Passion and Burnout

As an engineering leader, one of my constant concerns with the engineers on my team is burnout and stress.

Why, when I am such a preacher of this, do I ignore my own advice? I reflect almost daily on the work I completed through the day, what I did well, what I could have done better, and more times than not, I come to the conclusion: I did too much.

That sounds like I’m trying to do less, but it’s the opposite; I want to do more, but have an overwhelming and sometimes overreaching ambition.

I have a thing where I struggle to feel stress. I love the pressure, I love the challenge, I’m a problem solver and engineer at heart; the problems keep me motivated. But there is a fine line I tread and have trod for many years, bordering burning out and a passionate obsession with my work.

Last weekend, I crossed that line and ended up feeling unwell for 2 days that was directly stress-related. Luckily, it landed on the first of my 4-day weekend; unluckily, it was my 30th birthday weekend.

I’ve come back into work today with a different outlook on the day and week ahead: focus on what’s in front, limit reach so that it doesn’t become overreach, and protect myself first and foremost through a dedicated working schedule. Once that working schedule ends, stop and start a new end-of-work routine before spending the evening with family.

I conclude on that: passion and ambition are crucial and necessary to succeed, but you must be able to switch off and rejuvenate frequently. Stay focused on what’s most important, trust your team with delegation, and don’t let your passion turn into an unhealthy work-obsessed addiction.