Ask HN: I feel like I should be working all the time and its killing me
What&#x27;s your idea of significant, op? Improving upon a fundamental algorithm? Building a billion-dollar company? Creating a ubiquitous open-source tool that makes programming easier for everyone?<p>You&#x27;re probably not going to do any of those by being a diligent model employee; it might be you don&#x27;t really know what you want and are waiting for A Vision that will inspire you, and in the meantime your employer&#x2F;clients occupy that place temporarily, in addition to providing you with a paycheck. Of course, waiting for the right wave to pick you up and sweep you into the future isn&#x27;t really satisfying and so you&#x27;re starting to feel burnout.<p>In short, it might be worth reviewing your idea of success and then looking at the things you&#x27;ve worked on so far and assessing which ones brought you closer or farther away from that. It could be your anxiety is rooted in uncertainty about where you&#x27;re going and the feeling of futility that accompanies just swimming along with the current and never arriving anywhere in particular.