It Took a Pandemic to Make Me Acknowledge My Burnout

I have been actively avoiding burnout for about 30 years.

From straight A grades in high school, finishing a college degree in three years, followed by an extremely demanding job, three kids, career change, and business purchase, I have managed to continuously plow forward.

Without pausing for a break and pursuing one extreme demand after another, I have been able to skirt burnout by keeping my head down.

The pandemic changed the dynamic.

The week before the pandemic started:

I worked 65 hours.

I drove 18 hours getting kids to and from activities.

I used 9 hours to complete freelance assignments.

I spent 8 hours attending kid activities.

I devoted 7 hours to studying for a professional exam.

These activities accounted for 107 hours out of a week composed of 168 hours. That’s over 63% of my time accounted for.

And this was a typical week, not an outlier.

Note that these times do not include time for eating meals (let alone preparing them), sleeping, paying bills, or other things required for general existence.