from Hacker News

Coming from a country outside the Western world, I became aware of burnout as a psychological phenomenon in the middle of my 20s. Since I moved abroad, I've witnessed burnout in friends and colleagues, and its effects on them have genuinely terrified me because I am relatively ambitious and hard-working, but perhaps not experienced enough to prevent an eventual burnout, and I'm starting to feel I'm next on the line.

I understand that burnout is a side effect of economically developed nations (U.S., China, etc.), where competition is fierce and great scientific, technological, and economic advancements require a great deal of hard work aside from pure luck and intelligence. This tends to create a breeding ground for environments and behaviors that ultimately make people "break".

Being aware that my work and education are pivotal to my life, I'm certain that a burnout would undoubtedly obliterate me as a person. I cannot change the way I function (I'm sorry, I cannot focus on hobbies and "simply enjoy life with a 9-to-5"), so I started to ponder how to avoid this potentially catastrophic event.

These thoughts have been haunting me for months, and I know that there are people on HN who would certainly give me clues on how to take preventative measures.

Provided that you're a workaholic with a high risk appetite, how do you protect yourself against burnout?

One thing I'm certain about is having plenty of savings (low 7-figures in assets, including cash) and no debt in my late 20s. I don't have any hobbies outside of work (as you can already infer from the paragraphs above), don't need to take vacations often, and I am very content with my life. Having financial stability has allowed me to cut off toxic relationships and advance in my career very quickly, as I don't have to deal with work that doesn't excite me or be afraid of losing my job.

EDIT with extra context: Getting into my early 30s and hoping to become a father in the next 10 years. I want to be a good parent who can afford to give the required attention to his children. However, being the personality type I am, I want to make sure I'm prepared enough for the extra stress that will unavoidably come.