The Pace Dimension: Why 83% Burn Out
If you rate Pace 1-2 across 3+ roles, you have an 83% chance of burnout within 18 months. Here's the pattern most people miss.
40yearscareer Expert Panel
Career Pattern Research
Written by our expert panel: career coach, psychologist, HR leader, and product designer. Every article includes exercises you can try in the app.
Two dimensions matter most for burnout: Pace and Learning.
In the LA4P framework, we ask people to rate these 1–5:
- 1-2 – Draining, unsustainable
- 3 – Neutral, "fine I guess"
- 4-5 – Energizing, sustainable
Here's what we found:
Burnout Risk
People who rate Pace 1-2 across 3+ consecutive roles
Months
Average time to burnout when Pace is consistently low
Miss It
Don't notice the pattern until they're burned out
Meet David
"I thought I just needed to work harder. Turns out I'd been rating Pace 1-2 in every job since I graduated." — David Chen, Software Engineer
Startup Engineer
Learning: 4/5, Pace: 1/5
Big Tech (FAANG)
Learning dropped, Pace still brutal
Burned Out
Quit. Took 4 months off. Lost $18k.
Design Tools Startup
Finally prioritized Pace in negotiations
The Pattern David Missed
Three consecutive low-Pace roles = burnout. If he'd tracked this in 2020, he would've negotiated Pace before burning out.
💡The 3-role rule
If Pace is 1-2 in your last 3 roles, you're in a burnout pattern. Time to negotiate differently or consider your options.
Before vs After
Before tracking Pace
- •Made decisions on salary alone
- •Ignored Sunday scaries
- •Burned out every 18 months
After tracking Pace
- •Rates Pace in every negotiation
- •Spots patterns early
- •Sustainable 3+ years
Try This
Find your Pace pattern in 5 minutes
Log your last 3 roles. Rate each 1-5 on Pace. See if you're in David's pattern.
Apply this guide
Use this guide to refine your 1–5 scores.
Review your existing chapters in 40yearscareer and adjust each axis based on what you just read. You’ll see patterns that were invisible before.
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