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Novicto H

Founder Burnout Check-in: What Quiet Habit Keeps You Sane?

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Let’s be real — no one builds anything meaningful without flirting with burnout.

But the habits that save us aren't always the flashy “5AM club” routines or viral productivity hacks.

Sometimes it’s…

  • Taking 10 minutes to water plants.

  • Walking the same route without Air Pods.

  • Journaling one sentence, not a page.

  • Saying “no” to one more Zoom.

What’s one small, quiet habit that’s helped you stay sane while building?

Would love to steal some of your peaceful magic!

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Nika

Good topic that will not exhaust us! :D

Happy you outlined it and shared your best practices.

These are mine:

  • workout every day

  • brisk walks in nature

  • jotting down ideas in Apple Reminders instead of executing them :D

  • travelling (for inspiration) :)

André J

Playing basketball in the city. Hitting 3 pointers is so rewarding.

Gosha Shatirov

Honestly?

Leaving myself 90-second voice notes like I’m a therapist I can’t afford.

Half the time I never listen back — but somehow saying things out loud tricks my brain into thinking someone’s handling it.


Also:

• daily “shower meeting” with no agenda

• hard stop on Slack after 7pm (I break this one a lot)

• and sometimes… just closing the laptop like it’s cursed

No plants though. They keep dying. Not ready for that level of responsibility.

Sheau Woei Lin

Burnout is real. Sometimes it keeps me up all night, just thinking about a problem I haven't solved. What keeps me from going crazy is running. I run 5K twice a week and 10K on the weekend. I don't go to the gym, just run through my neighborhood streets. It really helps tire out my body and lets me enjoy a quiet moment for myself. :)

Igor Lysenko

I have a habit of taking a 5 minute break from work, it helps me. I don't know how others do it, but going to make tea/coffee while working gives me strength

Yanna Chi

Great topic! Blocking 10 minutes a day in my calendar to focus on breathing and unplugging from my digital "persona". This has been a game changer for me, highly recommend it to everyone!

Not so much burnout as the will to keep going with full time job, family and other commitments. I struggle sometimes to find the motivation or the 'will' to actually improve. I already get up at 5am but not for this, it's just daily life. At the end of the day it can be hard to not turn on the telly and instead to something productive