You Need A Break - Women Who Code Mobile Summit, Online, July 2022

A lightning talk about the things I told myself to avoid taking a break, and the benefits when I finally took one.

Transcript

1. You Need A Break Women Who Code Mobile Summit | Online | July 2022 Ellen Shapiro | @DesignatedNerd | DesignatedNerd.com
2. Recent Resume
3. Recent Resume → Apollo GraphQL (6/19-2/22)
4. Recent Resume → Apollo GraphQL (6/19-2/22) → ???? (2/22-6/22)
5. Recent Resume → Apollo GraphQL (6/19-2/22) → ???? (2/22-6/22) → Gusto (6/22-present)
6. ???? (2/22-6/22)
7. Pandemic + Extrovert = Miserable Extrovert
8. March 2020 !
9. January 2021 !❄
10. April 2021 !❄#
11. August 2021 !❄#$
12. Later in August 2021 !❄#$!
13. December 2021 !❄#$!!
14. January 2021 !❄#$!!❄
15. I was depressed
16. I had ! burnt out
17. Attempted fix: ! Vacation!
18. "I feel so much better now.
19. "I feel so much better now. everything's gonna be fine!"
22. I had ! burnt out (way harder than I ever had before)
23. ! Red Flags I wish I'd recognized
24. ! Red Flags → Doing basic tasks was exhausting
25. ! Red Flags → Doing basic tasks was exhausting → Using sleep to avoid emotions
26. ! Red Flags → Doing basic tasks was exhausting → Using sleep to avoid emotions → Doing work brought me zero joy
27. Considered fix: Leave of absence
28. Terrible excuses I gave myself for not taking leave
29. "This is just the pandemic. I'll be fine when it's over."
30. "What if I can't start again when I said I'd come back?"
31. "What if I can't stop thinking about work?"
32. "What if it doesn't help me get better?"
33. "What if it makes things much worse?"
34. Actual fix: Take five months off
35. Privilege check
36. Privilege check → Had substantial savings
37. Privilege check → Had substantial savings → Did not have kids
38. Privilege check → Had substantial savings → Did not have kids → Live in a lower-cost area
39. Privilege check → Had substantial savings → Did not have kids → Live in a lower-cost area → Have a lot of experience
40. So what helped?
41. Step 1: Do Nothing
42. Step 2: Search for joy
43. Step 3: Start looking early
44. Step 4: Don't start immediately
45. Obligatory Summary Slide
46. Obligatory Summary Slide → Burnout sucks. Try to catch it early.
47. Obligatory Summary Slide → Burnout sucks. Try to catch it early. → Do not assume the world outside your control will get better at the rate your sanity needs it to
48. Obligatory Summary Slide → Burnout sucks. Try to catch it early. → Do not assume the world outside your control will get better at the rate your sanity needs it to → Consider your options for time off, and look carefully at why you're saying no when you do
49. Obligatory Summary Slide → Burnout sucks. Try to catch it early. → Do not assume the world outside your control will get better at the rate your sanity needs it to → Consider your options for time off, and look carefully at why you're saying no when you do → If you take serious time off, try to really have a hard reset of yourself away from work
50. ! Thank you for listening