I found that just moving teams and dropping a load of baggage made a huge difference and a huge improvement.
I also found that regular physical exercise outside (running for me) is a game changer and totally allows your brain to disconnect.
Finally, don't guilt trip yourself on your free time. There is nothing you "should" be doing on your spare time. Want to code? Fine. But do you really? Want to just veg out and watch Netflix? Also fine. Want to do some "junk food" gaming? Do it. Hang out with friends family and loved ones? I encourage that. Don't pressure yourself about open source projects or side hustles etc.
Similar for me, I noticed that the thing that lead to burnout was the politics around work, not the work itself. I changed companies and was happy till I got myself in the same political nightmare. If you find yourself in the same position, change the project/company, it will make a big difference for a while. Try to find a company with a healthy management/culture for a long term fix (if you want to spend more than 2-3y in one place), this is very hard thing to come by.
I just assume there is no healthy management culture anywhere for American companies, especially not with MBAs continually poisoning the well. It’s finding what you can tolerate and still maintain your self worth and sanity.
Absolutely +1 on the exercise. For me it's road biking. I just hop on farm roads and ride for hours listening to Audible, podcasts, or nothing at all and just enjoy the scenery.
Also - and I can't stress this enough - absolutely use your vacation time. And when you do, utterly disconnect from work. Turn "do not disturb" on your phone and other devices and not only don't answer work emails, don't even look at email, slack, etc.
I agree with the comment about doing whatever it is that will relax you. Sometimes that is just binge watching the latest Netflix show. But, if you work from home, I've found that absolutely nothing beats GOING somewhere for your vacation time. I - and friends who also WFH - find that just being at home on vacation can still be emotionally draining. Even a 4 day weekend away from home doing something completely different can be very recharging.
Even if I've come back to work and had to fix things others "broke" because they had to work around me not being there, I was much happier with that than if I did any work during my time away. And it also pointed out to me where documentation and knowledge was lacking or tools could be improved, etc. ;)
Yeah, it's your coworkers/manager — exercise is a requirement (should be required by the company).
Code is code, but if you have a cool manager and coworkers it can make it enjoyable. Particularly, for myself, I liked management that gave me autonomy, trusted me to write a framework without feeling the need to hand-hold.
Exercise breaks (I started out running, switched to walking when I got older) were something I used to feel guilty about — going out for a run/walk in the middle of a work day. I always wanted to be the guy who always had their nose to the grindstone.
As I got older (and more seniority, I suppose) I got over the guilt by just saying fuck 'em, health is more important. In fact though my productivity and ... code fidelity? ... likely improved. Often I left on the 20 minute walk with my head in a programming fog, returned with a succinct plan on how to proceed before the next programming hurdle reared its head.
This reads like a humble brag. You don't typically recommend "start exercising" then suggest a daily workout that even professional athletes wouldn't do
As impressive as this regime is if you can do it, I'd recommend most people start a little slower and mix it up a little more - this kind of highly repetitive strain will burn out your body, just as the insane work schedule burnt you out.
Start slow, throw in some yoga or tai chi and build up those joints and tendons - they don't increase in strength as quickly as muscles do.
I also found that regular physical exercise outside (running for me) is a game changer and totally allows your brain to disconnect.
Finally, don't guilt trip yourself on your free time. There is nothing you "should" be doing on your spare time. Want to code? Fine. But do you really? Want to just veg out and watch Netflix? Also fine. Want to do some "junk food" gaming? Do it. Hang out with friends family and loved ones? I encourage that. Don't pressure yourself about open source projects or side hustles etc.