind. Thanks.

[@zackherrick1969]

Thanks for always being so real! Absolutely love this channel.

[@NguoiTuyet1]

A book about worry that I found really good was How to stop worrying and start living by Dale Carnegie. also, another point I think for people is that if you genuinely enjoy doing what you're doing and motivated and passionate, then keep doing it. there's value in that as well. but I do understand that if you're seeking help through this video, dont be afraid to learn to brake. at the end of the day, braking will allow you to go even faster in the future because you will know how to steer your mental space around more safely :) good luck and happy coding everyone :)

[@schintus]

The constant pace, which you're not really in control of, and the constant "need" to learn more and more stuff - that's really a big thing as a developer. So thanks for this video.

[@manishm9478]

I love this video! Just noticed this week i was feeling overwhelmed when i caught myself ranting to a trusted person at work. I've since scaled back my work, taking my time with tickets and completing some training courses I've been wanting to do. I also took a long lunch break to catch up with a friend hehe

[@tonymykhaylovsky7505]

I did not set boundaries when a sister company needed a dev resource and I decided to help. We also had a director, no manager and I ended up doing more than a developer should. Ended up leaving. I accept blame for not setting boundaries. Looking to be better at boundary setting at my new company and be willing to leave.

[@HealthyDev]

Admitting you have room to grow is more than many can say. Sorry you had to go through that, but it sounds like you learned a powerful lesson. I hope this next year, you get some practice setting boundaries. Nobody is perfect at it, myself included.

[@emmm_4465]

Wow I had all the signs, glad I quit and took a self-sabbatical to breath. I feel more invigorated and optimistic hearing these sort of conversations as opposed to the constant _I work at FAANG and make a bajillion dollars with only 4 months experience_ sort of bragging videos all over my feed that is more demotivating and stressful exactly the way you described it!!! I’m not excited about then possibilities of *my own life* so yes to social media fast!!. Your videos are so valuable in showing I’m not alone and there is hope ❤ no more doom scrolling, going for the walk

[@go_better]

Thanks a lot for these tips. I think sometimes I go to walk without listening anything. Or I remember how good it felt when I spent weekend resting, doing hobbies or watching movies. It felt good and I was recharged on Monday. But I didn't build a habit yet 😂 Thanks a lot again. Lots of spot on things, especially about learning procrastination.

[@TKGZONE]

Thanks for sharing what everyone prob thinks but no one wants to talk about

[@vinhcomputer]

Thank you Jayme! It helps. I would like to add one important practice to reduce the stress is: Find your most relaxed activity, both physically and mentally, and do it every day. It is a privilege and a gift to be able to relax like that. For me, that activity is laying down on a bean bag, watching TV and letting my mind wander. Then, after you have recovered from the tiredness, reflecting the highlight and lowlight of your day in a journal before going to bed will keep your mind clean and clear.

[@RobertBakic]

I needed this. Thanks.

[@BrunoEugenio]

Valuable lessons! I was feeling overwhelmed by my tech job and I decided to dedicate more time to my relatives and exercise more. Today if I don't go to the gym and lift some weights seems like my day was incomplete and this simple thing helps me to clear my thoughts because at the gym I only focus on the moment. I've just shared your video with my peers here. Thanks and take care!

[@deepfuchsia7204]

I've been doing zazen every morning for more than a year, starting with 10 minutes and now it's 25. It kinda helps to calm down and control the emotions. But good sleep feels like the best medicine tbh.

[@prionkor]

Spending most stressful year of my life. While I am burning my savings for my startup, having a baby, no income, building a house, my dad had heart failure last month. Constantly working without vacation and whatever time I have, I have to manage my family, trying to put smile into their face. Feeling trapped, exhausted burnt out, yet can't quit, no matter how much bad I feel.

[@HealthyDev]

A small piece of advice (you may already know this) is to make sure you spend time talking to customers and learn marketing while you're building whatever it is for your startup. It sounds like you've gone "all in" and I can understand that (I'm in a similar position right now). I will say one thing that's different about the business I'm building now from the other two that failed, is I learned a lot about who my customer was and how to speak to them, reach them, and who the buyer is at the same time as building the product. That helped immensely. Before, I tried building the product and doing all that stuff afterwards - which was backwards. I hope your startup goes great!

[@dasmarkopo]

There is a difference in overwhelmed by the amount of work and then being overwhelmed by the sheer number of new technologies you should be able to master. Not just kind of know - but actually know well when things are not going well - like being a master in devops, backend and frontend at the same time. I'm cutting off from those organizations (and often those organizations are driven by non tech-people (= kind of silly dummies which you need spending a lot of time in pointless meetings with)). It's not just trustworthy. Better be a good backend developer or a good frontend developer, so you have the working time to master your craft.

[@attila2246]

You are the best tech KZbinr. Thank you for sharing on this lesser known side of software development.

[@ScottLee64]

I've watched many of your videos and this one resonates with me the most. Thanks for putting it into perspective like that. Hopefully I can tame the "overwhelm" to keep it from turning into burnout. After all, I have deliverables to meet 😂

[@webdevelopment6679]

It's super important to cut ourselves some slack when we're dealing with this tech job overwhelm stuff. Thanks for pointing that out!

[@paddyosmond8917]

I wish I’d seen this video when I started my career nearly 5 years ago, I feel like it’s just been constant overwhelm and I’ve been stuck in cycles of not feeling competent but too exhausted to address the ever growing knowledge gaps. I’ve chased titles to validate my own status and have just taken an intentional step down a level to get some balance back in my life

[@HealthyDev]

Hang in there. You're not alone. You CAN find better balance once you know you need it!

[@fmo17]

Super 👌 I am encouraged with your advice of having prayer time to re-energise ourselves.

[@bmiller949]

It is the layoff mentality of corporate America. It makes vacation time, your expense funds when you're let go. There is no work/life balance in tech.

[@nickvledder]

Great video again! Big thanks from The Netherlands!

[@sadboisibit]

I appreciate your channel and I'm glad you're posting content on KZbin again. As I'm nearing 10 years in software and my thirties I've started to think through the logistics of starting my own company. Your content has had such a profound and positive impact on me and my plans for the future.

[@HealthyDev]

You can do it!

[@bisadelara5933]

Thanks for sharing!

[@timeconsumer325]

What a great video. I’ve experienced this kind of overwhelm a few times in my 13 year career as a data engineer and identify really strongly with a lot of the things you mentioned. I think I can recognize when it’s happening earlier than I used to be able to, which has been helpful. “Learning can be procrastinating” is a really great insight and so true. Even with hobbies, I can find myself watching more videos about something that DOING it. Music gear videos and the scene around it are a particular vice. Thanks for the great video.

[@brunofilgueiras3518]

hey James, I guess I've already said that but I'm so glad for this channel how authentic and transparent your content is, I'm happy to see this channel growing... I used to be religious, but not so much these days, there is one gospel band that I still enjoy listening to a lot the leader singer is Mark Hall, and a funny fact is that I think he actually looks a bit like you hahaha, one song that I recommend by them for stressful times is called, Oh My Soul, don't know if you know it, check it out if you can. Hugs from Brazil.

[@theundaddy8037]

Thank you so much for this video! I think I have all the symptoms :D About two years ago, we started rebuilding our original system in microservices, and I ended up in a very high position (lead architect). I think we generally have taken a very poor approach (before I was promoted), and we had to make several sweeping changes (changing where we deploy, changing what databases we use). And the requirements and expectations don't stop coming. It's really hard for me to focus on what is upcoming when I know all the shit in the system that we need to fix w/r/t tech debt. It's like a combination of depression and anxiety. I will try to implement some of your suggestions from your video this Christmas and New Years and see if it helps!

[@theundaddy8037]

And I also smoke weed to deal with my anxiety, but it seems lately it's just been adding more anxiety to the mix...

[@zahirdezhbord1812]

Thanks! This type of content is really helpful.

[@nrgstudios612]

Just stumbled on this channel. I'm a developer and you're super relatable brother. You just got a subscriber 👍

[@HealthyDev]

Welcome to the channel!

[@esparda07]

First video I watched from this channel. Thanks for the channel.

[@lakshanperera9735]

wow amazing content, thank you for this

[@paws7983]

Thank you for sharing this! I don't really feel well these days... Just being happy to find your video.

[@user-pb4qb1xj2v]

this is all great advice, I think social media is particularly sinister, I didnt really notice how negatively it was affecting my mood until I made a conscious decision to stop using it for awhile

[@bitwisedevs469]

As always real life experience advise and discussion with this channel. Top notch and so relatable on every topic, the overwhelmed part really got me. Tips like these are always not rocket science or mind blowing, sometimes we even know what we really need to do yet we are not taking action to it. This kind of content now acts like a reminder to get yourself together as you are not alone in this world or industry feeling like this.

[@brianwhittington9952]

I can relate to this

[@brunops_music]

Doing God's work with your videos, buddy, thank you.

[@JustinKSU]

The important thing about being a good software engineer is prioritizing. I often go to my manager with the top 5 things I'm working on and see if I have the priority straight.

[@dmkanter]

Great video. I took a couple weeks off for stress.

[@marknylund1808]

just had a RIIF, I am not impacted, but now have to do 4 peoples work with the same resources. YES. i am overwelmed.

[@comp20B]

Religion or not...the entire idea of "quiet time" of the mind, is extremely important. Great video.

[@ChristianRebelsky]

Thanks for sharing this content. Can definitely tick some boxes along the signs mentioned. This grind, hustling culture is toxic and not maintainable for „joe average“ with a wife and kids. Also being some kind of introvert is hard in this industry. It‘s easier to learn being open, socialize and ask even the in your opinion dump questions. Under normal circumstances people are happy to help. You can do all the tutorials, courses or remote offers in the world, but it isn’t nothing compared to some pair programming with colleague.

[@Tymonello]

The part about saying no, and telling the employeer that there is too much work is too hard for me. I work for a small company, so if I don't take the responsibility to do something, then it will not get done at all...

[@belizarius_997]

Is it just me or has covid changed a lot in this industry? The company I work for is praised for record profits, but this does not translate into better working conditions. The amount of work has doubled and at the same time the quarterly layoffs became a norm. The covid induced crazy amount of meetings is still here, but this time we are constantly told about “preferred hybrid work”. Nobody seems to notice that switching physical conference rooms is more difficult than switching meetings on Teams and that we actually have to do some work apart from meetings and emails. Bottom line is our work became a giant hamster wheel - the more we do, the more is expected of us. Or has it always been like that and for the last 20 of my career I simply didn’t pay attention?

[@brettRaperhvactech]

Employee : no this is way too much work Boss: well you need to learn how to multitask

[@levi4thon]

Also a good tip would be picking out a hobby, like playing the guitar. Speaking of which: where is the episode jam?

[@HealthyDev]

Hey there! I've had to skip the episode jams in the past couple due to time constraints. They aren't going away permanently, don't worry.

[@CosasCotidianas]

_life is not a sprint, is a marathon_. I'm stealing that phrase.

[@burningquestion2396]

Boss: let's give him more stuff to do, if it's too much for him, he's a professional and an adult and he'll tell us. Developer: better say yes to everything, the boss is a professional and an adult, he'll know when it's too much and when to ease up on giving me things to do.

[@HealthyDev]

Not sure if you're disagreeing with me or something else?

[@burningquestion2396]

@@HealthyDev I'm just saying that as a developer, one may think that the manager or product manager will somehow gauge that you're at capacity and stop giving you work until you're free. Maybe so, but most of the time they'll give you more stuff just to meet their deadlines. As a developer, I used to think that if they're giving me more work and haven't... gauged that I'm at capacity, I thought they probably know better and I would just take the extra work. Then, as 'the boss', I would delegate more and more work to my direct reports thinking that, well, if I'm overwhelming them they'll just tell me. I just didn't think that there are other managers who may be thinking the same, I thought the default was that they'll think "maybe I'm giving him too much work and should hold on until he finishes something."

[@HealthyDev]

@@burningquestion2396ah gotcha. That's cool you've experienced both sides. Managers don't always ask people if they're getting overloaded, but great ones will on occasion. Maybe you can be that person?

[@JoannaMilczewska]

Isn't it because you have been working in consultancy business? Consultancy companies expect people to be available 24/7, however, product companies may be more promoting more sustainable approach.

[@HealthyDev]

I've worked in both, and my customers and clients have been in both. No, it doesn't appear to be specific to consulting.

[@notaspectator]

2018 is when all went down and exploded for me. Dad died and more. It was horrible but also awesome as I used it as a push to look inward and own my crap, apologies to people, ask. more questions and ask for help. Still learning

[@HealthyDev]

Hang in there. I lost my dad at 24 years old and it was really tough. Glad you're making your way through it.

[@notaspectator]

@@HealthyDev Appreciate it and im sorry for your loss regardless of how long ago it happened. :) Men really don't need to "man up or toughed up", I learned that some time ago. Any loss or shake up is actually a way to be humbled and find more grace. And also not a time to run away and find "god" but rather find peace and detach from ideas we cling on to.

[@HealthyDev]

@@notaspectatorrespectfully, men do need resilience. You may not like the term "man up" but that's what I mean by it. As far as running off the find God, why would you tell me what I do or don't need to do in response to my Dad's death?

[@notaspectator]

@@HealthyDev I can see how that would be rather hurtful. Ugh, the tone in the messaging is hard to transfer. You obviously do you, I am purely speaking from my journey and its subjective. As for the man up term, its rather a continuous idea that a man ought to be a certain way and being feminine or anything else BUT man is somehow a loss or not where one ought to be. Just a personal opinion. Again, apologies for not clarifying.

[@HealthyDev]

@@notaspectatorI agree men haven't had permission to be vulnerable in culture historically. And I can see how the term "man up" might trigger a defense. I do believe men deserve to have safe spaces where they can share their feelings. But I also believe a man being vulnerable is not feminine - he's just a man sharing his feelings. Not sure if that helps.

[@ordinarygg]

Just curious, when you last touched real code and developed something to deploy on production?

[@HealthyDev]

I have a current consulting client who's solution is in production. I started building it about a year and a half ago. It went into production in June. It's a web application (remix) with a python/mysql data analytics backend (dagster and dbt). Super fun project!

[@ordinarygg]

@@HealthyDev cool, how many nesting levels of dagster you have? Like when one pipeline executes another one on chain. Interesting how it's looks at UI as complexity grows. Also do you use paid plan? is it expensive?

[@HealthyDev]

@@ordinaryggI self host in Google Kubernetes Environment.

[@HealthyDev]

@@ordinarygg oh to answer your question, I have several asset pipelines triggered for different things, but they aren't cascading. It's one big pipeline that's only partially materialized depending on the trigger. There are a few sensors too I made that detect new files being uploaded to bucket storage etc. In general I was very impressed with dagster, excellent technology for the right scale of client.

[@ordinarygg]

@@HealthyDev I think we have different perspective of self-hosting here)) thanks for answering, cool tech to look!

[@rybolov]

We need a version of this for InfoSec.😂

[@theoceanman8687]

I am experiencing the opposite: complete and utter boredom. I am working in a tech consulting firm, and only saddled with a Helpdesk project even after announcing my wishes to work in Data Science projects. At this point I am considering looking for other companies.

[@HealthyDev]

I hope you find something more challenging. It's always a bit deflating and depressing for me when I have to move on. I wish companies could keep me growing forever, but it probably just isn't realistic.

[@theoceanman8687]

Thank you for the reassurance. I'll poke at my company to see if I can move to a more fulfilling project. If they can not provide that, I'll start walking away.

[@HealthyDev]

@@theoceanman8687 hang in there. Hopefully if you do have to leave, you can make the move smoothly so you aren't in any sort of financial risk.

[@thefourbytes]

Really great video!! On the flip side, if you are underwhelmed at work? I am a Lead and I keep getting same kind of work from past 2 years…like 90% of time. Even the planning work I do is almost same for all projects. I have been wishing to leave my current job without anything lined up. I have my financials setup for next 2 years. My wife also works and her health insurance covers me as well. It’s impacting my growth and I am not learning at work. Then I have to work on side projects on weekends so technically I am working 24/7 lol. This is not healthy. Then I get sad and then my wife has to keep up with my bitching. What should I do?

[@HealthyDev]

When you say you "have to" work on side projects, is that required financially? Or is it the way you're trying to get some growth due to feeling your day job has become stagnant?

[@thefourbytes]

@@HealthyDev Because my job is stagnant and then I feel I am not giving time to my family. I once used to enjoy playing video games and now I just stare at the screen and then I just shut down my computer. You may wonder why I have not looked for another job, is because my skills have atrophied, and I am in constant state of un-ease.

[@thefourbytes]

@@HealthyDev I don't know if it's feasible, but I would like to try. Is there a way I can talk to you over zoom? I would really love someone's help who knows life in tech.

[@HealthyDev]

@@thefourbytes I offer professional coaching if that's something you might be interested in. I offer a free 45 minute consultation. You can read all about it here: jaymeedwards.com/services/software-development-coaching/

[@thefourbytes]

@@HealthyDev I did see your full service, but unfortunately, I can’t promise you that I will take it…cost is really high (I don’t earn in dollars) which I may not be able to afford. I don’t know if you’d still be open to talk.

[@dovh49]

I just want to code C#. I like JavaScript/TypeScript but don't want to code in the overly complex Reactjs/Angular/etc frameworks just to submit a form. For any complexity just let me use HTMX and sprinkle in just a little JS. Well, now that I'm on the job market everyone wants "full stack" devs. If they want full stack why do that not use frameworks amenable to back end devs and make things simple rather than complex? I smart, I can write good quality front end code. But man, why create so much complexity just to submit a simple form?

[@HealthyDev]

Our industry is very driven by popularity and hype, like any other really. React is a really cool, fun technology that solves a real use case. It's also not the right use case for the vast majority of sites. Unfortunately, most front end jobs use it regardless - mostly because it's all the developers have ever known. If you really want to write C#, you may consider just doing backend. Otherwise you could look into some of the web assembly technologies Microsoft has for doing front end. These allow you to write C# in the browser. There will be less of those than React jobs, but there are still a LOT out there.

[@dovh49]

@@HealthyDev It seems hard to find the back end focused C# jobs though. Most of the jobs I've come across seem to require both. Once I discovered Intercoolerjs (now HTMX) I tried to convince the acting CTO to use it instead of switching from Knockoutjs to Reactjs. But he followed the hype, like you said. I kept encouraging the org to use HTMX and eventually they let me (as all the front end devs had left for more lucrative jobs even though we were paid a lot) leaving us back end devs to clean up. We all wanted HTMX and so I finally got to write my first production HTMX application there. It was great, but then more lay offs hit and I was let go. But it sounds like the devs still prefer HTMX, but they are still stuck with the mess of Reactjs and Knockoutjs. After using such a simpler tech it's hard to force myself to be willing to work on unnecessarily complex tech like React/etc. I'll keep looking for the back end only jobs. But starting in February I'll have to take whatever comes my way.

[@HealthyDev]

Hang in there. Sounds like you know what you need, the waiting is the hard part.

[@edwin5419]

Read Cal Newport's World Without Email

[@dinesee1984]

Sooo my coworkers started to ask me if I code during the nights because I am able to produce features 3-5 times faster compared to them. I know that we have deadline that we won’t able to make (other devs don’t care that much because they know its unrealistic). But I try as hard as I can everyday. Worst part is, I feel bad for not able to make it on time and I feel like I need to code overtime and on weekends. Even tho I do way more than other devs, I still feel overwhelmed… And ofcourse, this constant preasure to learn something new…it drives me nuts!!! For real, where is break time in Scrum? Its never ending story

[@HealthyDev]

I've felt that. Remember, you aren't profiting from the success of the company (unless you have SIGNIFICANT shares of the company) - you're paid a salary. You agreed to a job, which is typically 40 hours (give or take) a week. If the company needs more people or they won't hit their deadline, that is THEIR problem. It's not your job to rescue them. You're still doing a great job even if you can't do that - probably nobody can!

[@dinesee1984]

@@HealthyDev Thanks, I totally agree with you. It feels like its only way right now to get better at being developer, so I can jump ship and get bigger salary (more skill = more possibilities for higher salary). Or I can try to build some SaaS product and learn new tech while coding it. But that not assures anything (I actually tried it once but couldn’t finish due to impossible scope I created for myself).

[@shrinivasmutalik7067]

Same feeling here,i was just stressed out to learn new technologies and to be always on your feet.I shifted to QA and more happier now.Cheets🎉

[@Armenrican]

I just closed my FB account!

[@kernelpanic5672]

You are a happy developer if you don't have eyestrain

[@HealthyDev]

I just started wearing glasses (for phone and computer only) this year at 47 years old. If you haven't had your eyes checked it's well worth it. Life changing for headaches and strain!

[@plaidchuck]

Can’t get overwhelmed if you cant even get a job

[@ErikAndersonFrost]

I'm an atheist, and I truly appreciate the humility you approach discussing your faith with. I always feel like it's applicable and in good faith, no matter how our beliefs intersect. You're doing good, important work here: thank you.

[@PaulSebastianM]

You should become a tech psychologist. Or rename your channel.

[@vnm_8945]

What job? It's ok, I won't get a job ever if thins remains the same, and they will, they will be even worse in the future.

[@user-es9qo9hx2r]

Just say no to Java/Spring. Life will get better.

[@EsBee49]

Jesus is Amazing❤

[@lowwastehighmelanin]

This isn't specific to tech. This is a western work culture problem.

[@SM-ok3sz]

If you mean being overworked, sure, I could see that. However, burnout is more than simply being overworked.

[@adicide9070]

dude where are you from? cannot pinpoint the accent. the a from e... like disconnaected. spill!

[@jonasbaine3538]

Sounds kinda like Midwest.

[@HealthyDev]

I was born and lived in Michigan for 11 years, Wisconsin for 20, and have been in Austin since (about 15).

[@Flakemonkey]

I have a feeling your channel will end up as an echo chamber of your outlook instead of staying objective. Gl .

[@HealthyDev]

That's certainly possible, I'm human. I can't really respond to generalizations though. Are there some specific points in the episode where you feel there's an opposing view I'm not addressing?

[@jeromenelson4093]

Thanks to you and I guess the KZbin algorithm to suggesting this