HAIRMERGENCY!
2018-11-13 · letter vlog · John · 3:46 · watch on YouTube
Topic: Everyday life (also: Personal life) · mode: Personal essay
Sporting a 'level 1 hairmergency', John compares his haircut cycle, always fine until it suddenly isn't, to burnout: adding projects feels doable until he is suddenly overwhelmed and less productive; he suggests acknowledging it, prioritizing important relationships, and resolves to book his next haircut in advance.
What is said
The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).
00:00:00 — The level 1 hairmergency and John's haircut cycle
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★★ John says he has a 'level 1 hairmergency', though four days earlier, at his last Vlogbrothers video, his hair was at most a level 8 or 10 situation. (playful) — 00:00:00
“level 1 hairmergency”
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★★ John says this happens every time: great right after a haircut, good enough for a long time, then one morning a critical situation that cannot wait. (playful) — 00:00:20
- ★★ John knows he could prevent the cycle by saying yes when the receptionist offers to book his next appointment right after a haircut, but he always says no. — 00:00:37
00:00:58 — Burnout arrives like a hairmergency: overcommitting, overwhelm, optimism about future selves, and what helps
- ★★★ John says he has the same problem with burnout: he thinks he has time for another thing, such as a podcast reviewing facets of the human-centered planet, a book club or a new novel. — 00:01:05 · occupational burnout, The Anthropocene Reviewed (podcast)
- ★★ John says he really likes all his jobs and, privileged not to need to work, is sure of it: he chooses to work and wants it to have value because paying attention to the world outside himself is useful to him. — 00:01:35
- ★★★ John says that as he adds things, everything feels doable, just as his hair seems under control, until suddenly he has a level one burnout emergency. — 00:01:56 · occupational burnout
- ★★★ John says burnout is harder to fix than a haircut: overwhelmed, he becomes less productive, since being overwhelmed is time-consuming; burnout inspires exhausted fatalism, not productivity. — 00:02:10 · occupational burnout
- ★★★ John says he can't see burnout coming; when it arrived recently he was gobsmacked by how much there was to do, though he had scheduled it that way. — 00:02:33 · occupational burnout
- ★★ John thinks this happens to many people: current you imagines future you will be slightly more productive and energetic than you are now. (hedged) — 00:02:45
- ★★ John says that optimism has fueled the human story, like people sailing an ocean with no visible end in tiny wooden boats, trusting future selves to solve the problems. (playful) — 00:02:55 · optimism
- ★★★ John thinks it helps to acknowledge feeling overwhelmed, prioritize the most important relationships and remember what matters, which is not whether The Anthropocene Reviewed comes out on time. (hedged) — 00:03:08 · The Anthropocene Reviewed (podcast)
- ★★ John says that when the receptionist asks, he will say yes to scheduling his next hair appointment, and will try to pay better attention so he can intervene earlier. — 00:03:28
In the description and comments
- ★★ The description says John feels really overwhelmed and a bit burnt out, but also tremendously supported, and knows he can take breaks when needed. — video description · occupational burnout
- ★★ The description says John feels this way going into the Project for Awesome every year, so he should not be surprised, yet always is. — video description · Project for Awesome
- ★★★ John writes that although he has anxiety problems, viewers needn't worry this is part of a larger thing: he is stressed because too much is happening, not falling into 'the tightening gyre' — he thinks. (hedged) — video description · occupational burnout
Humor (significant)
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Calling his stylist to insist his haircut cannot wait until Thursday — 00:00:29
“I look like an elderly porcupine.”
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Ten weeks after confidently declining to book another haircut, he wakes up one morning — 00:00:58
“look in the mirror, and there's Doc Brown.”
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After explaining that burnout inspires exhausted fatalism — 00:02:26
“Also, I forget to schedule haircuts.”
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After praising sailors who set out over the edge of the world — 00:02:55
“Well, I'm not going sailing, that's for sure.”
Threads in this video
- first use · John's 'hairmergency': hair that suddenly needs an emergency haircut, his analogy for burnout (2018) — John says he has a 'level 1 hairmergency', though four days earlier, at his last Vlogbrothers video, his hair was at most a level 8 or 10 situation. (00:00:00)
- restate · What is work for, and how much should people work? — John says burnout is harder to fix than a haircut: overwhelmed, he becomes less productive, since being overwhelmed is time-consuming; burnout inspires exhausted fatalism, not productivity. (00:02:10)
- told · John's burnout after taking on new projects (2018) — John says he can't see burnout coming; when it arrived recently he was gobsmacked by how much there was to do, though he had scheduled it that way. (00:02:33)
- promised · John: say yes when the salon receptionist offers to schedule his next hair appointment (2018) — John says that when the receptionist asks, he will say yes to scheduling his next hair appointment, and will try to pay better attention so he can intervene earlier. (00:03:28)
Where the stories that moved here went next
- John's 'hairmergency': hair that suddenly needs an emergency haircut, his analogy for burnout (2018) — running joke (last seen 2021); last: callback, 2021-02-23
- John: say yes when the salon receptionist offers to schedule his next hair appointment (2018) — open (updates through 2018, not reported done); last: progress update, 2018-11-20
- John's burnout after taking on new projects (2018) — told 2×, last update 2019
Mentioned
Central: occupational burnout
Also: Emmett Brown · Life's Library · optimism · The Anthropocene Reviewed (podcast)
Only in the description or credits: anxiety disorder · Project for Awesome
Later videos replying to this one
- 2018-11-16 · Doing This Makes Me Happy, but Maybe it Doesn't' Seem that Way? (Hank) — continues — “Thanks for a very good video. Uh, reminding me to- schedule a haircut.” (00:00:00)