68. How Do I Avoid Burnout? How Do I Deal With Burnout?

[@neolegionar]

I have worked in London as a .NET dev until 2017 when burnout struck. Not recovered, not working since then. Seen a lot of therapists and psychiatrists. A bit better lately but worried about my future since I am outdated with technologies and have 33 yo. LE. I did not have any problems with work environment or anything, it was just me affected by a depression since highschool.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Yep, that can definitely drag you down even when you are doing well. You can definitely get back into it. There are people twice your age that have gotten into development. Just keep moving forward. I'm rooting for you.

[@WellingtonCamargoPontoNet]

Another video in absolutely great timing (for me). I'm from Brazil and are doing A LOT of remote interviews for companies from Europe and North America for 4 weeks straight, doing A LOT of coding tests and .NET Assessment, besides I'm working 8 hours a day as Software Developer, so I'm very mentally tired, your tips certainly will help me. Thanks!

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@tonybapuji5956]

This is a wonderful video Tim, thank you for your encouragement and suggestions - you did a great job of covering a deep and wide issue in such a short time 👍🏼🙏🏼

[@IAmTimCorey]

Thank you!

[@paulhedlund1886]

Probably the best video you have ever done. Newbie's might have trouble understanding the importance of this. But, those of us whom have been doing this for awhile will get it.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Thanks!

[@mattkins99]

100% agree. Audible is fantastic, I had a wood shop at my last house too. During the pandemic I bought a pontoon boat but built everything but the frame myself. This year I’ve decided to learn to fish. Racing drones are fun too and still give you another perspective on tech (if you don’t have an EE background)

[@IAmTimCorey]

Thanks for sharing!

[@erikvolger5631]

I was in burnout situation in 2012. Because we were very busy I decided not to deal with it and take sick leave. That was a mistake. After I was laid off (felt like a stab in the back, they didn't give me time to recover, just hired a new worker...) I tried to recover and after a year when I was ready to find a job again it was almost impossible. Companies thought I was tainted and lacked experience (I have 17 years of it). It took me 7 years to get back in and that was a very stressful time, MORE stressful than the actual burnout. So when burnout is near do not ignore it! Look at your weekly schedule and debug it. Get rid of bad habits and get more out of your time. This video has a lot of useful tips, the best is: don't overreach yourself, take time off whenever you can, and do things that are not work related. Thanks Tim for this very useful topic.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Thanks for sharing.

[@74mgm]

This is an outstanding video. Lets not forget burnout is a common trigger for a nervous breakdown and so is a very serious mental health issue. Absolutely agree about the tank analogy. Let it fill up and your in trouble. The absolute #1 best advice I ever had to reduce stress was to put yourself first, take charge and learn to say "No!". Turn off notifications that you don't need. Reduce the number of times a day you check email. Tell people to call you if there is an emergency. Don't work outside contracted hours unless you choose to. I read space opera SF books for my 30 minute train commute and actually though it was a bit tragic that many people that sat there on their laptops pretending to work, obviously feeling that they couldn't switch off even for a short train ride. It's easy to go on for years thinking you can take it, but we are all human our tank can only take so much. Address it well before its getting too full. The good news is it's completely possible once you start standing up for yourself!

[@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597]

Well said. Thanks for voicing that

[@PankajNikam]

This is the question I was planning to ask. It seems there are others too who face with a burnout. Thanks for covering this Tim :)

[@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597]

Thanks for looking to Tim for advice on the hard topics.

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@williamFrSFO16]

Hi Tim! Thanks for the great suggestions! In my situation as a Rideshare driver, it’s been a rough year. The downtime due to SARS2 was a horrible stresser, since I couldn’t drive anyone and even if I did, I could get the crap and being over 65, most likely end up hospitalized. I was actually getting burned out, sitting at home! So, I got your All Access Pass, which helped immensely to relieve some stress, and it really did! Now, driving again and vaccinated, I can drive on weekdays and still take time, during off hours the do my lessons and homework. Exercise . . . well, that was a problem, until I got a puppy. Walking and training him has help me lose about 20lbs! Anyway, I just want to say thanks, for that All Access Pass!❤️ It helped a lot!

[@IAmTimCorey]

Awesome! I am so glad it was helpful.

[@IB1irina]

Very useful! There are plenty of videos on burnout, but this one actually gives very concrete steps for getting out or avoiding burnouts. Thank you, Tim

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@zottisandre]

I saw myself on some of situations that you mentioned. Thank you for this suggestions Tim.

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@andyrew9138]

Great material as always, thank you for your insight

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@ultroai]

Great video! Timing is perfect. Immensely useful. The idea is to manage your state as a person and a working unit too.

[@IAmTimCorey]

I am glad my content has been helpful.

[@yusukeurameshi9604]

Thanks Tim! I took vacation days and yip you're right I still feel stressed out. This is a team leader

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@RetroGamePlayGt]

Great content, thank You for sharing

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@Eduard177]

Great video Tim! You hit the nail on the head. I've been burned out for some time now, it is really hard to get out. Prevention is a lot better than cure. Also the oil tank was a very good methaphore. Keep up the great work, i'm sure it is helping a lot of people (including me).

[@IAmTimCorey]

I am glad my content has been helpful. I am rooting for you.

[@K6TJO]

Great advice. I can relate to much of what you discuss! i.e. self consulting. For me, I got out of doing dev work a long time ago and now I manage IT infrastructure and support.

[@IAmTimCorey]

I am glad you found it valuable.

[@isachells9859]

Thanks for sharing Tim

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@simplyforgetful]

Really enjoyed this one, especially in our fast paced industry. I've definitely gotten better at budgeting my time between career and life. Exercise and hobbies definitely help. Make sure to AVOID companies that habitually crunch!

[@IAmTimCorey]

Thanks for sharing.

[@darcu8205]

Thanks, I loved it. I also love the programming ones but this is special and you transferred some real emotions.

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are most welcome. Thanks for watching.

[@DanUmstattd]

Your story about woodworking with hand tools is the same story as mine. I have a full workshop in the garage that I go to in order to build something and be away from a screen. I used to love to just do a fun coding project or something not important for my job. But still coding and at the screen. Then went to gaming. But honestly being away from computers entirely really helps!!!

[@IAmTimCorey]

Thanks for sharing.

[@davidvaldez6498]

Excellent, good video... Thank you for this.

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@diegobalcazar9592]

Thanks Man, I need this

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@maxthecat4632]

WFH has been the best way of avoiding burnout ever. I log in at 9am and I log out at 5pm. I watch what other devs in the team deliver over a sprint and make sure I only deliver about 10% more than they do I also make sure I'm the go to guy for fixing hard problems because I can. This usually doesn't take me more than 3 to 4 days in a 10 day sprint. As a result because I'm not having to pretend to look busy in an office I have a lot of time to do things that I want to do.

[@IAmTimCorey]

I am glad it is working well for you.

[@SolomonTheStoryTeller]

Similarly, I finish my work in 2-3 days for the week. Commit the code in iterations. Do a little more than my peers. Only do a PR later before work is due. I spend the rest of my time relaxing, reading technical articles, and learning new things. Is it unethical, I was asked before ? Well is it unethical if I were to do double what my peers do and get paid about the same salary as those who do half my load? Well, I do work remote, so I have no need to make myself look busy.

[@maxthecat4632]

@@SolomonTheStoryTeller As far as I've been able to see over the last 25 years of my career the reward for being more productive than others is more work than others and a tiny little bonus if the business you work for hasn't had yet another "a hard year" and reported billions in profits. Therefore it makes literally no sense if you have a functioning brain to kill yourself for the company you work for after all if you are doing more than the other developers they won't be complaining that you aren't doing enough. You do make a valuable point about drip feeding PR's before deadlines and not messing up and submitting them early.

[@lilcaesarman]

I totally agree with doing stuff not computer related. I've been a programmer for 15 years and definitely helps. I work from home and have a pull up bar on the door and do about 25 a day. I also do the hang and pull legs up for basically sit ups too

[@TedwardUltimate]

Nice, i believe you are referring to "Knee raises" or "Leg Raises". If you add some pushups to it all you will have yourself a very nice routine

[@IAmTimCorey]

That sounds like a good plan. Well done.

[@Metaln00b]

Thank you, sir.

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@dobeyrivers]

Great video! WFH is great but, if you're missing that connection to others it can definitely cause burnout.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Thanks!

[@expertmax32]

My employer is very open to this topic and will help us as much as they can!

[@IAmTimCorey]

Excellent!

[@jos3roth475]

Too many regular meetings and delivery demands do it to me.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Those can be draining.

[@michelchaghoury870]

Gr8 video, Can you make a C# vs java .NET vs spring boot I believe .net is getting better and better and over the years nothing new in the java ecosystem and I do not know why there is that allergy to C# and hate on .net

[@jamzbraz]

There's hate for all frameworks and languages you can imagine, in my bubble people hate on Java. Don't let it dictate your learning decisions. Both C# and Java are great tools. Why people hate on tools? Don't matter, what matter is, being able to perform with whatever tool is needed for the job. The hate between C# and Java crowds is particularly stupid, cuz it's basically the same language. They both have their roots in James Gosling's Oak programming language, from 1989. xD

[@IAmTimCorey]

I probably won't do a comparison simply because that would be unfair to both sides. Both have strengths and weaknesses, but you probably aren't going to pick one over the other for an individual project. Rather, you pick one language and use it for everything. That will come down to preference.

[@michelchaghoury870]

@@IAmTimCorey ok get it, tnx a lot for your help.

[@Patriqu]

@ghost mall Lookup for DDD, Lombok and records in recent Java. :)

[@codewithanoop2239]

Your videos are amazing 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍. Love you. 👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@IAmTimCorey]

Thank you!

[@georgevlassis8319]

I have a question. How well should a .NET developer know HTML and CSS or be occupied by these things? Things like grids, flexboxes, Bootstrap and JavaScript. I am a .NET developer and my task now is to create a web site and I have chosen Blazor to do so. Now I am in the world of responsive web design break-points and lots and lots of css and I am wondering if it is worth it and if it will benefit me. I am certainly learning new things but it's not C# things. Is it even my job to do this or should a designer do it instead?

[@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597]

Normally we don't push Tim's paid courses too hard here on YT, but Time has a Foundation in Wed course that would do you a lot of good. Knowing C# before learning web has huge benefits in building fully robust web based applications. iamtimcorey.com/p/foundation-web-development

[@IAmTimCorey]

C# web developers should know HTML, CSS, and vanilla JavaScript at least. Even if you have a designer, knowing these items will help you effectively integrate your C# code into the web.

[@ruleram1]

1. Don't drink coffee on your days off to reset your brain chemistry. 2. Exercise (endorphines), stay fit, eat. 3. Cold showers (another source of endorphines), hard to think about work when you're thinking "holy shit this so fucking cold". 4. Alcohol complicates everything, pick a different substance. 5. Go outside, spend time in nature. 6. Clean the house, clean your environment. 7. Stay single

[@IAmTimCorey]

Thanks for sharing.

[@turn1210]

Good list, thank you!

[@obiologo]

I understand what you are saying, but I think this issue goes far beyond our personal attitude to avoid burnout. Perhaps these situations are much more linked to the attitude of companies and employers towards their employees. I believe that the demand for productivity and profit is something that if not controlled can be the cause of this type of situation. Human beings are not machines, and I believe that the collective well-being of a group of employees must come first. And I think it's now clear that happy employees produce more than burned out employees... I am 35 years old and I just made a career transition. I left my academic career as a post doctoral employee in the field of Biology/Genetics to work with Information Technology and programming in a multinational company. I'm afraid of what it will be like for me from now on. Because despite the academy being able to take us to Burnout, this always happened close to the moments of delivering reports or conclusion papers. The demand within companies seems to be more constant. I'm a little anxious because of it but I'm really happy about the career transition.

[@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597]

Its a hard transition to go from academia to the business world. Good luck and, at the risk of sounding pessimistic, don't assume/believe the company has your best interest in mind.

[@Brofbrofs]

Good tips

[@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597]

Thanks for watching

[@PerryCodes]

OT: but a true story... I had an Isuzu station wagon that had a crack in the engine that I didn't know about. Being a 23-year-old stoner programmer I had about 2 things I paid attention to... One of them wasn't cars! I had just gotten out of the Air Force and headed to NYC for a job - couldn't afford anything except a damn lemon I paid $1k cash for. Anyways... I drive from Norwalk to Hartford, CT (70 miles) to visit my Uncle and the engine was knocking loudly the entire way there. I get to his house - he heard me pulling into the driveway - comes out and goes straight to testing my oil... BONE DRY!! That must have been one helluv'an engine!!

[@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597]

Glad you survived.

[@faicalammisaid3705]

Hey tim I love your content well I have some problem here I want to be full stack developer so I wanted c# to be my backend tool and angular front-end tool and I do some flutter sometimes because of dart is oriented object language so it is at least close to c# but I feel like I forget angular and c# when I work in flutter so how I handle this is really don't want to stick to one thing I hope you get my question

[@IAmTimCorey]

The more you switch languages, the harder it will be to retain depth in any language. Your skills degrade if you don't use them. You are reducing the amount of time you spend on any language when you attempt to do multiple languages. You will be better served to go deeply into one language and then learn another language or two to a moderate depth. Just keep coming back to your main language.

[@faicalammisaid3705]

@@IAmTimCorey thanks sir 🙏

[@kyle2591]

You've covered this topic already 😄

[@IAmTimCorey]

True, but I had more to say. :-)

[@osamamobeen7593]

How long does it take to come back to coding. Hours or days?

[@IAmTimCorey]

That's not a question with a single answer. It all depends on a LOT of factors. I do know that having a good path laid out for you that walks you through the things you should know step by step will greatly shorten the amount of time it takes to get back to coding.

[@osamamobeen7593]

@@IAmTimCorey Thank you! You are great. Your videos really helpful.

[@ix4564]

I wonder what triggers a burnout, according to developers? 🔥 Can anyone share their burnout experience? For example, "I worked 3 years in a row, non-stop, in two shifts, on multiple highly difficult and very different projects simultaneously while also struggling with covid. I think I'm starting to feel some burnout".. ?

[@turn1210]

Being exposed to constant scope changes and poor senior management decision making led me to my only bout of burnout.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Working without impact can be a big one.

[@74mgm]

One way or another I think stress turns toxic when you perceive that you don't have the ability to make changes to reduce it.

[@mysolcsbi]

with respect sir I have a really problem here. I am using 4 winForms for 4 crystal Reports. I want to use one Form Containing Report viewer for multiple crystal Reports. Please treat me with your kind behavior. Thanks from pakistan.

[@IAmTimCorey]

I'm sorry, that isn't something I can help you with in a KZbin comment. There is too much to it. Just work the problem one step at a time.

[@mysolcsbi]

@@IAmTimCorey Thank you so much sir.. your few words help me a lot..

[@DegeaVR]

Hi Tim, thank you so much for everything you do. But I have a BIG request from you, I am developer in a bank for a month, former qa. And my first task is to make SOAP WebService with SQL Oracle connection, AD connection. Please, please from the bottom of my heart, I need an example of a webservice with exceptions. Thank you very much.

[@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597]

I just want to warn you, Tim's list of 'next on the list' projects is already very long and I don't see a way for him to get to this before end of year if ever.

It's funny, i know a lot a software developper that are woodworkers too, i'm one

[@IAmTimCorey]

Great!

[@jhbonarius]

I typed a large response to this video. But KZbin has deleted it. Yt = stress inducing

[@IAmTimCorey]

YT will remove posts with links. Unfortunately, this can mistakenly include ASP.NET. I always copy long posts before posting them, just in case the post doesn't work (network connection issues can cause this too).

[@jhbonarius]

@@IAmTimCorey I think it has to do with using formatting tricks, like putting words between underscores for emphasizing them, but I don't know. I wrote a new comment and it was also deleted. I tried again without the underscores. edit: nope, deleted again. I'll try in parts edit2: yep, that seemed to have worked.

[@valimy]

When you do not know how to solve a code/project problem and you are depending and have to ask many people to help you, each of them know a small part and you have to gather the pieces there is no fun.. you have to dig dipper in code, test various scenarios and end up allocation more time, people is unhappy because you can not deliver. And on top of that people give you the code acceptance after very long time and have to switch branches and recompile every time multiple projects.. is no fun. .. How to solve this don't know.. Also at home have to take care of parents land and is wayyy to much weeds to get rid of, things to repair.. Some times I hate I know this much... When I have to work outside for my home.. no time at all.. I need a copy of me. Pleease I need to clone myself. However music helps.. loud as my ears can handle :)) .. so in my case.. engine has oil leaks.. :))

[@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597]

Set priorities and realize you can't do it all by yourself. Focus on what is most important.

[@valimy]

@@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597 Problem arise when people have expectations from you and want you to solve their issues because you can. My priorities are different, but can not say No to close people. asking for help and ending up doing a lot more then have to.. Sorry for keep writing here.. (you started the burnout subject) I'm just a person that is keep asked for help and my work must have higher priority. So yes priority is the solution and probably.. "damage control" to minimalize what I can't to. Thank You for everything. Keep safe.

[@jhbonarius]

I'll just try again: see replies for a thread.

[@jhbonarius]

1/4: I'm still recovering from a double burnout. Yes that's a thing. 3 years ago I burned out because of stress at work (/PhD) and a baby (responsibilities and sleep deprivation) at home. Couldn't focus, started to forget simple stuff and had a very short fuse. However at home, with an infant around and relationship issues, the stress didn't go away. So little over one year later I got a mental breakdown. A burn-out while in a burn-out. That was the worst. I got anxiety issues, I stopped sleeping (after 10 days I got strong pills from a psychiatrist, which helped, but those 10 days were hell) and really couldn't do anything anymore: all concentration and comprehension was gone. My parents (while in their 70s) started picking me up, so I could lay on their couch and they would care for me. 6 months later my wife decided to "move on" with her life and left with the kid. Also lost the job and the house.

[@jhbonarius]

2/4: In the mean time I've made great steps, but still have problems concentrating. I can take care of my 4yo for about 4 hours in a row, twice a week, and have to rest afterwards. I can only work 24 hours a week. That's a big problem, as most tech companies don't want you if you can't work 40h (or more) a week. It was hard to find a job, and when I finally got one, the salary wasn't great. I just get by.

[@jhbonarius]

3/4: So, to everybody: don't let it come this far. Prevention is so much more easier than recovery. Listen to Tim. Learn to listen to your body: when your back's sore from sitting a long time? Take a break. Setbacks? Take a break, talk to someone, etc. Starting to feel light headed of losing focus? It's really(!) time to change!

[@jhbonarius]

4/4: Don't think bosses don't care if you burnout. Usually (especially in software) it costs time and money to replace you. And if you're in a company where the boss doesn't see that, you should probably be looking for a nicer job anyways.

[@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597]

Thanks for sharing and I am glad you are recovering. I have seem some folks that have had some drastic impacts from burnout.