Re:Ask HN: How do you decide when you've done enough work fo...
by dnautics on Sunday September 30, 2018 @01:13AM
(#18104578)
I'm not convinced burnout comes from merely working hard, it comes from when you work hard and expectation of reward is missed.
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Re:Ask HN: How do you decide when you've done enough work fo...
by papacuppa on Sunday September 30, 2018 @04:11AM
(#18105147)
Agreed. It seems to me that burnout from work would only be qualified if burnout from play was a thing - because work to the fortunate among us, is play. Managing expectation is key, or more palpably perhaps - anticipation. The scientist, Robert Sapolsky, has done some interesting work on how dopamine affects behaviour. He shows that we get far more pleasure/dopamine from anticipation [future] rather than reward [present], where dopamine dries up. Our endurance is largely about our perception of the future. Good video here if anyone is interested: https://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2...
Re:Ask HN: How do you decide when you've done enough work fo...
by Insanity on Sunday September 30, 2018 @08:40AM
(#18105918)
In my case, it was due to crunch time shortly before release, and then after the project was released falling into a void of not knowing how to fill my time.
Which caused stress and eventually a burnout that I am only just slowly getting out of, after about 5 months.
I suppose it is different for each person though.
Re:Ask HN: How do you decide when you've done enough work fo...
by goatherders on Sunday September 30, 2018 @10:51AM
(#18106388)
Spot on. When I was younger I could do 15 hour days without looking at the clock when orders were coming in and shipments were going out. Reward is a big motivator for time invested.