The Wake-Up Call
It was 2 AM on a Saturday. I was debugging a data pipeline that had crashed… again. My coffee had gone cold, my eyes burned, and I suddenly realized - I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen my friends, called my parents, or even watched a sunset.
That night, something had to change.
The Toxic Culture I Fell Into
The Hustle Trap
In tech, especially in Vietnam’s growing tech scene, there’s immense pressure to:
- Work 60+ hour weeks
- Be available 24/7
- Side hustle on weekends
- Constantly upskill after hours
I bought into it all. “Sleep when you’re dead,” right? Wrong.
The Cost of “Always On”
- Health: Gained 15kg in a year
- Relationships: Friends stopped inviting me out
- Mental State: Anxiety became my constant companion
- Creativity: Burned out, producing mediocre work
- Joy: Forgot why I loved tech in the first place
The Journey to Balance
Step 1: Admitting the Problem
The hardest part was acknowledging that working harder wasn’t working smarter. My productivity was actually declining with longer hours.
Step 2: Setting Boundaries
- Work Hours: 9 AM - 6 PM, period.
- On-Call Schedule: Rotated with team, not always me
- Weekend Rule: Saturdays for life, Sundays for rest
- Vacation: Actually taking them, phone off
Step 3: Morning Routine Revolution
Instead of checking Slack immediately:
- 6:00 AM: Wake up, no phone
- 6:30 AM: Exercise or walk
- 7:00 AM: Breakfast with family
- 7:30 AM: Read or meditate
- 8:30 AM: NOW check work messages
This changed everything.
What Work-Life Balance Looks Like for Me Now
A Typical Day
- Morning: Focused deep work on complex problems
- Lunch: Actually leaving my desk, often meeting friends
- Afternoon: Meetings, collaboration, lighter tasks
- Evening: Gym, dinner with friends/family, hobbies
- Night: Reading, learning (for fun, not just work)
Weekends in Da Nang
Living in this beautiful coastal city and actually enjoying it:
- Saturday mornings: Beach walks or motorcycle rides
- Saturday afternoons: Coffee with friends (shoutout to Thuong!)
- Sundays: Family time, cooking, complete digital detox
The Productivity Paradox
Here’s what surprised me: working less made me MORE productive.
Quality Over Quantity
- Before: 60 hours/week, constantly tired
- After: 40-45 hours/week, fully energized
- Result: Delivering better work in less time
Creative Solutions
Rest gives your brain space to process. My best solutions now come during:
- Morning runs
- Coffee with friends
- Random shower thoughts
- Weekend motorcycle rides
Building a Support System
Friends Who Get It
Finding friends who understand the tech life but also value balance. Like Thuong, who’ll code with you but also drag you out for coffee when you need a break.
Family Understanding
Explaining to family that “staring at a computer” is actually work, but also showing them it doesn’t have to consume my life.
Team Culture
Advocating for balance at work:
- No late-night message expectations
- Respecting vacation time
- Celebrating efficiency, not hours worked
- Mental health days are real sick days
Practical Tips That Work
Time Management
- Pomodoro Technique: 25 min focus, 5 min break
- Time Blocking: Calendar includes “life” blocks
- Batch Processing: Emails 2x daily, not constantly
- Async Communication: Not everything needs immediate response
Energy Management
- Peak Hours: Complex work when I’m sharpest (mornings)
- Energy Matching: Easy tasks when tired
- Real Breaks: Walk, don’t scroll
- Power Naps: 20 minutes can save 2 hours
Boundary Setting
- Separate Devices: Work laptop stays at work (or work area)
- Communication: Clear out-of-office messages
- Emergency Definition: Real emergencies are rare
- No Guilt: Your time off is earned, not stolen
The Vietnamese Context
Cultural Challenges
In Vietnam, there’s often expectation to:
- Stay late to show dedication
- Attend all team dinners/drinks
- Be available for boss anytime
Finding Middle Ground
- Delivering excellent results earns flexibility
- Being present and engaged when at work
- Building trust through consistency
- Respectfully maintaining boundaries
Hobbies That Saved My Sanity
Rediscovering Life Outside Code
- Photography: Da Nang’s beauty through a lens
- Cooking: Vietnamese dishes and experimenting
- Motorbiking: Hai Van Pass on weekends
- Beach Volleyball: Tech friends, non-tech activity
- Reading: Fiction, not just technical books
The Impact on My Career
Worried that balance would hurt my career? The opposite happened:
- Better Problem Solving: Fresh mind = creative solutions
- Leadership Recognition: Sustainable pace = consistent delivery
- Team Respect: Modeling healthy behavior
- Career Growth: Promoted while working fewer hours
Mental Health Matters
Recognizing Burnout Signs
- Cynicism about work
- Physical exhaustion
- Emotional detachment
- Declining performance
- Health issues
Getting Help
- Therapy isn’t weakness
- Meditation apps really help
- Exercise is medicine
- Sleep is non-negotiable
- Friends are therapy too
Advice for Fellow Engineers
Start Small
Don’t overhaul everything at once:
- Pick one boundary to set
- Stick to it for a month
- Add another
- Build momentum
Communicate Clearly
- Tell your team about your boundaries
- Explain how it helps your productivity
- Be consistent
- Respect others’ boundaries too
Remember Your Why
Why did you get into tech? For me:
- Solving interesting problems
- Building cool things
- Making good money
- Having a good LIFE
That last one matters most.
The Ongoing Journey
Balance isn’t a destination; it’s daily choices:
- Some weeks require more work
- Some projects demand extra hours
- But these are exceptions, not rules
To My Fellow Vietnamese Tech Workers
Our industry is demanding, but our lives are precious. You can be excellent at your job AND have a life. You can build amazing data pipelines AND watch sunsets. You can debug complex problems AND debug your life.
The code will be there tomorrow. Life is happening now.
Writing this from a beachside café in Da Nang, laptop closed, coffee hot, sunset beautiful. This is balance.
Remember: You are not your job. You are a complete person who happens to work in tech.