burnout reframed

when we talk about burnout, i feel like it is always in the context of overexerting yourself to the point of exhaustion. here is a more formal definition i found:

burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged or excessive stress, often related to work or other demanding situations.

i used to think that this definition was accurate and that the time spent working was directly proportional to the impending burnout if no breaks were taken. one of my biggest burnouts was when i was graduating into the tech market in 2024 while layoffs were still happening. i had probably applied to 1,000+ firms, spent too many hours on leetcode, and still had such little success; it was a pretty demoralizing time.

it was only recently that i realized this is the wrong definition. i know my capacity to work long hours over a long period of time is quite substantial, yet there were some endeavours that spanned only a couple months in which i would still burn out.

so i thought to myself: this "burnout" feeling is definitely not attributed to stress or demanding work.

i think it's quite simple: burnout occurs when you are dedicating your time to things that you don't enjoy, don't value, or actively dislike.

i think the implications of this are quite important, especially for someone beginning to navigate life aimlessly without the comfortable guardrails of the educational system or home to keep you on track. it is another way of saying this: to avoid burnout, it's not so much about occasionally taking a vacation to take a step away from the busyness of work, but instead about choosing things truly worthwhile to dedicate your time to.