The interesting assumption here is that the programming is being done for someone else. I personally go through burnout cycles where I have to take a break for

The interesting assumption here is that the programming is being done for someone else. I personally go through burnout cycles where I have to take a break for a few days or (rarely) a few weeks. Most of the programming though that causes this is programming I do for my own business, not for someone else (i.e. it's not commissioned work). Part of the reason is that this has to fit between paid work, and part of the reason is that these projects are far more interesting and engrossing. One of the things that does end up on both lists is the idea of pushing the project to the expense of everything else in your consciousness. That leads to thinking only about the project and ignoring one's own life (because even when you are not working, you are planning to work).