Re: GSoC 2020 update: July 25

[Jean Abou Samra]

Le 26/07/2020 à 10:23, Owen Lamb a écrit :

> Well, of all the new things I'm experiencing in this job, I'm starting to
> experience burnout. With just about a month left, though, I know I need to
> keep at it. If you're the praying type, I wouldn't mind if you sent a few
> my way! In the meantime, I'm going to try to get a healthy work/rest
> schedule going.
>
> Thanks,
> Owen

Hi Owen,

This reminds me of the Python developer's guide:

  Burn-out is common in open source due to a misunderstanding of what 
users, contributors, and maintainers should expect from each other.

Having watched your project from the early days, I see that you are 
being extremely serious about it. While I do not understand what you 
talk about in your e-mails, the amount of details given as well as the 
discussions with developers clearly indicate you're working hard.

Working without seeing each other in real life isn't simple, because you 
get little feedback about how others perceive your work, so I figured I 
would send this message to tell you that your commitment in this project 
is patently impressive and very much appreciated.

I guess you need to set the expectations on yourself so as to lower the 
pressure; in fact, even when paid, working on a Free and open source 
software project is volunteering, which entails that the primary 
motivation for all this is and should remain pleasure.

My two cents now: take a real break. Set LilyPond aside for, say, three 
days. Go hiking with your friends, see you grand-parents, play bowling, 
whatever lets you talk with people you enjoy and have fun. The most 
important thing is: let your laptop sleep (if you're receiving 
lilypond-devel e-mail on your phone, go to your subscription page and 
turn off mail delivery while you're having a break; this feature is 
essential for my own rest at the very least).

The other thing is to reflect now about the end of your project. 
Wondering what you'll need to do next week is great, but puts you at 
risk of getting overwhelmed. What needs to be done in the end? Then keep 
planning, going back in time, and you'll probably find that overall, 
you're in a good schedule. I anticipate that six bullet points to tick 
is going to be too much for a single week, which could leave you 
frustrated. By setting such a schedule, you will do the same work, but 
you will work more peacefully-minded.

At the piano, when I have spent two months working on a piece, I find it 
useful to set it aside for two weeks, then come back to it for about 
four weeks. It's a surprising experience. The day you play it again, you 
got some distance with it and you start another round of maturing your 
perspective. What I mean is that taking a bit of rest is not only 
necessary for your well-being, but can also benefit to your project.

Well, hope I'm not being too nanny-ish, but I just felt like this could 
help.

Best regards,
Jean