You're burning the midnight oil coding. How do you know it's time for a work-life balance tune-up?

Crunch time is commonplace in IT. Deadlines approach and it's considered to be "normal" to do some overtime before big releases, specially since these generally have very late deploy and service windows. Having said that, noone likes it when this becomes extensive. Everyone has their own limit and it's important to assess your teams'. I'd say when you start to feel like there is no end in sight and other areas of your life have started to take a hit, it's time to change something.

The symptoms will always be clear, but it will be different for each individual. You should try to keep track on small changes that may come, like irregular sleep cycles, diet fluctuating, restlessness, anxiety increased, losing temper easily etc. Even irregular bowel movements can show a burnout symptom. Always be aware of such and be alert in order to take regular breaks, reduced screen times and exercise for yourself. Never feel bad for that, as it is as important to you as much the effort you put into your work

Some warning signs could be: - No passion for personal projects or self learning - Dreading going to bed at night because waking up means back to work Easiest way to start countering this: - Taking walking breaks. Don't want to walk? Just stand outside on a patio/balcony/yard.

It's best to work with time. I don't work over 2 hours in a stretch. Breaking down my work time into segments has really helped me.

You know it's time for a work-life balance tune-up when you notice signs of burnout, such as constant fatigue, declining focus, or reduced productivity. If coding late into the night becomes a habit, and you find yourself sacrificing sleep, personal time, or neglecting your health, it's a clear indicator that balance is off. Additionally, if you feel more stressed, lose enthusiasm for coding, or your creativity and problem-solving abilities start to dip, it’s a signal to step back. Regularly assessing your workload, setting boundaries, and taking breaks can help maintain both productivity and well-being.

After countless nights of chasing that elusive bug, I realized my sleep patterns had become as unpredictable as my code errors. Coffee was my fuel, but it couldn’t fix the grogginess clouding my focus. I noticed more mistakes creeping into my work, and that’s when it hit me—burning out wasn’t going to make me a better coder. I started setting a firm stop time at night, no matter how tempting it was to keep going. The difference was immediate. With proper rest, my problem-solving sharpened, my code improved, and my energy returned. A clear mind writes better code—every time.

One thing I've found helpful is that sleep is good. I take as much sleep as I can get. Like I said earlier, I work in segmented periods of time. During that break, I most likely take a nap or see a movie.

I remember the time when coding consumed every waking moment. I’d miss family dinners, decline invites, all because of a bug that wouldn’t quit. One evening, my phone buzzed—another message from friends asking where I’d disappeared to. It hit me then: I couldn't recall the last time I truly enjoyed their company, without code in the back of my mind. That was my wake-up call. The conversations I had that night, away from my laptop, recharged me in ways I didn’t expect. Since then, I’ve learned that stepping away doesn’t hinder creativity—it fuels it. Balance isn’t optional; it’s essential

This is something I am still working one. I do go out by myself most of the time. But when I do have the time to hang with friends, I revel in every moment.

Coding more about understanding how things for me than it is about excitement. More than anything, I want to understand deeply how things work. Excitement is fickle. It is good to have buh it's not sustainable in the long run

This is true. It is good to keep growing and developing otherwise it would become monotonous and you really don't want that. Even if it's little as 15 minutes in a day, do something for yourself