Understanding and Recovering from Burnout

This is the first in a series of articles about building systems for sustainable productivity and preventing burnout.

In 2021, I hit a brick wall of burnout. My journey through recovery led me to develop a progress system I’m going to share in this series. I’ve been hesitant to write about burnout recovery because I feel some impostor syndrome - my recovery coincided with parental leave, which gave me several months away from my day job. Even though taking care of a newborn is an entirely different level of stress and exhaustion, it was still a much-needed break. You’ll go through literally anything for your child; the same can’t be said of work (or at least it shouldn’t be).

According to the World Health Organization, burnout is now officially recognized as an “occupational phenomenon” resulting from chronic workplace stress that hasn’t been successfully managed. While often discussed casually, burnout has specific medical characteristics that distinguish it from general stress or fatigue.

My experience closely mirrors what research has revealed about both the progression of burnout and the path to recovery, so I thought I’d share my journey in case it helps someone.

What burnout really means

The Mayo Clinic has identified three distinct hallmarks of burnout that perfectly described my experience:

• Lack of energy or exhaustion
• Feelings of negativism or cynicism
• Poor performance and reduced sense of accomplishment

If you study burnout research, you’ll quickly encounter Christina Maslach, whose groundbreaking work has shaped our understanding of occupational burnout. Fun fact from her Wikipedia page: Her critique of the Stanford prison experiment persuaded investigator Philip Zimbardo to stop the experiment after only six days. Not only did this experience influence Maslach’s later career and her interest in occupational burnout, but Maslach and Zimbardo also got married in 1972, a year after the study!

Through extensive research published in “Areas of Worklife: A Structured Approach to Organizational Predictors of Job Burnout”, Maslach identified six key areas that contribute to burnout:

1. Workload: Research from SAMHSA shows that consistently heavy workloads lead to exhaustion, even when you love the work. In my case, it was too much of everything — travel, content creation, mental energy.

2. Control: Studies in the Journal of Psychology reveal a fascinating paradox here, especially relevant in roles like developer relations. While lack of autonomy can cause burnout, too much autonomy without clear direction can be equally damaging. I experienced this directly, having tons of freedom but struggling to find boundaries.

3. Reward: Medical News Today emphasizes that rewards aren’t just financial — they include recognition and sense of achievement. You need proper compensation, but also social recognition and intrinsic satisfaction.

4. Community: Research from Scripps Health shows that strong workplace relationships protect against burnout. In DevRel, this is tricky — you might have great community connections but still feel like you’re flying solo.

5. Fairness: Research published in PMC demonstrates that perceived unfairness at work accelerates burnout. This includes everything from promotion decisions to work distribution.

6. Values: Studies from the University of Utah Health indicate that misalignment between personal values and job requirements creates chronic stress. This is usually least problematic in DevRel unless you’re working for a company or product you don’t believe in.

My burnout story

In 2020, I developed my tiny experiments approach to finishing projects. This supercharged my productivity, but there were no checks and balances — no larger system to prevent overwork and ensure I wasn’t neglecting other important aspects of my life.

This wasn’t a huge problem when I was an individual contributor and developer advocate. Back then, my work had clear boundaries; I could hit the publish button or push a commit and feel good about ending my day. But when I became a manager and then suddenly a director in 2021, everything changed. The work became endless and finding edges to my day grew increasingly difficult.

Even though I tried limiting computer time to 40 hours weekly, I was easily spending an additional 10-15 hours of mental energy on work. I found myself thinking or journaling about it early mornings, evenings, and weekends. Work seeped into every crack of my consciousness. According to recent statistics from Flair HR, this pattern of overwork and inability to disconnect is increasingly common, with 77% of professionals experiencing burnout at their current job.

It was sneaky though — this job wasn’t toxic. The work I was doing was genuinely meaningful and I knew it would benefit both myself and my team long-term. I told myself the short-term sacrifices would be worth it.

The physical side of burnout

Research published in PMC has documented how chronic stress affects our bodies through what’s called “allostatic load” - the wear and tear that happens when our stress response system stays activated too long. Studies show this can suppress our immune system and increase risk for various health conditions, from cardiovascular problems to type 2 diabetes. I started experiencing severe anxiety and chronic hand and wrist pain.

A therapist taught me about this overuse of the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for fight-or-flight that dumps adrenaline into your blood and wreaks havoc on your body when it’s happening chronically instead of when it’s supposed to (in short bursts to manage crises).

WebMD research confirms that one of the most effective interventions is triggering the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls relaxation. The simplest version of this is when your exhale is longer than your inhale — breathing exercises where you inhale for 4 counts, hold for 7, and exhale for 8 can help activate this system.

Understanding the stages of burnout

According to INTEGRIS Health, burnout typically progresses through distinct stages:

1. Honeymoon Phase: Similar to starting a new job, this phase is marked by high energy and optimism. While you’re highly productive and committed, early warning signs of future stress begin to appear.

2. Onset of Stress: Work pressures and stress begin affecting your physical and mental well-being. You might notice anxiety, decreased productivity, sleep issues, irritability, and fatigue.

3. Chronic Stress: This stage shows a marked change in your behavior and performance. Symptoms intensify to include chronic exhaustion, physical illness, anger, increased procrastination, and social withdrawal.

4. Burnout: At this critical stage, symptoms become severe enough to require intervention. You might experience intense self-doubt, social isolation, escapist thinking, and both physical and behavioral changes.

5. Habitual Burnout: In this final stage, burnout symptoms become so embedded in your life that they’re more likely to be mistaken for your personality. You experience chronic mental and physical fatigue, depression, and detachment.

Understanding these stages is crucial because burnout doesn’t happen overnight — it’s a gradual process that often goes unrecognized until the later stages. Early recognition of these stages can help you take preventive action before reaching critical burnout.

The six steps of recovery

So how do you recover from burnout? A widely-cited article in Work & Stress identifies six sequential steps to burnout recovery:

1. Admit you’re burned out: Research shows that acknowledging the problem activates the behavioral change process. You can’t get better if you don’t acknowledge that your current situation needs to change.

2. Create distance from stressors: Cleveland Clinic emphasizes that recovery requires both physical and mental distance from stressors. Get at least 4 days off, multiple times per year. Totally disconnect — no Slack, no email.

3. Focus on health: Studies show burnout depletes physical resources that need replenishment. This might mean extra sleep, better food, or whatever helps you feel like yourself again.

4. Reevaluate goals and values: Research from PMC indicates this cognitive restructuring phase is essential for preventing future burnout.

5. Explore alternatives: Studies show sustainable recovery requires identifying concrete changes. They don’t have to be huge — even small adjustments can significantly impact daily life.

6. Make changes: Research confirms that actual behavioral change is crucial for recovery. Once you’ve figured out what you need, you have to actually do it.

Remember, recovery from burnout takes time and patience. The research indicates that consistent small steps are more effective than sporadic major changes. The key is finding sustainable practices that work for your specific situation and being kind to yourself along the way.

Building a better system

By the end of 2021, I had to accept that I could no longer sacrifice my mental and physical health for my career. I became obsessed with one question that research suggests is crucial for preventing burnout: How do I make predictable, repeatable progress while maintaining balance in my life?

Through research, experience, and managing people and organizations, I’ve learned that preventing burnout requires regularly engaging in what Cal Newport calls “deep work” — activities that create new value and improve skills while in a focused state. The catch is that I need to be able to do this in an unpredictable and variable schedule, whether that’s because of a work crisis that comes up, travel, varying energy levels, or a new baby.

This led me to develop a comprehensive progress system built around four key rituals that align with research-backed burnout prevention strategies:

Daily shutdown ritual: Creates clear boundaries and helps transition from work to personal time

Weekly review and planning: Maintains balance across all life areas and prevents any single area from consuming all energy

Monthly and quarterly reviews: Provides strategic checkpoints to ensure you’re moving in the right direction while staying true to your values

The system works because it systematizes progress so it becomes predictable and repeatable, no matter how much time or energy you have available.

What’s ahead in this series

Over the next several articles, I’m going to share my progress system and the philosophy behind it with you. Not with the promise that what works for me is exactly what will work for you, but with the hope that some of my pain and mistakes will help you create your own system that helps you make progress while retaining balance.

We’ll dive deep into each ritual, examining:

• The specific tools and techniques I use
• How to implement them in your own way
• How to adapt them for different situations and needs
• How they work together to prevent burnout

Just like with the progress system we’ll explore in this series, what matters isn’t following these steps perfectly, but building habits that help you maintain awareness and make consistent progress while retaining balance.

In the next article, we’ll look at the overall framework of my progress system and how its components work together to prevent burnout.