I’ve prototyped a lot of things in my life. Some projects turned into something useful – real tools that people actually use. Others… they just slowly faded. I’d try to force myself to keep going, telling myself, “Just push a little more, maybe it’ll click.” But it never did. No matter how much I tried, the spark was gone. I wasn’t excited. I wasn’t even tired – just stuck.
That’s when I came across something called boreout.
We talk a lot about burnout – being overwhelmed, doing too much, running on empty. But almost no one talks about boreout. That creeping, low-key dread that shows up when you’re doing the same tasks over and over – not because they’re hard, but because they’ve lost all meaning. You’re not exhausted from hustle – you’re just done… emotionally. Nothing excites you about your project anymore, and deep down, you’re wondering why you’re still building it.
Sometimes it’s not about the task being boring. Sometimes it’s your gut quietly saying, “this project isn’t going anywhere” or “you’ve outgrown this”. Maybe you’ve lost faith in it. Maybe the market never clicked. Maybe your curiosity moved on, and you’re afraid to admit it. That doesn’t make you lazy or flaky – it makes you human. And a solo founder with no one to delegate to … boreout kicks even harder.
You can try tricks – speedrun the boring tasks, find little ways to make work fun again. That can help … short-term. But if nothing sparks joy, no matter what you try, it might be time to ask yourself the harder questions: Do I still believe in this? Is this the thing I want to build for years? Or is this me holding on to something because I’m scared to let go?
Boreout isn’t just about needing a break. It’s your mind saying, “This chapter’s done.” And that’s not failure – that’s just the signal it’s time to write a new one.
I remember reading A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis not long ago. There was a section where Freud discussed his theories on dreams. He believed that dreams were your subconscious trying to communicate, using symbols and fragmented thoughts. Not always clear, not always logical – but meaningful. They were signals. You just had to find the right way to interpret them.
And I think boreout works the same way. It’s not always loud. It doesn’t shout. But it whispers in the quiet moments, nudging you during another lifeless call, tapping you on the shoulder while you’re staring blankly at your roadmap or closing a meaningless ticket.
It’s your creative self saying: “Hey, man, you’re not tired. You’re just done with this story.”
So maybe it’s time to stop fighting the feeling – and start listening.