What's your strategy (those who experienced it)? Also like all mental health issues, it's not always obvious to you personally that you're off balance. Oftentimes there's no "shit, I'm burned out" realization before some consequence of it hits you in the face. So for me how do I realize I'm on the edge of burnout? I got to really hate bugs in the software. Not in using it, in implementing it. Try to do one task end to end, seems simple enough. Only 5 or 6 steps to go. But by step two already an exception, crap that used to work some way no longer works the way I knew it. And that's the easy part, at least I'm aware of it's existence. But more often than not, crap pops up that I didn't even know it's there so gotta stop and investigate wtf is going on coze I can't go on with my intended flow till that's fixed. PUSH ONE LEVEL DOWN THE STACK. Study the code, figure out what might do and how it should probably behave, only 4-5 steps to go, but by step 3 unexpected exception crap pops up. Can't carry on until that's fixed or understood (maybe I'm just not choreographing the sequence of steps in the exact way required). PUSH ANOTHER LEVEL DOWN THE STACK. How deep the rabbit hole (stack) goes? It's not just depth, there's also width. My IQ of 125 is just not enough to keep with this exploding complexity. Not that I can't solve the problem eventually. But it's sprint after sprint after deadline that was already missed and should have been shipped yesterday and any byzantine problem I solve after pushing my mind to the limit only gets me one sprint away from the next arcane problem. I want to keep going, but my mind doesn't want no more.
Great post. Mental health is a real issue and top traders will prioritize it. Learn to build boundaries from the market, maintain an active lifestyle, and pursue other interests after hours are some tips I’d give. When I worked on the sell side (investment bank), I worked 60-80 hours per week, and the constant flow of work had a negative impact on my focus and mental health. I didn’t realize it at the time, and only began to recognize the importance of mental health when I moved to the buy side (asset manager/ hedge fund), where we had an in house therapist. There was also lots of communication from the top down on making decisions only when you were well rested, informed, and in a relaxed state. It got to the point that they would send people home if you seemed very stressed.
Thanks for the comment. I strive to be a top trader one day, not just a mediocre developer by my assessment ( and IQ of 125 last given on a formal paper and taken under what "less than ideal conditions" is an understatement). Looks like the top 5% quantile doesn't cut it for developer. I'm kidding. It very much *should* cut it for developer if not for the layers upon layers of imbecility one has to deal with.
You might have some IQ, but can you https://leetcode.com ? Are you CodeForces/TopCoder RED? Are you getting paid at least this much: https://www.levels.fyi/2020 ? Just kidding lol. In all seriousness, coding is just too much work. I really enjoyed it at one point too, and growing up, but after a while the whole modern process of management and schedules/sprints/agile/scrum/standups, too many languages/tools/frameworks, burns one out. Automated/systematic trading, seems like the best reward/effort ratio I've personally been able to get going. In general, people just don't like to feel like slaves and making other people rich, working for other people's dreams. As for mental state, what helps me the most is actually physical exercise. Even if I feel too tired that day, if I can just force myself to budge and lift some weights or do some cardio, I feel much better for the rest of the day. Happy, energized, and focused. I guess it's just a temporary endorphin rush though, only lasts a day. I don't know what will lead to that long-term satisfaction and burnout-proof. Probably just figuring out how to do what you love for a living, something that doesn't feel like work and slavery. Just don't forget to pop off the stack every once in a while!
Great advice and it’s good to hear that these issues are being acknowledged. Nobody has nerves of steel all the time.
Research "nootropics". I recommend 100mg modafinil/day but on no more than 4 days a week. If anyone tells you about side effects, they're doing it wrong. 100mg is already plenty, even while you might not notice all its effects when taking it the first time. Over time you will. If you get a headache from it, add 100mg aspirin-protect (coated to mitigate side effects) on the days you take modafinil and maybe a coffee. Don't overdo coffee when on modafinil. If it fires you up too much or you can't sleep, mitigate with magnesium malate, l-theanine, and a beer in the evening. My last recommendation depends a lot on the person. For some it doesn't matter, for me it matters a lot. Try wearing hearing protection while coding.
You don't need any medication. Medication is a beginning of the end. Go to the stadium. Exercise the living hell out of yourself. Take shower. Plenty of food with proteins & a box of ice cream as reward + Gladiator (2000) A small but effective therapy. Cost little. Gives a lot.
Do you have a 2 million in any account you can open now and stare at? If no, keep working hard. If yes, take break.