I burned out two years ago, went through a divorce, and relocated to a new city. I live alone now and care for seven cats. Over the last two years, I’ve tried forcing discipline, making detailed plans, and restarting over and over. Despite this, I’m still carrying significant debt. My main struggle is staying focused on paid work. I’m constantly building and working on my own side projects, but I struggle to put time into client work. Because of my experience, finding clients isn’t hard, but I tend to lose them after a few months due to low throughput. I deliver high-quality code and solve their core problems, but I can only bring myself to work on client tasks for about 5–6 hours a week. I’m struggling to survive day-to-day and losing hope that this will change, though some days are good and I can get solid work done. I’ve tried all the standard advice for burnout with little success. At this point, I wonder if burnout has become a habit, an excuse, or a form of self-sabotage. I’m posting here to see if anyone who has experienced something similar found a practical way out or a working routine that stuck.
Look for this book at your local Library. “Discover What You Are Best At” by Linda Gail.
It’s a series of self tests you can finish in half a day, and then a list of jobs that use thsoe skills.
For example, someone with good communication skills and good dexterity would make a good nurse or a good hair stylist. Two totally different jobs with the same skill set.
If nothing else, it might give you some ideas of how to change.