tk P: Times of slack/stillness/rest to avoid burnout

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Get back to this post and develop the shit out of it November 4th, 2022

In IT we think we can work without end because signs of tiredness aren't as visible as in physical work and take longer to show. How can I get tired if I'm just sitting at my laptop and clicking on the keyboard. It's not like I'm running or lifting heavy things. I'm not sweating, my muscles don't hurt, my heart isn't racing. I'm chill, I'm good.

Nonetheless, mental work does make us tired and if you're not introducing rest into your day, you will sooner or later overwork yourself. And if that will be happening for a prolonged period of time, you may burn out.

I believe that mental work is actually quite similar to physical work. In that in order to perform at the highest level in the long term, you need to introduce times of rest/stillness/slack into your day.

A weight lifter does not lift all the time. They have training sessions and work sets where they push themselves to their limits. But in between them, they rest and recover. This balance of intensity and stillness is what allows them to get best possible results.

At first glance, it might seem that you're wasting time. But, if you take a long term perspective, you're actually investing in your future performance by resting now.

Why? Because success is all about sticking around for the long term. If you burn out, it won't matter what you've done so far and what you wanted to do because you'll be out of the game—you won't be able to work anymore. (more: tk P: Burnout will/can cancel all of the progress you've made so far)

So, if you want to stay in the game, if you want to perform your best, if you want to be productive, if you want to achieve great things, take care of yourself and introduce regular scheduled breaks into your day and life.

How to rest?

By rest I mean full rest

When to rest

Start simple.

10-20 of minutes of rest every 90 min of work.

Every week take one day off when you're not thinking about work

I like to look at it from both the micro and macro perspective.

5 min between pomodoro sessions

20 min between 90 min bouts

Start the day with stillness and end the day with stillness

One day a week without any mental work (I allow for light reading, though.)

2-4 weeks a year.

You can combine times of stillness with connecting with nature/tribe/body

Working like an athlete doesn't only help you prevent burnout but it also has other benefits.

To get results in the IT industry you need to work on the right things and you need to be creative. If you don't have periods to reflect and connect the dots, you won't get either. Further, if you want to survive in this industry—i.e., not get burnout—you need periods of rest. If you're working all of the time, you don't have either. You're like a hamster that runs in its wheel or a dog chasing its tail. You think you're productive when in fact you're only

You learn quicker

You work more effectivelyYou have the opportunity to work on the right things

You work more efficiently. Making fewer errors. Again a sports analogy

You invite serendipity

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