How I’ve Driven 10 Years and 32,000 Rides—and Still Avoid Burnout

When I started driving back in 2015, I overdid it. I drove too much. I pushed too hard. My body broke down.

My mind focused solely on the work and shut out everything else. The money was good, but everything else faded into the background.

I wish I had taken time to breathe. I wish I had stepped back. Those early days of rideshare were golden. The streets were wide open. The pay was strong. Surge pricing was real. It was a glorious time, now gone.

Looking back, I should have smelled the roses. Or at least rolled down the window.

Background

This article is not about regret. It is about rhythm. About structure. About how to build a week that lets you keep going, year after year. It is not about pampering yourself. It is about staying sharp.

You cannot drive when you are dull. You cannot make good money when you are burned out. You lose your edge. You lose your joy. I know. I have been there. 

Here is how I stay sane, strong, and profitable.

This is my weekly structure. It has carried me through 32,000 rides. I offer it so you do not flame out like most do. You can make money and keep your life. You just need a plan.

Eight hours. 

That is the rule. After eight hours, I stop. I do not make exceptions. I do not push for one more ride. I go home.

I learned this the hard way. Years ago, in San Francisco, I consistently drove fourteen hours straight. On one winter night, around hour thirteen, I picked up a woman at a Fisherman’s Wharf hotel. 

She was a tourist, excited about being in San Francisco for the first time. She asked if she could crack the windows, and I could play some soft jazz. I snapped at her. I don’t remember the exact words, but I remember her face. I was dog tired and emotionally fried. 

I turned around and brought her back to the hotel so she could get another driver. 

That ride haunted me. It still haunts me.  A fatigued driver makes bad choices. And worse impressions. Now, eight hours is the max. I drive hard. I plan my time. But when I hit that line, I stop. That’s when the work is done.

Seize Your Freedom 

Use it. Have you ever pulled over just to feel the rain on your face? Or stopped the car to smell the wet grass at sunrise? I have. I still do.

A few weeks ago, I saw an orange sky rising over Bangkok. I stepped out onto my balcony and took a deep breath. I let the moment hit me. It changed my whole day.

You are not a machine. You are a person with eyes and a heart. Let your job feed you once in a while. Let yourself feel something.

Treat Yourself

Something small. Something good. My favorite is a taco at a local taco truck in Roseville, CA. Another favorite is a short latte from Starbucks. I park. I walk in. I sit for ten minutes. It is not just about the caffeine. It is a ritual. A reset.

A moment where I am not a driver. I am just a man enjoying a warm drink. This job will eat your soul if you let it. Give yourself something to look forward to—every day. Small joys add up.

Cities Full Of Secrets

Hidden gems. Dead zones. Power zones. But you have to find them. In my glory days in San Francisco, I could not believe the beauty I found just by wandering.

The Pacific at 7 a.m. Lombard Street with a wide-eyed tourist in the back seat. A bakery in the Richmond district, where I had the best croissant of my life.

I would never have known about these things if I had stayed in my usual zone. Now, every week, I pick one day to drive somewhere new. Different neighborhoods. New traffic patterns. Fresh energy. Exploring keeps the job alive.

Stick To Your Rituals

From wake-up to bedtime. I use Todoist. It is a free app you can load onto your phone.  Every task has a time. Every block has a purpose. I don’t wing it anymore. Winging it is for amateurs. Steve Jobs wore the same clothes every day.

He wanted to save his brain for the work that mattered. I get it now. I wake at the same time. Start the car at the same time. Same warm-up routine. Same wind-down. Structure beats burnout—every time.

Real Time Off

The best thing I do with my earnings is take time off. Real time off. Not just a day here or there. I mean a whole week. One thing I did do right, when I was a full-time driver, was take a week off and headed to Santorini, Greece.

No rides. No apps. No Uber. No Lyft. Just life, exotic and raw.  Right now, I am on a one-year sabbatical in Thailand. I already took a trip to Hanoi. I walked the streets. Ate strange fruit. Slept like a child.

Wrote stories. I am feeding my soul. Every few months, you need to step back. Recharge. Reset.

You come back stronger. Hungrier. Clearer. The rides and the money will still be there. Your health and peace may not.

Key Takeways

If this job is only about the bills, you will break. Tie your work to something meaningful. For me, it is travel. It is eating good food. It is sharing stories. It is building something deeper.

Every ride, every dollar, every shift—these are bricks in the house I am building. That gives me pride. That keeps me moving. Find your own reason. Make the work matter.

Burnout is not about working too much. It is about working without rhythm. Without purpose. Structure saves you. Discipline protects you. Variety wakes you up. Time off brings you back.

You do not need to hustle harder. You need to hustle smarter. This job can wear you down. Or it can build you up. The difference is how you “drive” the week.  Be safe out there.

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