The End of Burnout

by Jonathan Malesic

Info

Date Finished: 1/28/2026

First Sentence: Several years ago, instead of spending my mornings getting ready for my job as a college professor, I would lie in bed for hours repeatedly watching the video to "Don't Give Up," the English pop star Peter Gabriel's duet with Kate Bush.

Last Sentence: Let the machines burn out. We have better things to do.

Companion Album:

New Cover

A Few Thoughts

The End of Burnout validated my own experience with burnout. And it took me about two years to finish.

Some moments were so poignant, I had to put the book down to think. But I rarely had a desire to pick it back up.

It's a clear-eyed diagnosis of how and why burnout is so pervasive. But, like most self-helpish books, I left it thinking "Well... what now?" Not sure what I can actually do about burnout long-term, but at least I don't feel alone.

Cover Notes

Wanted to go for a distressed Risograph style for this one, but ended up banging my head against the wall. Went with a quick fix using the Toner plugin in Figma. The layout is inspired by this old Jack Nicholson poster. Hand with the match is from this old matchbox that I traced. At least I got a little better with Figma's pen tool!