Lockdown has been similar to the PhD in terms of risk of burnout from uncertainty+lack of control. I don& #39;t talk about it much because there are bigger problems in the world, but I& #39;ve been pretty deliberate about reenaging my burnout prevention mechanisms from my PhD. Thread: https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👇" title="Rückhand Zeigefinger nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Rückhand Zeigefinger nach unten"> https://twitter.com/addysbaird/status/1305612577402171395">https://twitter.com/addysbair...

One of the biggest things I& #39;ve learned to do in the face of unending uncertainty is to anchor to measurable progress. When it feels like there& #39;s little progress in the outside world re: COVID, I& #39;ve been focusing on side projects, like @zoombachelor and growing an indoor garden.

Setting up a good support network is also key. During my PhD, I worked hard to surround myself with people who got what I was going through and also took my mind off my stressors. During the pandemic I& #39;ve also put the work in to reach out and nurture these virtual connections.

Another big thing I learned about avoiding burnout was to create spaces where I could really clear my head. During my PhD, this was going to yoga and seeing friends outside of CS. In lockdown, it& #39;s been doing virtual non-work projects (like JeanDate) and getting offline.

Something hard about the last few months is that doing non-work things is usually the way to clear my head about work, but all non-work routines have had to change and are often stressful. To fight this I& #39;ve been putting in a lot of up-front work to optimize new routines.

Here& #39;s a big lesson I learned in grad school that may be helpful to people trying to avoid pandemic burnout. When it feels like the world is ending, passive relaxation doesn& #39;t work. You need to transport your mind somewhere else—and routinely. Figure out what it takes to do this.