[04:26] <gemunu_> Please
[04:26] <gemunu_> Hi all.Im doing my first php project using Eclipse IDE .Can anyone tel me what is JDBC
[12:35] <zee> quit
[18:32] <jono> burnout session in just under 30mins!
[18:32] <jono> :-)
[18:44] <jono> 15mins until the burnout session - be sure to have Lernid installed - http://www.jonobacon.org/2011/06/05/new-lernid-release-please-test/
[18:44] <pleia2> classbot will paste the URL of the slides at the beginning of the session and in the topic for folks who are just using regular IRC
[18:52] <wangerin> test
[19:00] <jono> hi everyone!
[19:00] <ClassBot> Slides for Burnout: Detecting it, avoiding it, preventing it - Jono Bacon: http://www.jonobacon.org/files/jonobacon-burnouttalk.pdf
[19:00] <jono> hi everyone and welcome to my session on burnout!
[19:00] <ClassBot> Logs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/06/09/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session.
[19:01] <jono> thanks to you all for joining me today to learn about what burnout is, how we can detect when it is happening, and importantly, how we can avoid it
[19:01] <jono> in this session I am going to run through a series of slides - you should Lernid for this session and you can see the slides
[19:01] <jono> please be sure to click the Session tab to see the slides
[19:01] <jono> you can also get the slides at http://www.jonobacon.org/files/jonobacon-burnouttalk.pdf
[19:02] <jono> also, as you can see from the slides and the older Ubuntu logo, this slide deck is a little old, but the information is still very much valid - I think many of you will find this a really insightful session into your own risks of burnout
[19:02] <jono> :-)
[19:02] <jono> I am going to deliver the presentation, and then we will have a Q+A at the end of the session
[19:03] <jono> but...before I go on, remember, I am not a doctor - I am sharing some personal experience and some information I learned, but you should always seek a doctor for medical advice...I am the last person you should listen to for medical consultation
[19:03] <jono> so, without further ado...let's roll!
[19:04] <jono> so, click the Session tab in Lernid, and let's go
[19:04] <jono> [SLIDE 2]
[19:04] <jono> so, let's look at an example of burnout
[19:04] <jono> me.
[19:04] <jono> I burned out once, and it sucked - it affected my professional life, my personal life, and my health
[19:05] <jono> I had been at Canonical for just over a year, and I just didn't feel myself
[19:05] <jono> I felt demotivated with work, unhappy in my relationship, but had no idea what to do to bring me the satisfaction I used to enjoy in my work and private life
[19:06] <jono> things felt quite empty
[19:06] <jono> I started snapping at people, getting behind on work, and bringing stress home - in a nutshell, things sucked
[19:06] <jono> really sucked
[19:06] <jono> having no knowledge of burnout and what it was, I was wandering around in the dark of my own psyche, and fortunately I figured it out
[19:07] <jono> some years later, while writing The Art of Community, I wanted to pass on some advice to help people not get into the same situation, and this is when I found an article
[19:07] <jono> [SLIDE 3]
[19:07] <jono> it was in the magazine MIND by Scientific American, and the article focused explicitly on the topic of burnout
[19:07] <jono> it talked about the same symptoms I had - the stress, the lack of motivation, the effect on my home life - it really resonated with me
[19:07] <jono> but then it painted the picture in a *really* interesting way
[19:08] <jono> [SLIDE 4]
[19:08] <jono> it talked about something called the 'burnout cycle'
[19:08] <jono> this cycle was a set of 12 stages that outlined the different elements of burnout
[19:09] <jono> each stage outlined the common symptoms and issues that happen as burnout progressively gets worse
[19:09] <jono> this is an important point - burnout often does get worse if you don't treat it - it doesn't always just go away, as such, knowing the stages help you to identify the problems and treat them
[19:09] <jono> while each stage progressively gets worse and worse, not everyone suffers from each stage - sometimes you may skip a stage
[19:10] <jono> fortunately I got over my burnout
[19:10] <jono> and now I understand why
[19:10] <jono> which is my inspiration for this session
[19:10] <jono> to help others not suffer the same issues
[19:10] <jono> today I am going to run through these different stages
[19:10] <jono> as I run through these stages, take a good, honest, hard look at yourself and see which stages apply to you - this could provide some insight into if you feel you are burning out
[19:11] <jono> this is an important point
[19:11] <jono> open up GEdit and note down which stages apply to you
[19:11] <jono> feel free to share them in the chat channel
[19:11] <jono> part of dealing with burnout is finding others to help you through it, including fellow sufferers
[19:12] <jono> let's start with stage #1
[19:12] <jono> [SLIDE 5]
[19:12] <jono> typically the first stage is a feeling of needing to demonstrate your value - maybe you don't feel other people see the good work you do
[19:13] <jono> at this point you may work a little more to show you are putting the hours in, or try and make certain people aware of some of the things you do to show your value
[19:13] <jono> at this stage insecurity is beginning to set in and you feel this urge to prove yourself
[19:13] <jono> [SLIDE 6]
[19:13] <jono> at stage #2 you start working longer and harder
[19:14] <jono> you are putting more and more hours in and starting feel increasingly tired
[19:14] <jono> you feel you need to prove your value as a hard worker, but you also feel like other people are not seeing the fullest extent of your work
[19:14] <jono> you still feel insecure in whether people know your full value...and whether you actually bring anything
[19:15] <jono> you also start finding it increasingly difficult to switch off - thoughts of your work keep springing into your head when in bed, in the shower, with loved ones etc
[19:15] <jono> you find yourself constantly checking your email, maybe sneaking off to check it when with friends or family
[19:15] <jono> [SLIDE 7]
[19:16] <jono> on to #3
[19:16] <jono> with all this extra work and longer hours, you start depriving yourself of important needs
[19:16] <jono> you sleep less, you start drinking a lot more coffee or inducing more caffeine
[19:17] <jono> you probably start eating crap and other unhealthy food
[19:17] <jono> while you can sustain a lack of sleep and bad nutrition for a while, you start feeling the effects of it - you feel stodgy and tired, and you start looking more to caffeine and other means to keep going
[19:17] <jono> with all this work you are also spending less time with your friends and family, but you play it off as "being really busy right now", and they generally go along with it
[19:17] <jono> [SLIDE 8]
[19:17] <jono> at #4 you start getting jittery and antsy
[19:18] <jono> your insecurities about what you are doing are worse than ever, and you start feeling paranoid that other people maybe don't have your best interests at heart
[19:18] <jono> with this insecurity and paranoia you feel threatened by some people...maybe your boss, your colleagues...
[19:18] <jono> in your own mind you know something is up...you feel shitty and stressed...but you dismiss at other things that are causing it - people...the company...they are the fault
[19:19] <jono> [SLIDE 9]
[19:19] <jono> we then get to #5
[19:19] <jono> this is when other people start getting worried about you
[19:19] <jono> your values start become to be skewed - it is easy to dismiss other non-work related elements in your life as "distraction from work", and you de-prioritize them
[19:20] <jono> you see your friends and family far less than you used to, and even when you do you just want to get back to work and not be with them - this adds to the frustration, the last thing you need is someone's birthday or baby shower with all this going on in your life
[19:20] <jono> you start viewing other things in your life as irrelevant - video games, movies, music...they all seem like things that you can't "justify the time for"
[19:21] <jono> work becomes your only focus...you start stressing about if you were to lose your job, how would you pay your mortgage?
[19:21] <jono> you are filled with stress about work, and the lack of friends and family time starts adding to the stress - people complain that they never see you, and your partner is getting frustrated with all of this
[19:21] <jono> [SLIDE 10]
[19:22] <jono> at stage #6 you really deny the issues that are happening to you - it is too painful to accept what is going on
[19:22] <jono> you start losing your temper more and more with people, you become intolerant and frustrated with your colleagues and friends
[19:22] <jono> you blame others for the problems that are going on - why don't people work as much as me? why don't these people get it? I haven't got time for all this nonsense!
[19:23] <jono> you start complaining and blaming others for the amount of work you have to do - you have too many emails, too many meetings, too many things to do and not enough time
[19:23] <jono> your lack of sleep and nutrition, and lack of stress-relieving time with friends, family and hobbies means the stress keeps mounting up
[19:23] <jono> [SLIDE 11]
[19:24] <jono> at stage #7 you are in a serious state of burnout
[19:24] <jono> you start to withdraw from friends and family more, you find yourself feeling more and and more depressed, and we probably start seeing more tears from you
[19:24] <jono> you feel this build-up of stress inside you and you feel you have to get rid of it - you feel constricted by it, but you don't know how to get rid of it
[19:24] <jono> unfortunately, this is when people can look to unhealthy avenues to relieve this stress - you might start drinking more, and possibly using drugs to help you relax
[19:25] <jono> [SLIDE 12]
[19:25] <jono> at stage #8 friends and family start some really erratic behavior from you
[19:25] <jono> you look tired, unhappy and disheveled
[19:25] <jono> people around you start becoming quite concerned - some colleagues and friends may talk to you about it and express their concerns
[19:26] <jono> at this point your manager may express concerns about productivity or even encourage your to take some time off
[19:26] <jono> [SLIDE 13]
[19:26] <jono> at stage #9 you feel completely worthless and feel like you bring little if any value
[19:27] <jono> you have a real lack of confidence and are filled with insecurity, and start believing that nothing can solve the problems you have
[19:27] <jono> life starts to feel mechanical and like a series of steps - you don't care about your work anymore, you get little pleasure from it
[19:27] <jono> at this stage you are feeling really depressed and like few options exist to relieve the depression
[19:28] <jono> [SLIDE 14]
[19:28] <jono> at stage #10 you feel lonely and empty - your friends and family see you less due to your erratic behavior
[19:29] <jono> you start indulging more and more in drink and drugs, and possibly in illicit activity such as escorts to relieve the tension
[19:29] <jono> your sleep is heavily disruptive, you are eating like crap, and likely overeating to help provide some comfort - as such, you may be putting more and more weight on, which adds to your issues of self-confidence
[19:29] <jono> [SLIDE 15]
[19:30] <jono> at this point you are suffering from serious depression
[19:30] <jono> you feel lost and unsure how to get back on track
[19:30] <jono> you are tired, feel beaten down, and feel like you threw away so many good things in your life
[19:30] <jono> the future feels pretty bleak - you don't see much of a way out of your current situation
[19:31] <jono> in a nutshell: life is crap right now
[19:31] <jono> [SLIDE 16]
[19:31] <jono> the final stage is the worst
[19:31] <jono> collapse
[19:32] <jono> this is often when people consider drastic solutions such as suicide
[19:32] <jono> you are on the verge of serious mental and physical exhaustion and problems
[19:32] <jono> so...that summarizes the different stages
[19:33] <jono> pretty depressing stuff as you get further down the line
[19:33] <jono> and it provides some insight of how much worse burnout can get as it progresses
[19:33] <jono> so, lets talk about solution
[19:33] <jono> s
[19:33] <jono> so, lets talk about solutions
[19:33] <jono> there is a simple solution to much of this
[19:33] <jono> [SLIDE 17]
[19:34] <jono> we are a *community*
[19:34] <jono> part of what we should do is make an awesome Ubuntu, but we need to look after each other too
[19:34] <jono> now you can see the stages of burnout, we should look for these stages in others too
[19:34] <jono> in many cases those who suffer burnout will not know that it is affecting them
[19:35] <jono> it is important for us to be able to see it in our friends and help them see it too
[19:35] <jono> so something you can *all* do is to help look out for these risks of burnout
[19:36] <jono> keep an eye for the symptoms in others and if you see something, having a private chat with them and sharing your feedback is a good thing to do
[19:36] <jono> a kind voice sharing some concerned words in a gentle way can often encourage people to tend to the issue when it is in the earlier stages
[19:37] <jono> if someone in our community is frustrated, shouting at people, and being erratic...remember, it might be burnout
[19:37] <jono> [SLIDE 18]
[19:37] <jono> so lets look at some guidance for different types of folks
[19:37] <jono> if you are a manager or leader:
[19:38] <jono> always provide support for your team
[19:38] <jono> a great manager (a) helps people be successful and (b) helps them be happy and comfortable in their work
[19:38] <jono> many managers focus on (a) and rarely look at (b)
[19:38] <jono> if a member of the team is burning out, be there for them as a friend as well as a manager
[19:38] <jono> help them to restructure their objectives
[19:39] <jono> and give them plenty of moral support
[19:39] <jono> I have seen this many times in my role as Ubuntu Community Manager - some folks just hanker after a pat on the back
[19:39] <jono> this validation can mean huge amounts for different people
[19:39] <jono> we all need validation
[19:40] <jono> I wrote a blog entry up about this at http://www.jonobacon.org/2009/07/30/on-validation/
[19:40] <jono> if you work in a team, such  as an Ubuntu community team, always be there to help your teammates deal with burnout
[19:41] <jono> also be there to help grow a team spirit - remember a lot of the earlier issues with burnout is people feeling insecure about their work
[19:41] <jono> help your teammates to feel like valued contributors and provide lots of validation
[19:42] <jono> if you are experiencing burnout yourself:
[19:42] <jono> always talk to your manager first
[19:42] <jono> share your concerns and feelings, reach out to him/her to help you solve them
[19:43] <jono> when you know you are burning out, enforce stricter work hours - don
[19:43] <jono> don
[19:43] <jono> argh
[19:43] <jono> don't get sucked into the "working longer" issue
[19:43] <jono> also take regular breaks and be sure to chill out away from work - on you games console, with friends/family, wherever
[19:44] <jono> [SLIDE 19]
[19:44] <jono> and that, my friends, wraps up the presentation
[19:44] <jono> we have 15mins for Q+A
[19:44] <jono> in Lernid, press the QUESTION button and ask questions
[19:44] <jono> oh, before I go on
[19:45] <jono> I have always been a firm believer that how you percieve problems and challenges can shape your success in life
[19:45] <jono> I wrote this up recently at http://www.jonobacon.org/2011/05/28/problems-open-doors-to-solutions/ - be sure to check it out
[19:46] <ClassBot> agoole asked: how do you deal with burnouts when your workplace is also your home ?
[19:46] <jono> agoole, I work from home too
[19:46] <jono> the risk of home-working is never stopping working
[19:47] <jono> I think it is really important that you separate out your work area - have a place where you work, and at the end of the day close it up and go back the following morning
[19:47] <jono> also be sure not to skip lunch and breaks
[19:47] <jono> lots of people do that (I did) and it screws them up
[19:47] <jono> I find a great solution is to have lunch and watch YouTube videos or TV when you eat
[19:47] <jono> it just helps you unwind a little
[19:47] <ClassBot> Almeneses asked: ¿What if I'm a student? ¿who to talk to?
[19:48] <jono> Almeneses, talk to your friends and also your teacher - teachers are often great at helping with these kinds of burnout issues
[19:48] <ClassBot> juank_prada41 asked: Thanks for this session Jono, I just have a question. What if burnout happens to your partner? what can you do about it?
[19:48] <jono> thanks juank_prada41!
[19:49] <jono> I have seen this with my wife before - first be a reassuring and friendly voice
[19:49] <jono> be there to know you are a team
[19:49] <jono> when my wife has a bit of burnout I reassure her that I am here for her and say we are "Team Bacon" and that we will solve it together
[19:50] <jono> reassurance but also helping your partner to understand the issues and bring clarity to them is important
[19:50] <ClassBot> There are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[19:50] <jono> it is also important that you don't lecture your partner and get on your high-horse, that can cause defensiveness - just be patient and be a listener with a focus on solutions
[19:50] <ClassBot> hannes57 asked: What can i do, to be more confident in making decisions? The hole time everything is working fine. but everytime i have to decide something, i won't be really sure doing the right thing.
[19:51] <jono> hannes57, decision-making is something that we learn as we get older - a lot of the work in decision-making is having your own confidence that you can make a decision
[19:51] <jono> a lot of decision makers feel insecure about screwing things up or not having the authority to make the decision
[19:52] <jono> build your self confidence first, and reassure yourself that you are the right person to make the decision
[19:52] <jono> you should read Making Things Happen - it is a great book on this kind of topic
[19:52] <jono> alright, we are out of questions!
[19:53] <ClassBot> iheartubuntu52 asked: Jono - How can one get all the things done, yet remain cool, calm, collected and not get burned out?
[19:53] <jono> iheartubuntu52, developing your own workflow is something that developers over the years - I recommend that you figure out who inspires you and learn from them
[19:53] <jono> I learned everything I know about my current workflow from other people
[19:54] <jono> and trial and error in seeing how it works
[19:54] <jono> you should also strive to develop a sensor in your brain for when you feel stressed
[19:54] <jono> alright, I think we are done
[19:54] <jono> thanks for the questions, folks!
[19:54] <jono> and thanks for joining me today!
[19:55] <jono> remember, "I got your back" -  let's be there for each other!
[19:55] <ClassBot> There are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[20:00] <ClassBot> Logs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/06/09/%23ubuntu-classroom.html