3 ms·
I've burned out a few times, each time the only way to recover was a new job. The first time was ~4 years ago. Company I worked at did agile but required you hi
by wonderwonder 4y ago
I've burned out a few times, each time the only way to recover was a new job.
The first time was ~4 years ago. Company I worked at did agile but required you hit 10 points a week. If you didn't you were pipped. On top of that the only way you could really hit the points was to work ~60 - 70 hour weeks. You were not allowed to consider how long implementing a ticket would take when scoring a ticket only how hard it was. This led to strife when scoring tickets. When covid first hit and the world was insane and my kids had to do home schooling (I have been remote for ~5 years) I hit 8 points the first couple sprints. I was pipped. Things like this, many 90+ hour weeks, debugging and fixing data in production, and being asked to lie to clients fried me. I burned out, would sit there staring at a screen for 8 hours and get like 30 minutes of work done.
After that my next job was immediately 90 hour weeks for 2 months. Not just me, dozens of people. I had coworkers weeping during standup on many occasions. Luckily I was contract so I got paid OT. Most of my coworkers did not. After a ~4 months of insane hours I just said screw it and refused to work more than 45. Everyone just dealt with it but they had to work more hours, I felt bad. Same job, next project we had no one to write requirements. so I had to do that which is not my skillset plus code. A year in, I burned out, would sit there staring at a screen for 8 hours and get like 30 minutes of work done. I lasted for another 6 months before quitting. Funny thing was even burned out I was getting more work done than most and they freaked out when I quit.
This current job I am a tech lead. It started off pretty good and I still dont work OT but my scrum master did nothing for the first 6 months so it all fell on me. He got fired but they are not backfilling him so its all on me. On top of that I have to manage developers including writing tickets for them, and manage up. Which means I lose 2 days a week essentially writing reports for leadership and doing busy work. I have come to hate standups. I don't think I am burned out here yet but I feel it coming on. I really need to take a vacation. Not a go somewhere with the kids one, just a stay home for 2 weeks and destress one.
Interestingly this all started when I started working in agile shops. Its just constant pressure, always a race.
- rightbyte 4y ago> I have come to hate standups Can't you decrease those to 2 times a week then? No scrum master and you are the lead? If management enforces 5 just do three async in chat or whatever. > Interestingly this all started when I started working in agile shops. Its just constant pressure, always a race. Agile's killer feuture is the great opportunity to micromanage and force a never ending sense of urgency.