In a previous blog post I discussed burnout from personal experience, an overview after the fact, and techniques for getting through it.

The main feedback I received was about preventing or mitigating burnout in the first place rather than recovering from it.

To frame the topic, I'll share an anecdote from my counselling schooling about the ethics of being a counsellor: "Surely it's our aim to put ourselves out of a job" — meaning addressing issues preventatively rather than remedially.

The core philosophy: "Prepare and be aware as you go" and drastically lower the chances of burnout happening initially.

What I've learned from building resilient software and technical systems, combined with counselling theory, can be applied to teams. I call this Continuous Integration 2.0: continuously taking care of the team and its integration during the building process.

Most modern software (SaaS, websites) is continuously worked on and only "done" when never worked on again — it's a marathon, not a sprint.

What is CI and why do it?

CI is an approach to building systems that involves continuously checking what is being built to ensure it's doing what was designed and not exhibiting unwanted symptoms like bugs.

Quality and speed of development go hand in hand, now and in the future of projects. "A stitch in time saves nine."

Catching issues early saves time, energy and cost. Technical debt and bug costs are well documented.

Beyond financial cost, there's emotional cost leading to burnout for people working on the software.

In practice, this typically involves code pieces called "test units" that continually and automatically test code as it changes.

The approach: checking in often to verify things are okay — "a lot of a little opposed to a little of a lot."

What is the team leader's role to help stop burnout?

Team building should be done continuously, not once-a-year or when necessary. The integration of the team should be facilitated continuously.

Team building is a facilitation role — supporting people rather than telling them what to do. Some projects use daily stand ups, though these can seem forced and interrupt people.

The team facilitator's responsibility: take care of the people first, then process, so people can focus on the project.

Don't constantly interrupt to ask if they're okay or force rigid structures. Humans know when being dealt with inauthentically.

The responsibility is to continuously integrate care of the team into the daily project. "Do less better" — focus on effectiveness over frequency.

What can the individual do?

Keep all things in balance and perspective for mind, body and soul, in all areas of life.

In any situation, one is 50% responsible for being there — both for how one reacts and how one prepares.

There's a duty to take care of oneself. Being aware of those who might be overwhelmed is valuable too — "if I'm in a team of 10 and I'm mindful of the rest, that means there are 9 people keeping an eye out for me."

It is unethical and unprofessional to work when emotionally compromised. One won't do good work, be happy, or help anyone including oneself.

Mind

  • Meditation — Having chilled downtime is beneficial
  • Hobbies — They distract from work and allow reflection and socialising
  • School — Learning different skills and topics offers an outlet and broadens the mind
  • Self talk — Watch being negative; see the good too

Body

When lacking energy, lethargic, or experiencing poor nutrition, this affects ability to function and increases illness and injury proneness. Balance across all areas is essential for well-functioning systems.

  • Food — Benefits of eating well and cutting out junk are well documented
  • Exercise — Vital in sedentary office jobs
  • Check ups — Health and eye checks are worthwhile
  • Sleep — Exercise helps; natural sleep matters
  • Massage — Benefits are well-established

Soul

Meaning, purpose, a sense of being and belonging matter. Not paying attention to this area is a mistake.

  • Friends & Family — Give them time and attention
  • Spiritual — Personal to each person
  • Pet — Benefits of caring for a pet are well documented
  • Volunteering — Give back; doesn't need to be formal

As an experiment, track time and effort into each area for a week to assess balance and desired changes.

What are the warning signs?

An absence of the things noted in previous sections is a warning. Be aware of your environment — are you supported or pushed? Be aware of how you feel — is pressure relative to reward and investment, or are you sacrificing yourself for others' profit?

  • Stress — Often felt physically
  • Lack of sleep — Either unable to sleep or unable to get out of bed
  • Constant tiredness — Related to sleep issues; adds to lowered performance
  • Self medicating — Through alcohol, substances, etc. — treating symptoms not causes

Being a fan of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), address both presenting symptoms and root causes — much like debugging software. The question: "Why is this happening, how can we deal with it and how can we prevent it next time?"

Conclusion

Try to stop burnout from happening; don't try to "fix it" once overwhelmed. It's the principle of continuous integration — with software, teams, or people.

Much like: "It's about the journey not the destination."

Take care of yourself — it's professional and ethical. One can't do anything else properly without doing that first. It's not selfish; not doing it would be selfish.

Don't work for abusive or greed-focused companies. When weighing job offers, consider which is truly better given these points.

"I sleep rather well now."

Take care of yourselves, keep an eye on others, and keep on building good things in good ways.