I burned out twice in my AI career. Both times, I saw it coming and ignored the signs.

First time: working 14-hour days for three months straight on a defense project. I told myself it was temporary. It wasn't. My code quality dropped. My decision-making got worse. I started making mistakes I'd never normally make.

Second time: trying to keep up with every new model, framework, and paper while delivering client work. The FOMO was crushing. I felt like I was falling behind every day.

What fixed it both times: hard boundaries. No work after 7 PM. One day per weekend completely offline. Accepting that I can't know everything — and that's fine.

The AI field moves fast enough to make anyone feel inadequate if they let it. The engineers who last aren't the ones who work the most hours. They're the ones who protect their recovery time.

If you're reading this at midnight after a full day of work — close the laptop. The model will still be there tomorrow. Your health might not be if you keep this up.