Session: Breaking out of the Open Source Burnout Cycle

A lot of us get into open source because we love what we do. We are excited by putting our efforts into the world and want to see the projects succeed. We can burn out for all the same reasons. Often it sneaks up on us. We undertake many tasks for the project that we do not count as work. We are ineffectual at calculating the cost of remaining constantly available. We pour ourselves into our projects and communities and learn the hard way that we cannot pour from an empty cup. It is not a bad thing for us to want to do everything we can for our projects. It is a bad thing to let that desire lock us into a loop of burning out and recovering only to burnout and recover again and again and again. This session offers advice on recognizing when burnout is coming, tools for dialing back responsibly, and some stories of wins and losses in healthy engagement. There is a lot we can do, from how we structure governance and divide up responsibilities, to fully encouraging and embracing time away. In the end, the best way to keep taking care of our projects and communities is to take care of ourselves.