burnout update (re: taking the summer off work)

my summer off work is almost over. in a few days, i’ll be picking up some at-my-own-pace software contracting work. i don’t feel totally ready to do that yet, but it’ll be okay.

(by the way, if you know anyone who needs some project-based work done on their ruby application, react native application, or other full-stack web application in early 2027, please reach out.)

like i said in my previous post about this, i was determined to not rot away in my apartment. and i was successful. i increased my book and movie intake, i fortified my daily exercise routines, and i continued becoming a better programmer. all at my own pace. i also improved the quality of my notetaking process. (i’ll write more about that as a separate post.)

if i were to reflect on the “failures” of my summer off, it’s that i didn’t spend enough time doing stuff personally interesting to me that is isolated from my professional self. for example, i did not make any progress on the album i’ve been sitting on. and while i did a lot of writing and notetaking, not much of it was on the screenplay i’m sitting on. or the fiction i’m nearly sitting on. i decided to prioritize stuff that could maybe help me make regular money in the future, little flourishes for my CV. yeah, i remain anxious that my next job will be just like my last job: one where every minute of the day is spent doing stuff i don’t want to be doing. my anxiety-driven self decided i should “reach for the stars” and make my CV better so it’ll be easier to get the “good job” that “i want” or whatever. i guess my anxiety-driven self likes to gamble with my time and energy.

all that said, i still was working on stuff i overwhelmingly wanted to be doing and benefited from doing, despite my being dispassionate about some of it. so i don’t actually want to characterize that stuff as “failures.” i’m just trying to be open in my reflections, here.

thanks for reading. i got a couple of nice emails re: my last burnout-related post. i appreciate you all for reading. :) and i’m always happy to respond to messages. feel free to send me a message.