- PPF Points
- 2,888
Tech grind culture tends to be idealized—constant hustle, late-night commits, and the idealized figure of the "10x developer" who never leaves the computer. I was an early convert. I thought that the more I coded, the further I'd progress. And it did work for a while. My GitHub streaks were strong, and I was constantly learning something new. But behind the scenes, I was exhausted. I started to associate rest and laziness. I was forgoing breaks, ignoring my body, and sacrificing my mental health while pretending to be "productive." That constant pressure of always having to code eventually drained the creativity out of me and, ironically, put my own progress at a slower rate.
I've seen this toxic productivity culture hurt others too—skilled, passionate coders burning out because they're afraid to take their foot off the gas. One of the friends transitioned from coding with passion to being afraid of his computer altogether. Why? Because expectations never stopped. There's this unspoken rule in tech that if you're not always learning the next framework, you're behind. It turns passion into fear. But growth doesn't need to be at the expense of burnout. Some of the best developers I’ve worked with protect their time fiercely—turning off notifications after work, taking weekends offline, and saying no to unnecessary side projects. And guess what? They’re still sharp, still improving, and far more fulfilled.
What changed for me was learning to set boundaries and redefine what “progress” looked like. Coding is a long game—it should be sustainable, not a sprint to exhaustion. I now plan rest just as carefully as I plan code. I work more intensively, but not more extensively. And in doing so, I've become more intentional, less reactive, and much more aware of why I started coding in the first place. As professionals, how can we craft environments where stepping back isn't seen as weakness, but wisdom?
I've seen this toxic productivity culture hurt others too—skilled, passionate coders burning out because they're afraid to take their foot off the gas. One of the friends transitioned from coding with passion to being afraid of his computer altogether. Why? Because expectations never stopped. There's this unspoken rule in tech that if you're not always learning the next framework, you're behind. It turns passion into fear. But growth doesn't need to be at the expense of burnout. Some of the best developers I’ve worked with protect their time fiercely—turning off notifications after work, taking weekends offline, and saying no to unnecessary side projects. And guess what? They’re still sharp, still improving, and far more fulfilled.
What changed for me was learning to set boundaries and redefine what “progress” looked like. Coding is a long game—it should be sustainable, not a sprint to exhaustion. I now plan rest just as carefully as I plan code. I work more intensively, but not more extensively. And in doing so, I've become more intentional, less reactive, and much more aware of why I started coding in the first place. As professionals, how can we craft environments where stepping back isn't seen as weakness, but wisdom?
