The antidote to burnout and the existential inquiry it brings seems to be doing things that don’t scale in pursuit of things that can’t scale. It becomes exciting not to see what you can do without limits, but to see what you can do with them.

burnout isn’t about doing too much—it’s about doing the wrong things.

Travers suggests that recovery begins with clarity: unplug, reflect, and realign your behavior with your values. Without that step, even success can feel empty. But when alignment returns, so does a sense of direction. You stop just managing tasks and start acting with purpose again.

Both writers stress that burnout comes not from overwork but from... See more