Burnout Isn't Your Fault: Byung-Chul Han and Laozi on Overwork

Key takeaways

• Burnout is real and is not a weakness. In 2019 the World Health Organization listed it as a problem that comes from work, not as an illness: long-lasting workplace stress that has not been managed well. Its three signs are deep exhaustion, pulling away from your work, and feeling you no longer work well.
• Byung-Chul Han says we moved from a society of 'you must' to a society of 'you can'. With no limit, there is no point to stop, so the boss and the worker become one person: we exploit ourselves, and it feels like freedom.
• A world that never switches off keeps us on guard like a small animal in the forest. Even rest turns into a tool for more work, and we lose the deep boredom where new ideas are born.
• Laozi's wu wei is not laziness but acting without forcing. Water flows around the rock instead of fighting it, and someone standing on tiptoe cannot stand for long.
• Emptiness is what makes things useful, like the empty hub of a wheel or the space inside a pot. Three small practices: take one thing away, keep 15 empty minutes in your day, and rest without needing a reason.