I’m burnt out with my side project. Should I quit?

Procrastination = fear in 5 syllables

For me, sometimes the hardest thing to do is to stop doing High-Excitement tasks and start doing High-Value tasks because they are uncomfortable.

I've experienced “burnout” recently. That's a lie, I'm experiencing it right now. I experience it all the time. The "perfect workday" activity is great - any attempt to get specific, organized, detailed is beneficial. My problem with those activities is that I end up telling myself a story that I want to hear.

In my experience, certain tasks cannot be delegated. For me, the most uncomfortable flavor of non-delegable tasks is “outreach”. I define this simply by “telling people about what I’m doing” and “asking them to join me”. This is usually: sales, financing, hiring, or just feedback conversations.

Identifying fear (procrastination = fear in 5 syllables) and when I'm in it is the most important thing. The discomfort of sitting in fearful ambiguity is too much for me, I rarely win against it. I define win here as “doing the next highest-value thing possible”

I must stop, sit down, and write specifically about what I’m afraid of and why.

I must beware of bullshitting myself. I will try hard to rationalize my decision to quit-for-now (aka procrastinate). I will come up with a great story why I should be doing X instead of High-Value-Task. Here are some examples of how I do that:

Time is of the essence, I gotta keep moving, I can’t afford to sit down and strategize.  I can’t afford to track someone down that I trust for feedback.

I’m doing too many “draining” tasks, I need a recharge.

I really like what I’m doing, I don’t want someone to tell me it’s not the right thing to be working on now.

I’m not done, I need to finish before I can evaluate.

Fear thrives in ambiguity, it doesn’t like things like “perfect workday” or “atomic habits” or any writing activity that digs into the details.  It especially doesn’t like to expose itself directly i.e. “I’m afraid of … because …”

When I separate “what I’m not good at” and “what I’m afraid to do” I get a different list. When I lean into the “afraid to do” list feeling burnout starts to clear.

I’m going to take my own advice right now and write out what I’m afraid of and why. I’m going to share it with someone I trust. Let’s see if I can face some discomfort and “win” today.

I hope this helps someone.

Just when I was about to get fed up with all the work, I saw this good advice! I'm trying to move forward alone with too many areas, it's really tiring, I will try to focus on the parts that really make me happy by removing the unnecessary ones, I'm not sure how the result of trying for 1 week will be, but I will see.

keep building, and don't give up!

procrastination is just your brain trying to save some efforts and trying to avoid getting away from comfort zone.

Sometimes you need a refresh and recalibrate

This is one of the best advice articles I’ve read !

It sounds like you’re experiencing burnout, not just a mental block. Burnout often occurs when you're doing too little of what energizes you, not necessarily too much work overall. Here’s a quick way to start addressing it:

1. Identify Draining Tasks: List all the tasks you’re avoiding. Note which ones drain you.

2. Delegate or Eliminate: Find ways to delegate, automate, or eliminate these draining tasks.

3. Focus on Energizing Work: Spend more time on tasks that energize you and align with your strengths.

4. Reassess Your Project: If none of the tasks excite you, it might be time to reassess whether this is the right project for you.

Remember, self-care is important, but the real solution is aligning your work with what lights you up.

Hope this helps!

The way out of this situation is to clearly define your goals. Goals that motivate you and give you energy. Whenever I find myself in such a situation, recalibrating my goals always helps. Focus on what excites you and aligns with your strengths and values, and you'll find renewed motivation and energy to move forward.

Work on your goal.

well written Dan, however i have a different take on this.

i think the problem is most likely indeed a mental block. i think the inquirer's knowing of what to do next is still at an abstract, high or strategical level, if that makes sense. you need to have the vision of actually executing that thing (e.g tactics to implement that strategy) for the energy for action to be present. vision is very important; might be another variable to include in the equation: mental block => knowing what to do albeit at a high level => a VISION for carrying out the thing to do (knowing the concrete steps to take) => action.

vision energizes you. it sparks the passion for action. i believe passion is all about vision --no wonder why our first passions are related to the first novelties we "see".

this is why "give it 5 minutes", "just get started", "just do it" etc advices or whatever work. oh there's that advice for beating procastination as well that goes along the lines of "tell yourself you'll only do it for 2 minutes". these advices work because once you get your toe in, you would get the vision for the task and then it becomes exciting. apparently lack of vision leads to procastination as well. hence maybe why you "slowly slide over to social media where I spend 20-30 minutes".

i think avoiding "draining" tasks isn't quite the best way to about solving the problem. we must get outside our comfort zones in order to improve. instead i would suggest trying to get ones hands into doing the task. eventually we'll improve and be proud of that (heard of tranformative passion?)

in a nutshell i'm more inclined to diagnose your problem as procastination (due to mental block caused by lack of vision) and here is my advice: do what you can to create a vision for executing the task. this may include watching a youtube video of the process, learning about the task, getting your hands on it etc. don't get me wrong. delegate (even the things that "energize" you) where it makes sense, but don't run away from something just because you think "it's not for you" that could be a limitation.

Listing out things at their priority and estimating the time needed really helps out plan your next actions. There will definitely be things that you like than the rest. Work based on priority when you are energized and if lacking some energy do the things that you like. You will find yourself energized and a motivated individual.

Do you feel that your current business aligns with your strengths and values? If not, what changes could you make to better align your work with what energizes you?

You nailed it perfectly, Dan. From my experience, understanding that you may be thinking about too many tasks instead of focusing on the one in front of you, and your observation on the need to write things down were the key elements in your response .

A memorable occurrence I had relating to hitting the wall happened to me many years ago. I was debugging a computer program I had written. After staring at it for who knows how long, my mind screamed out -- it's impossible. That woke me up. How could the solution be impossible? I left the confines of my office and walked out of the building into the parking lot and let my mind drift. I went back into the building, sat down in front of the computer, and found the solution instantly.

Burnout comes in various flavors. Regardless of the issue, clear your mind, and start fresh. That is step one. A fresh cup of coffee is step two.

Must be said Dan! So interesting man, we all feel like we can do everything and sometimes it's just about stop and think. Thanks for sharing it

Lovely read. Sometimes you need a refresh and recalibrate :)

Thanks for an insightful read, Dan.

I love this line "Somewhere along the line, you stopped doing work that energizes you. "

It's easy to get caught up in the hustle of trying to hit a compelling MRR ASAP. Shelving the work that matters (to us, to others), to focus on the work that we believe will take us to income nirvana as quickly as possible - I've defintely been guilty of this in the past!

hi Danmarzullo , i think

Step 1: Identify the root cause of burnout

• Recognize that burnout isn't just about doing too much , but also about doing too little of what energizes you.

Step 2: Assess your tasks

• Write down all the tasks you're avoiding and note whether they energize or drain you.
• Identify tasks that can be delegated, automated , or eliminated if they're draining.

Step 3: Focus on high-energy tasks

• Spend more time on tasks that align with your strengths and values.
• Identify your "zone of genius" and prioritize tasks that make you feel energized and inspired.

Step 4: Outsource or delegate low-energy tasks

• Recognize that you don't have to do everything yourself.
• Find others who can handle tasks that drain your energy, such as employees, contractors, or automation tools.

Step 5: Re-evaluate your business

• If nothing in your business aligns with your strengths or values, consider whether you're building the wrong business for yourself.

By following these steps, you can overcome burnout, regain your energy and motivation, and build a business that aligns with your strengths and values.