In our modern world, we’ve become obsessed with achievement and productivity. Yay, capitalism. We’re constantly chasing success, optimizing our lives, and striving to be our “best selves” with YouTube gurus and high school understandings of Stoicism. However, this relentless pursuit of achievement leads to widespread burnout and depression.

South Korean-born philosopher Byung-Chul Han explores this phenomenon in
“The Burnout Society.” He argues that we’ve transitioned from a “disciplinary society” focused on obedience to an “achievement society” driven by an imperative to succeed. This is a fancy way of disagreeing with a kinky bald French guy who argued that we lived in a disciplinary society of punishing certain behaviors. Han argues that we now live in a society where people internalize the drive to achieve and do their own self-flagellation with Excel sheets. In the past, external forces controlled and constrained us. Now, we’ve internalized those pressures. We’ve become “entrepreneurs of ourselves,” willingly exploiting our own time and energy in the name of productivity. We say “yes” to everything, convinced that nothing is impossible if we just work hard enough.

This mindset leads to what Han calls “compulsive freedom.” This is the self-imposed obligation to maximize our achievements. We’re no longer competing against others, but against ourselves in an endless race of self-optimization. The result? Burnout, depression, and a hollowing out of the self. But also a lot of efficiency, the thriving of capitalism, and great little workers.

Han also notes “hyperattention,” a state more suited to wild animals constantly on alert than to thoughtful human beings. We’ve lost the ability to focus deeply or contemplate, frantically processing a never-ending stream of information. Our attention has become fragmented as we constantly multitask and jump between stimuli. In “Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers: The Acclaimed Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Diseases, and Coping,” Robert Sapolski explains how prolonged stress leads to physical and mental health issues like heart disease and depression, and offers practical advice for managing stress responses.

So how do we resist this culture of burnout? Han suggests we need to rediscover the value of deep attention and contemplation. We should welcome boredom back into our lives, resist constant stimulation, and give our minds space to breathe. This is an old thought from Søren Kierkegaard. Instead of optimizing every moment, we need to make room for leisure and cultivation of the self.

Ultimately, Han argues that our relentless self-exploitation is an attempt to fill an inner void. But hyperactivity and achievement can never truly fill that emptiness. Only by slowing down and rediscovering how to think deeply can we find a more fulfilling way of being. In a world that demands constant activity, choosing to pause, reflect, and sometimes do nothing at all may be our most radical act of resistance against burnout culture. Perhaps it’s time we measure our worth not by what we achieve, but by our capacity for contemplation and our cultivation of a rich inner life. Or not. Whatever.