How long can you work without burning out?

during exams, i can go around 5–6 hours of constant, non-stop studying. during regular school time, until the assignment is done, or until i have an excuse to stop, like dinner. and two other things, i keep my sleeping habits normal and i never study or discuss the topic on the day of the exam because ill get confused with “wrong” information.

I’m burnt out as soon as I clock in.

Are postmen public servants…?

In my silly little world, I’ve either lost “it” or I’ve just been plowing through all these tasks for too long – I can’t seem to get anything done now! I’m sitting here looking at my to-do list and just can’t get it moving…..and nevermind the fact it’s ridiculously early on a Sunday and I’m supposed to get my work done Mon-Fri…

I can only go 3 or 4 days with little sleep/too much work. If it’s physical work, only 1 day. In any of these situations, the only way I can recover is to get tons of sleep for the next several days. I’m much better off if I can pace myself.

I worked 80ish hour weeks at an intense startup for 3 years. After about 2.5 years I was bbq’d.

When I was deployed to the Middle East in 2003 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, we worked 3 days on, 1 day off (12 hour shifts) for 90 days straight.

When I got back to the states, it took quite a while for me to get my energy back along with some normal sleeping habits.

The longest I’ve had to spend at work was about 40 hours straight. At about 24 hours I find I get a second wind and the stop feeling tired. The day after I always feel like crap though.

I’ve regularly gone 48 hours in sustained efforts. Sleep is the only means of recovery.

Burn-out, though, is not what happens after an episode of sustained effort, but is the result of many months, years of working exceedingly long days, every day and may include all nighters as well.

Burn-out is serious and can have long term consequences. You can see more here Burn-out

For just under a year now I’ve been working 40–80 hr weeks doing the swing shift in an understaffed dept. Sometimes I work until 2 then come back at 6am until 5pm. Then they ‘treat’ me with a day off as if it will help. I am the only one doing this. I’m underpaid and my social life has been obliterated by my strange hours and lack of sleep.

Three months in I wanted to just off myself.

I think you could say I’m burnt out. The only thing saving me from crashing and burning is the fact that I’m young. :)

You are definitely on track for burning out. Your youth won’t protect you, so pay attention and don’t let yourself get to burn-out.

@jvgr: to some degree I think I’m displaying all those symptoms! But that just comes with working in the call center industry….I’m more concerned that lately I start feeling moody and down if I stop working (spend a good few hours from home every week too) and the other day I kept getting a weird weak/shaky feeling….

wildflower, burn out can easily lead to depression and moodiness is one characteristic. Your body is sending you some pretty clear messages. How long have you been doing this?

I remember that I spent 9 days sleeping 2/3 hours a day, of course, at the end I was in the emergency room of my favorite hospital, and 53 hours with no sleep at all… I can’t do that anymore :s