We often think of burnout as a personal problem caused by poor time management, weak boundaries, or an inability to cope.

However, as philosopher Byung-Chul Han argues, burnout is systemic. Not just a flaw in the system, but a central feature. It is embedded in the expectation that we must do everything faster, better and with ever-greater output.

It is the outcome of effort no longer being externally demanded but internally enforced.

We no longer require a boss to make us work harder or ensure we are not slacking. We tell ourselves. We optimise, self-monitor and hustle, not because someone is watching, but because we believe this is what autonomy looks like.

We have placed ourselves in the panopticon and convince ourselves we are not confined but free.

However, this sense of being free is the freedom to work endlessly. It is a trap disguised as choice. We are simultaneously the worker and boss, where we are left to strain under the weight of our own expectations.

This is a type of “self-exploitation,” and it is exhausting.

Burnout, therefore, is not laziness or failure, but the inevitable result of being unable to turn off. When rest feels like falling behind, everything must inevitably be a performance that generates value, whether that be from your job, hobby, or personality. Under such conditions, life starts to resemble a series of metrics that are always slightly beyond your reach.

Of course, the modern world encourages this.

Our devices keep us always available, while social media platforms reward constant engagement and content creation. Productivity tools, or the latest influencer hack, promise that with the proper routine, we can squeeze even more out of each hour.

But more is never enough.

Amid this overstimulation, we have lost the ability to pay deep attention. Our minds scatter between tabs, tasks and timelines. Like animals scanning for predators, we move fast and look wide, but never stay still.

We never stop to think deeply, or just be.

The way out is not a new app or a better workflow. It is something quieter and more difficult. It is slowness, stillness and solitude. It is the courage to stop optimising and start attending.

We must learn to welcome boredom, not as a failure, but as a space where we can notice, reflect, and ultimately recover something easily lost in a world of speed: ourselves.

Burnout is not simply about doing too much. It is about forgetting how to do nothing. It is losing touch with the life that waits for us when we stop trying to prove ourselves.

We do not need to become more efficient. We only need to become more human.