The emotional aspect of burnout

Ky Decker has written a really interesting post about quitting his tech job. Yes, the proximal cause is AI, but once you get past that, there some interesting points on productive friction, values, and burnout.

No matter how rapidly technology changes, I am coalescing around some core beliefs:

1. Things that are worth doing are worth doing well.
2. Things that are done well require time and effort.
3. You make meaning through the doing.
4. Ideas are common; effort is not.
5. There are no shortcuts.

I am, as it stands, without a job. Recovering from burnout will take time. Thankfully, I have savings that afford me the privilege to take that time. I’m distancing myself from social media and news, at least for a little while. At some point, I will need to decide if I want to remain in this industry, and if so, where to go next.

Decker also cites a post by Mandy Brown quoting Hannah Proctor's book Burnout:

Burnout in Freudenberger’s articles from this period is not just defined in terms of physical tiredness as a result of doing too many things; rather, it emerges from emotional investment in a cause and from the disappointments that arise when flaws in a political project become apparent. Freudenberger’s concept not only describes physical exhaustion but also acknowledges the need to deal with anger caused by grief brought about by the “loss of an ideal.” Burnout in the context of social justice projects thus often involves a process of mourning, according to Freudenberger. Returning to his earlier writings on burnout makes it clear that when understood as a malaise arising from politically committed activities, burnout cannot be equated with tiredness or stress.

It's a good reminder that, while burnout can feel physical and/or mental, there's also an emotional, almost spiritual, element to it as well.

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Source: ky.fyi
Are.na block: ↗
Collection: ai-work-pmn7clo9bho