You don’t need to be crying at your keyboard or rage-quitting GitHub to be burned out. Sometimes burnout shows up as something smaller, and you don't even notice that.

I've hit that wall before. So now I try to catch the signs before it happens. Here’s how I deal with burnout - not after, but before it spirals.

⚠️ Sign #1: I Start Avoiding the “Hard Stuff”
When I catch myself fixing UI padding all day just to avoid writing tests or fixing a bug - that’s a signal. I’m mentally tired, and I’m looking for shallow wins instead of deep focus.

🔄 What I Do:
I stop. I walk. I do something non-technical for 30 minutes - even if it feels “unproductive.” If I push through, it only gets worse.

⚠️ Sign #2: I Start Skipping Breaks
Burnout loves back-to-back meetings and 6-hour coding marathons.
I used to skip lunch to finish “just one more thing.” It never helped.

🔄 What I Do:
I hard-schedule breaks now - lunch, walk, water, repeat. Even a 5-minute break every 90 minutes clears mental clutter and reduces error-prone code.

⚠️ Sign #3: I Stop Caring About the Product
If I’m just pushing commits without thinking about impact, UX, or the user - I know I’m slipping. This is emotional burnout, not just physical.

🔄 What I Do:
I review product goals or talk to a PM or user.
Getting a reminder of why we’re building can reset my perspective fast.

⚠️ Sign #4: I Avoid Talking to Teammates
When I feel overwhelmed, I isolate. I go async. I stop replying.
And that disconnect makes everything heavier.

🔄 What I Do:
I schedule 15-minute chats, not meetings, just check-ins. Burnout grows in silence. You can’t debug burnout solo.

⚠️ Sign #5: Nothing Feels “Done”
I bounce between tasks, open 20 tabs, and still feel like I didn’t do anything. That’s not a productivity issue, that’s a focus leak.

🔄 What I Do:
At the end of each day, I write down what I actually finished, even if it’s small. Wins fight the feeling of never doing enough.

💬 Final Thought
Burnout doesn’t usually hit all at once. But when you notice the early signs and act on them, you stop burnout from becoming a crisis.

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