🧠 Coding on Vibes Alone Is Not Sustainable
You ever start building something cool — something you're passionate about — and then halfway through, you just… hit a wall? That’s been me lately.
I’ve been grinding away on a project that’s meant a lot to me. No, I’m not going to tell you what it is — not because I’m trying to be mysterious, but because I’m trying to protect it from being sniped while it’s still half-baked. But trust me, it’s something that solves a real-world problem and could make people’s lives easier.
The problem? I started building it on pure vibes.
That early momentum? Fueled by late-night inspiration, bursts of excitement, and way too much coffee. I made a lot of progress fast. But vibes aren’t sustainable. They don’t debug Firestore permission errors at 2am. They don’t maintain motivation when things break for the third time in a row and nothing makes sense. They don’t help when your brain is fried and your burnout is nipping at your heels.
Burnout Doesn’t Always Look Like Lying in Bed
Sometimes burnout looks like pushing through every day, even when nothing is working and your body is screaming for rest. Sometimes it’s not that you hate the project — it’s that you’ve been forcing productivity out of guilt or fear of falling behind.
And when the only fuel you’re running on is vibes, there’s no backup tank when that crashes.
Lessons I’m Learning the Hard Way:
🧱 Structure beats inspiration.
Vibe coding might get you started, but sustainable projects need plans, schedules, and rest.
🧠 Smart brains still need sleep.
No amount of passion will protect you from cognitive fatigue. You need breaks. You need fun. You need food.
🔐 Protect your vision, but don’t isolate.
I’ve kept quiet about the details of my project, and I still will — but I’ve realized that working alone in a vacuum just compounds the burnout.
💬 Sometimes you need to vent, not quit.
Posts like this aren’t a cry for help — they’re a pressure release valve. Burnout thrives in silence. This is me punching back.
If you’re building something right now and hitting that wall — I see you. It’s okay to take a break. It’s okay to pivot. Just don’t let the silence convince you that the work wasn’t worth starting.
I’m still building. Just a little slower. With more coffee. And less guilt.
🤔 Question for You:
What’s a new tool that you’ve tried to use to build something that burned you out, and how did you get past it (or did you)?
Let’s talk in the comments. Maybe we can crowdsource a little sanity.
DANCING THE BURNOUT AWAY:
