John Wiswell on [Programmer] Burnout

"At the same time, this is not an addiction. I cringe when writers compare their craft to addiction. A heroin addict shuffles out onto the street to satisfy dependency, perhaps with a glimmer of future pleasure, but he does not feel the obligation I do. "

Actually, you're both feeling compulsion, not obligation. You don't owe anyone else anything. It's all for yourself, just like the drug addict.

Lately, I've also started to jot down my ideas so I don't lose them. I also feel a bit of compulsion to get some 'work' done, instead of relaxing.

The difference is that I realized that I -need- downtime to function effectively. I don't feel guilty about playing video games because I know that if I just worked all the time, I'd burn out.

I'd love to have the time to do everything in my head. But since I can't have it, I just keep doing what I can, when I can, and don't feel like I'm going wrong when I relax.