Sat Nov 14 2020
I think this post will pair nicely with my previous post about how to learn new technologies quickly, specifically because whenever I'm trying to learn quickly or spending too much time coding with out breaks I inevitably end up burning myself out on whatever I'm learning/building. I just get to a point where I'm exhausted and feel like I'm not interested at all in what I'm doing. This is a completely natural response and it's fine to feel this way but there are some things you can do to minimize your burnout time, and maximize your productivity.
I started my coding bootcamp in April of 2020. About a month into NYC's lock-down. Everything was closed and so naturally, my bootcamp was entirely online. This turned out to be both a blessing and a curse. I was initially pretty happy that I wouldn't have to be commuting to Manhattan for the bootcamp as I knew I'd be completely physically exhausted having to commute there and back everyday while also being mentally exhausted from all the material. But as I soon learned the lack of a barrier between my coursework and my personal time really just meant that I never stopped working.
I would wake up for our daily standup, and then be coding through labs, lectures, and projects until I fell asleep. It really wasn't sustainable. I think the only reason I was able to keep it up was the consistent adrenaline I was getting from actually going through with my goal of becoming a software engineer. On top of this I think Flatiron's curriculum changed things up frequently enough to keep me interested.
Towards the end of my time at Flatiron I started to really burn out to the point where I felt like I couldn't continue working on these projects or labs or blog posts. It was at this point I realized I really needed to put up some boundaries between my 'work' and 'home' life. And so the main thing that helped me cut back on burnout was setting defined times for me to work, and after that, I need to do something else, like watch a movie, or play a video game. Having this boundary really helped extend my productivity long term, rather than getting a lot done in the short term and then burning out.
But there are some instances where you may have to crunch to learn something new or get something done quickly where you may need to stretch or break those boundaries. I've found that in these instances it really helps me to have a concrete finish line, so when ever I feel the burnout coming I just will it to the side and tell myself 'it's only until the finish line' and keep going. It can be pretty difficult at times but I think if you can will yourself to keep going when you're really not feeling up to it, you can accomplish anything. Now as I indicated above, extended working definitely intensifies the burnout so what I do is plan for it. Be aware that the burnout is coming and make plans for what you're going to do once you've accomplished your goal. A goal I have I've been working towards is getting my first software engineering job and I've been working towards it for a while now. And in order to keep productive and avoid my own burnout, I've planning on re-subbing to World of Warcraft. You really just have to find your own little reward system to incentivize you to keep being productive a little bit longer until you finally reach your goal.
So really at the end of the day whats works best for me is managing the time I spend working and making sure I have enough breaks to keep a sustainable productivity schedule, mixed with a concrete finish line and a nice reward system to keep me motivated!
Similarly with my last post, these may not work for you but give them a try and make your own adjustments where necessary!