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The problem here is the founder thinks he / she is so indispensable that it would fail if he quit. So taking a week off for vacation is likely to just lead to m

The problem here is the founder thinks he / she is so indispensable that it would fail if he quit. So taking a week off for vacation is likely to just lead to more stress. However, the longer vacation is good advice. When I was severely burned out at a previous job (start-up) I was eventually fired because I couldn't continue the 70 hours a week and have the same, high output as I originally did when I started (I was averaging 70 hours a week for almost two years in addition to a long commute time and this is after working with the same people at a job before that where I was working about the same 70 hours for almost 3 years where I was also expected to have high output). When that happened I ended up having roughly 3 months off of work. Joined a new company and it was amazing. My burn-out, which plagued me for years and caused an anxiety attack so strong I thought I was going to die of a heart attack (very severe chest pain; tried explaining to my 2 year old what to do if "daddy passes out") to feel essentially dissolved. Burn out isn't fixed within your typical vacation period at a job. Most of my friends who have been, or are still, burned out have never had it go away until after taking months of time off.

mgkimsal 9y ago
If things are "that bad" at a particular work environment, I'm not sure any amount of time away will "fix" the root problems if you still have to go back there. You described taking time off (months) but you didn't go back. I have to think that the switching of jobs had something to do with your anxiety level going way down but I'd agree it would still have been "go go go" if you just switched employers overnight and started at a new place the next week.
- BinaryIdiot 9y ago
  Yeah, since the vast majority of companies in the United States don't give more than a few weeks off (which is far below what you really need, in my opinion, to undo burn-out), you pretty much have to quit. I guess I didn't really make that clear :) Essentially what I was getting at was: a short vacation isn't going to do anything. If he can make it so he can take a very long vacation then that means he either transitioned enough so others can run it for him or he quit. Either way sounded like it would work out for him at least which is what I was aiming for with my comment.
  - mgkimsal 9y ago
    Oh you're right - 100% agree. When you've got that level of burnout/anxiety, a week or two ain't gonna cut it. In most cases, the anxiety and stress from a work environment didn't happen overnight, and it's not going to go away overnight. I do think most people don't quite get that until they're in the thick of it. Seen it with more than a couple of friends, and in every case, the only option was to walk away and switch work situations. If it's causing you that much stress, there's almost never a great reason to go back vs getting something new.
neltnerb 9y ago
Even a short vacation would help with two big things. First, physically resting and getting outdoors in the summer months can certainly just help you rebalance enough to make good decisions. You might realize that very short-term problems are weighing more heavily on you than you realize. Second, it's a test of how indispensable you are at work, and forces other people to try to do things before asking you. You'll learn which things you need to make sure to train them to take over when you leave, and they'll remember the answers and approaches better if they have to figure them out themselves. I guess it's possible that two weeks would cause irreparable damage... I have no idea what you should do in that case. I can't say I'd stick with it in that scenario, that's a horrible trap to get stuck in especially if you can't imagine it getting better.
DamonHD 9y ago
Vacation/holiday is not something that I particularly enjoy (and thus by extension the OP may not): I like what I do and want to keep doing it a reasonable pace. But taking a break from the stressor, and/or delegating some of the work and stress, yes. IMHO

mgkimsal 9y ago

If things are "that bad" at a particular work environment, I'm not sure any amount of time away will "fix" the root problems if you still have to go back there. You described taking time off (months) but you didn't go back. I have to think that the switching of jobs had something to do with your anxiety level going way down but I'd agree it would still have been "go go go" if you just switched employers overnight and started at a new place the next week.

BinaryIdiot 9y ago
Yeah, since the vast majority of companies in the United States don't give more than a few weeks off (which is far below what you really need, in my opinion, to undo burn-out), you pretty much have to quit. I guess I didn't really make that clear :) Essentially what I was getting at was: a short vacation isn't going to do anything. If he can make it so he can take a very long vacation then that means he either transitioned enough so others can run it for him or he quit. Either way sounded like it would work out for him at least which is what I was aiming for with my comment.
- mgkimsal 9y ago
  Oh you're right - 100% agree. When you've got that level of burnout/anxiety, a week or two ain't gonna cut it. In most cases, the anxiety and stress from a work environment didn't happen overnight, and it's not going to go away overnight. I do think most people don't quite get that until they're in the thick of it. Seen it with more than a couple of friends, and in every case, the only option was to walk away and switch work situations. If it's causing you that much stress, there's almost never a great reason to go back vs getting something new.

neltnerb 9y ago

Even a short vacation would help with two big things. First, physically resting and getting outdoors in the summer months can certainly just help you rebalance enough to make good decisions. You might realize that very short-term problems are weighing more heavily on you than you realize. Second, it's a test of how indispensable you are at work, and forces other people to try to do things before asking you. You'll learn which things you need to make sure to train them to take over when you leave, and they'll remember the answers and approaches better if they have to figure them out themselves. I guess it's possible that two weeks would cause irreparable damage... I have no idea what you should do in that case. I can't say I'd stick with it in that scenario, that's a horrible trap to get stuck in especially if you can't imagine it getting better.

DamonHD 9y ago

Vacation/holiday is not something that I particularly enjoy (and thus by extension the OP may not): I like what I do and want to keep doing it a reasonable pace. But taking a break from the stressor, and/or delegating some of the work and stress, yes. IMHO