emailcomp

Not sure about the timing of your comment but all advice here is spot on. Not everything will work for me but it is good to know what others are doing to avoid burnout. I definitely appreciate all the responses. This is what makes HN so great to participate in.

Wow, this is so much to think over about. I think you broadened my perspective on burnout and life in general there. I will definitely reflect on what you said IssacL said and read up on ahoyhere's comments on this topic. Thanks to you IssacL and jamesk_au

"I have found that I've fought against what I felt like I SHOULD be doing." I think you hit on the key issue here. Whenever I reflect on my choices I feel this is what I "should " be doing to advance my career in a traditional sense and trying to live life by default. Few years ago I came across this article and this pretty much described myself[1]. I haven't been able to act on the advice given in that article yet. It is time for that now I think.

[1] http://www.raptitude.com/2012/07/most-lives-are-lived-by-def...

I would love to do all of what you proposed. I need to find time to do all of this which is a challenge. The key is to be smart about finding time and I haven't been able to do that which has led me to this.

Thanks for your inputs. I'm leaning towards taking a long break myself. I'm just afraid I have burnt some bridges by doing things like faking my work report and it is stressing me out. About health, I'm reasonably healthy and within my ideal weight/BMI. I feel mentally exhausted right now.

I think the schedule is bit aggressive but I have worked under much more aggressive schedules in my 20s and now I'm in my early 30s and have a young family. Also being a senior I expect a bit more of myself. My professional goals and job role is in line.

Currently I'm working 9hrs + 2 hrs of commute. I find bit resentful towards my job because I'm not having any much time outside of work to do any recreational activities. This is something definitely I need to address.

Thanks for your inputs.

> "white label" system

That's a great idea. It would involve certain efforts and upfront negotiation with clients but certainly doable.

> customer stories and testimonials

great suggestion.

> LinkedIn connections and testimonials

Yes, this I already do and seems very useful.

> anonymized screenshots

> write into a contract or politely request from past clients.

True, thanks for the suggestion.

> Unless you're a front end developer, what the end product looks like is of little consequence.

I'm doing full stack development. I use bootstrap with JavaScript MVC framework and Python or Java for backend. So I guess prospective clients might be interested in seeing what I have built in the past.

> Instead, focus on other ways to show what you've done and - more importantly - what you know.

I'm afraid this is the tricky part because I will have chance to show my experience only after clients have seen my portfolio and contacted me to show their interest to work with me. This makes me envy front-end devs and graphic designers as they can showcase their work in all the glory. You idea about discussing this possibility of hosting a white paper or case study of the app is a great suggestion, thanks.

> Are screenshots really that useful or interesting? I'm not being snarky, I'm genuinely interested.

I'm not sure myself if screenshots are useful. They would be for a front end developer. I have done full stack app development for enterprise where either the UI was minimal or it was done by a graphic designer on their team.

> I can't think of a single time when the ability to answer questions about the software they've written wouldn't have sufficed

I'm glad this is your experience. I would imagine this is the case too.