On Burning Out

January 16, 2008 by Andrew Hyde Posted in Boulder, Colorado, Startup Weekend

I burned out.

That is tough to say because so many good friends questioned the pace of Startup Weekend. I basicly blew off their advise and went full steam ahead, scheduling a weekend straight for 7 straight weekends. It took me over a month to recover from going at this pace non stop for so long. A full month to be able to really recover, complete tasks, find neglected projects and really get excited about the project again.

I am still trying to figure out why this is really important. Today I looked back at the pages of notes and figure out lessons and trends I would have forgotten about. I love my moleskins (I give what I would love to get). It is fun knowing that you have grown (opposed to thinking or feeling you have).

I feel like I am back.

***UPDATE*** Brad Feld just posted his commentary on his experiences with fatigue and other entrepreneurs that have burned out. Micah Baldwin also wrote about this as well. I feel totally back to everything, with Startup Weekend Seattle starting in two days, a new startup off to development and working harder than ever to build community, beauty (hey I am a designer) and myself.

So what is the funniest lesson of all this? Listen to your friend’s Mom when they email you, in this case Ginger, David Cohen’s Mother:

Andrew, as a mom, I’m a little worried about you overdoing it and getting sick a lot. You need to plan a couple of weeks in a row where you can recoup.

Sorry Ginger! I should have listened!

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  • Good to hear :-)
  • Andrew, congrats on coming back. Burnout sucks. Actually a month of recovery time isn't that staggering- i was out a year back in 2003 when i got supremely burnt on programming. i was ready to go flip burgers because i never wanted to see another line of code (rant here: http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.cms.cold-fu...).

    balance is key. glad you're back in it.

    sean
  • Andrew,

    I feel your pain.

    I have burned out before and it is not a pretty sight. The intensity and infinite number of the signals we computer freaks have to process is overwhelming.

    I am resolving to take a 3 day weekend off per month and go camping in the summer. And I'm gonna sometimes hang it up and 7 or 8 P.M. - and do some yoga or something else organic that doesn't involve a screen.
  • David's sister Debbie, who has been best friends with me since we were 11 years old, sent me this blog. I am litteraly closing my very successful Real Estate office that I built into a very respectable business over 6 years. Why? Because I am burnt out. I am exhausted trying to do everything with no balance in life. I just want to run and hide where no one knows me and take 6 months to figure out who I still am or want to be. I love being a free spirit, creating and building businesses. I should have listened to Debbie way more than I did. It is always good to have someone in your life that loves you no matter what and wants the best for you. This business is not my first and I am sure it won't be my last. But I am sure of one thing. The next business I create will have a business plan that includes balancing all areas of life!!!
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