Overcommitment and Burnout

The Support Team would like to introduce the Support Team “Inactive Member” state, as Ania takes some time off from the Django Girls Support Team. This is not a goodbye for Ania, but a valuable experience for all of us. We’re all taking notes about burnout and overcommitment in an effort to help all of the Django Girls. Ania is a valuable member of the Support Team, and we support her taking some time off for some much-needed self-care. We hope this experience will also help us identify the overcommitment earlier in ourselves before it has damaging outcomes.

Photo by Kaboompics.com

Django Girls is all about inspiring women, giving them opportunities, and showing them that everything is possible. You already know that, right?

Usually we shout out: you can do it! You can be a programmer, you can create advanced things, and you can make your ideas come to life! And most of the time, we do!

But there are times we have to step back, examine our day to day lives and ask,  “Am I really okay with the amount of responsibilities I have right now?” We might ask a friend, “You seem exhausted, is everything okay?” We might encourage them to take a break, and not even dare open their inbox during the weekend! Everyone needs to take time for themselves.

During our recruitment process for the Awesomeness Ambassador, we looked at the work the interviewee was already involved in, and we asked them, “Will you be able to handle one more thing?” Because for us, overcommitment is a very serious problem, one that can lead to burnout and depression. Many of us tend to throw ourselves at interesting opportunities without taking a moment to think: how will I handle this?

We might think, “It doesn’t take that much time to prepare a workshop. It’s easy, right?” it might be easy, but if you are already handling two conferences, parenting three kids, doing yoga classes 5 times a week, hosting events for a local community of food bloggers and hitchhiking like crazy… it might be a bit too much.

There are a few things about overcommitment every one of our volunteers should know:

• The real amount of things you are able to fit in your schedule can’t be determined by how much other people can handle. It also can’t be calculated on the internet. You have to learn it yourself. Each and every one of us is different; that’s the beautiful thing about people. We each have different characteristics, and our capacity to handle things is different. You can be a morning person, and others can have their best hours when you are slowly falling asleep. We are unique and there is not one frame of measurement for our capabilities.
  
• You should always be sincere with yourself. If you are feeling tired and a free weekend doesn’t help, you might have to think over your responsibilities and activities.
• You shouldn’t feel irreplaceable. It might be a flattering feeling at times, but in the end it’s always better to exchange knowledge with someone else or write it down for the next person. Delegate responsibilities to someone and really enjoy a week-long vacation instead of constantly checking your e-mail. Vacation is for resting :) And it should be comforting to know that everyone is replaceable, because it means you really can take a break!
• Yes, you are working that hard! We tend to think: I am not really doing that much, person X is doing a lot more! Comparing yourself to others won’t help you do what’s right for you and is usually a bad thing to begin with. You should take into account things like: Am I constantly tired? Am I having problems with sleep? Have I been seeing my family and friends as frequently as I would like to? Have I had problems with handling usual day-to-day things like laundry, shopping, and taking the dog out? Do I have time for the other things I like to do?
  
  Answering such questions might help you notice if there is something you should change. Believe in that gut feeling. If you don’t feel ok with something deep inside, cut it off. If you feel something is for you even though most of the people would think otherwise - go for it!

Avoiding burnout, and dealing with it when it comes along, is an important topic in the programming community. Barbara Shaurette gave an amazing talk at DjangoCon US called Things That are Tired: Uggs, Segways and you! Coming Back from Burnout, where she talks about how to avoid burnout in the first place, but also how to responsibly step back from your commitments when you need to take a break. The text of her talk is on her blog. At the same conference, Russell Keith-Magee gave an incredibly personal and moving talk about his own struggles with depression. His talk, I am a doctor (content warning: depression, anxiety, miscarriage, suicide) includes valuable information about how to seek help if you need it, and how to provide help to a friend who is suffering. Jacob Kaplan-Moss’s was talking at OSFeels about the stages of burnout and his experiences.

As you can see, burnout is a very real problem, one that we know many Django Girls volunteers and contributors may experience over the course of their lives. It’s our mission to create a sustainable, supportive community where you feel safe communicating your needs, and stepping back when you need to. Rest assured that we will all welcome you back with open arms when you’re rested and ready.