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Comment by Akcium | Hacker News Reader

It's a really important question.

On the one hand, most people say that you shouldn't push yourself hard. You should take a rest. Take your time.

Pushing hard may lead to burnout/big stress/depression/anxiety/whatever.

On the other hand:

1. I see that well-known people who work hard has some results. Literally, a minute ago I saw a tweet from a guy is very well known, and dedicated his life for one thing. And he's working really hard.

2. For me, it depends. If I don't push myself, if I'm not being strict with myself, if I'm not angry I usually don't get any result. However, after continuous hard-work I eventually got burned out.

So it's really hard to keep balance

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> Literally, a minute ago I saw a tweet from a guy is very well known, and dedicated his life for one thing. And he's working really hard.

He is tweeting. That means his goal is to portray a certain image. Given your impression, that is part of his intended image and he almost certainly does not work as hard as his social media makes out.

(And, if he is that well-known, he might employ people to take care of his social media)

I would say avoid blanket advice like "don't push yourself hard you'll burn out". Burnout is a real thing but it's ridiculously overblown. I get burned out often but it usually only lasts a few days. Successful people mitigate this by taking vacation days, not by deciding to coast through the year.

Some people are healthier, happier and thrive through the feeling of productivity - whether it be work, a hobby, or a side project. I'd say depression is more common with people who don't have anything to do.

Well yes, probably you're right.

I mean, I truly believe that each person is unique.

For some persons it's okay to live a measured, calm life

But for others it might be okay pushing. E.g., in the evenings some people go home & drink bear & relax. Others lift weights and "suffer". Some work 24x7 while being happy.

"Burnout is a real thing but it's ridiculously overblown" - I like that :) Let's keep pushing than!

Having known someone who committed suicide as his startup failed, I would suggest avoiding blanket claims about burnout.

Sorry about your friend, I knew someone who went through something similar and it's awful. To rephrase, mental illnesses are very real and horrible. Seek the right resources when you encounter such issues.

I just want people to avoid reading articles on burnout from the internet and thinking it immediately applies to you. Trivializing and attributing burnout with hard, driven work is equally harmful, in my opinion, because burnout is just as much a larger combination of other factors. Worse, one could easily overlook actual mental issues present in their lives because the internet tells you its burnout.

> I would say avoid blanket advice like "don't push yourself hard you'll burn out". Burnout is a real thing but it's ridiculously overblown. I get burned out often but it usually only lasts a few days. Successful people mitigate this by taking vacation days, not by deciding to coast through the year.

You probably get frustrated. You're not getting burned out.

If your point is that some people confuse frustration with burn-out, I can't really argue with that.

But from someone who has experienced burn-out, it's definitely not something to take lightly. Real burn out kills your curiosity, your capacity to concentrate, to enjoy things. It's close to depression. And like any disease, once it has you in its fangs, it realise how much you miss the life you took for granted before. I know people that have had to abandon a network and a carreer, and that have not recovered three years on.

> I get burned out often but it usually only lasts a few days.

It sounds like what you're describing here is simple fatigue and not burnout. Burnout is psychologically different from fatigue in important ways, just like depression is different from feeling sad and PTSD is different from feeling worried.

> Some people are healthier, happier and thrive through the feeling of productivity - whether it be work, a hobby, or a side project. I'd say depression is more common with people who don't have anything to do.

Yup. People thrive when they feel they are using their strengths towards meaningful ends.

>Burnout is a real thing but it's ridiculously overblown

Right, people reporting the way they feel is a total lie

Speaking as a dev who spent 2018-2019 30% out-of-state for travel - you're wrong

> Burnout is a real thing but it's ridiculously overblown.

True burnout probably isn't as common as the internet makes it out to be. But, actual burnout is a real thing and can be completely debilitating.

It's a lot like over training when exercising. It's serious when it happens, but it isn't that common among the workout for 30-60 minutes/day type people.

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