The start of 2025 didn’t go as I had hoped. On New Year’s Eve, I caught COVID, and I was down with a fever for a whole week. It completely drained my energy and threw me off track. I had big plans to kick off the year strong, but instead, I spent the first days of 2025 feeling exhausted and unmotivated. It’s been tough trying to get back into my routine after that.
Around this time last year, I was juggling everything—working full-time as a programmer, developing my game, taking saxophone lessons, hitting the gym twice a day, and even keeping up with my personal blog, posting every week. Somehow, I managed to do it all at once, and I felt unstoppable. It was like I had endless energy, constantly moving from one thing to the next without slowing down.
But looking back, I can see that I was burning out without even realizing it. I was caught up in the momentum, pushing forward because it felt good to be productive. I didn’t notice how much I was draining myself because I was too busy chasing progress. Now that I’ve hit a wall, I can finally see that I wasn’t invincible—I was just running on borrowed energy.
Being sick and losing some of my physical energy made me want to rest for a few days—which I thought was completely fine. But without realizing it, those few days of rest slowly turned into a lack of motivation. The more I stayed inactive, the harder it became to start again.
I’ve come to realize that even rest needs discipline. It’s like walking downhill—if you’re not careful, you can pick up too much speed and end up at the bottom before you even notice. Rest is necessary, but if you don’t set some limits, it can easily turn into stagnation. Finding the balance between recovery and getting stuck is still something I’m trying to figure out.
Pushing myself to the limit last year felt amazing. I was making progress in so many areas—getting stronger, improving my skills, and feeling productive every single day. It was rewarding to see how much I could handle and how far I could push myself. But as great as it felt, it wasn’t something I could keep up forever. I was running on pure momentum, not realizing that I was slowly wearing myself down. At the time, I didn’t see it, but now I understand that going all-in without proper balance eventually catches up with you.
Lately, as I’ve been refactoring my space match-three game, I’ve realized I need to do the same with my life. Just like cleaning up messy code makes a game run smoother, adjusting my habits and expectations can help me regain balance. In coding, you optimize performance by removing unnecessary processes—just like in life, where cutting out what drains you can help restore energy. That’s why, for now, I’ve stopped saxophone lessons, work out mostly once a day instead of twice, and allow myself some time to relax by watching series or reading—things I hadn’t done in years. But this isn’t permanent. Eventually, I want my busy schedule back, but I don’t want to rush into everything at once. Instead, I’m focusing on rebuilding my habits one by one, making sure they’re sustainable this time. Just like in game development, small, careful improvements lead to long-term success.
Burning myself out didn’t just drain my energy—it also made my thinking foggy and unorganized. When you’re constantly moving from one thing to the next without a break, your mind never gets the chance to slow down and process everything. I’ve realized that this lack of clarity is one of the biggest things I need to fix because it adds unnecessary stress and takes away the feeling of accomplishment. When your thoughts are scattered, you don’t have time to step back, recognize your progress, or even enjoy the things you’ve worked so hard for. Instead, it all blurs together into a cycle of doing more without feeling more. Getting back to a clear, focused mindset is just as important as rebuilding my habits—it’s what will help me move forward without feeling lost in the process.
So, after pushing myself to the limit, burning out, and then accidentally slipping into full-on rest mode, I’m now trying to find a balance. I know I can’t just snap my fingers and get all my energy and motivation back overnight, but I also don’t want to stay stuck in this sluggish state.
The plan? Take things one step at a time. Rebuild my habits slowly, give myself room to breathe, and actually enjoy the process instead of just rushing through it. I still want to be productive, but I also don’t want to end up back where I started—feeling exhausted and running on fumes.
And if I ever start slipping again? Well, I’ll just remind myself that even the best games need a reset once in a while.
Top comments (2)
I offer a possible different explanation: COVID (and I'd say other viruses, since I had an experience very similar to yours in 2014 except I was only working and doing a personal project in the evenings) can make your brain foggy and after that you don't have the capacity to focus and "push forward" anymore for several weeks... Eventually you recover and can restart again.
Cheers man