Sure, if this dialog is happening the whole time that makes sense, but burnout also seems like something that would be dealt with using the backlog - make time

Sure, if this dialog is happening the whole time that makes sense, but burnout also seems like something that would be dealt with using the backlog - make time for exploration, test spikes, learning, etc. If all this work is well defined already and the backlog is owned by the devs, that seems like a solved problem. If, however the devs are actually spending a boatload of time refining stories before planning then sure, take a week off while others talk about it, but that has a bit of a smell to it also in terms of a happy medium. If the overall message is “slow down sometimes” then I agree 100%.