I work for a rapidly-growing mid-stage startup, and I (along with most of the coworkers with whom I’ve spoken) am really struggling against burnout lately. Workloads are increasing at an unsustainable pace, good workers are leaving, and my guess is that leadership is just hoping that we’ll be acquired before it’s time to pay the piper.
In my political organizing, I rail against capitalism’s ideology of constant growth — now that it’s a major part of my day-to-day, I can say that it’s just as unpleasant as I thought it’d be.
Maybe it’s just time to leave this job. I have an interview with a (huge, evil) tech giant in the near future. I don’t support their mission or business model, but I need to do something to pay the rent and put food on the table. After my interview I’ll look around for other opportunities. I only have the time and emotional bandwidth to deal with one thing at a time right now.
Lately I wonder if I’d be able to find enough work in an independent consultant-type role. I daydream about buying some (depleted, undesirable) farmland and trying to put some permaculture ideas into practice. If my workdays were short enough, could I sustain a comfortable life that way?