Starting a new project feels good. Everyone’s keen, ideas are flowing, and the first couple of weeks go by quickly. Then halfway into it, things start to shift.
The middle phase of a long build is hard. Deadlines are missed, features take longer than expected, and the energy that was there at the start slowly fades. All of a sudden, the work isn’t exciting anymore, it just feels like hard work. And this is where burnout will start to creep in. Not tiredness, but actual burnout, the kind that makes people not want to open their laptops in the morning. The kind that can even cause good people to walk away.
I thought being passionate about the idea was enough. It isn’t. Energy needs to be intentionally managed.
Here’s what I learned:
1. Recognise fatigue early
Notice when someone has started dropping balls on minor things… Or when decision-making starts taking an eternity.
From my experience, I’ve seen people start making mistakes they’d normally catch. I’ve also noticed team members frequently apologising, ‘Sorry, missed that.’ When that phrase keeps popping up, it’s a sign for the team to pause and ask: What’s really going on?
Don’t assume it is just a “busy week.” Sometimes, it is the start of the downward slide.
2. Prioritise fundamental well-being daily
Sleep. Food. Rest. These are the building blocks. Even small wins count – a healthy meal, a walk outside, screens shut off. They build up.
One Redditor made a change: health tasks in the morning, work after. It wasn’t perfect every day, but it was enough to stop burnout from catching up.
3. Schedule time for rest in the build timeline
Build in a buffer week between large milestones or declare “no meetings” days or weeks. One Redditor mentioned that their team usually works very hard for months and then builds in a pause. It helps everyone reset their mental load.
Real weekends matter. Not “low commitment”, but actually getting away.
4. Share the responsibility and have trust in others
If the majority of the work is being done by one or two people, it spells burnout.
Here is one story: a CTO felt trapped delivering everything because the knowledge existed inside their head. That is the thing, if the knowledge is in one person’s head, then the rest of the system is dependent on them, which is frightening. Delegation, splitting responsibilities and cross-training help.
The trust aspect. Allow people to step into roles. To make mistakes. To lead.
When people are not trusted to own responsibilities, it can create uncertainty and dependence. Teams wait for permission to take action, which leads to delays. When we trust people to take on roles, make mistakes, and lead, that’s how capacity develops and systems build resilience.
5. Continuously remind people why you’re all doing this
- Remind folks why the build was even started in the first place.
- What is the change you want to see?
- Who do you want to help?
When the energy is falling off a cliff, it is hard to find meaning. One Redditor wrote: “Too much work and not enough progress or positive feedback.” That feeling of, “Are we doing this just to do it?” is toxic.
6. Set clear and early expectations
Be clear about workload, hours, and uncertainty. Do not sell the myth of rapid rise + no pain. People burn out not because of the idea, but because what was expected (hours, work, pace) did not match what was communicated or assumed. When people start expecting one thing and experience another, frustration sets in.
I thought I’d share a story:
A few months ago, a friend (he’s the dev lead) shared the story of their startup while in the middle of building it. They were sprinting for 3 months, had 2 big features left, and team morale started to slip with late nights, weekend catch-ups, and lots of small, but more frequent mistakes from people. One Thursday afternoon, someone said, “I can’t remember the last time I looked forward to Monday.” This was the red flag.
They stopped. The lead cancelled that weekend’s work and made Friday a no-meeting, no-work day. Had everyone write down one thing that was draining them and one thing they still enjoyed about the project. The next week, they got together and rebalanced tasks, removed one feature from their scope, and handed over ownership of a piece of work that they previously would have done by themselves to someone else. It hasn’t solved it all at once, but it appears people feel like they have been seen.
They stopped apologising for the small stuff that they had missed because they were tired. They found the tiniest spark back.
It was small, messy, imperfect, but it meant something.
I don’t have the perfect answer. No one does. Every team is different. But I’ve learnt this: people give up because they’re exhausted, not heard or can’t see the point anymore. It’s on us, the founders, the leaders, the teammates, to look after the energy in the room. Because a project can survive delays, a team can’t survive if they’re burnt out by the time it’s done.
Sasha Reid is the founder and CEO of Hyper, an Australian startup studio helping founders validate, launch and grow startups. Since 2015, he has worked with over 1,500 founders across AI, SaaS, fintech and consumer tech.
