I’m burnt out and leaving academia. How do I finish my PhD?

The problem Dear Nature , I’m a particle physicist in the third year of my PhD programme in Central Europe. When I began working in academia, I was really motivated, interested and passionate about doing research. I wanted to become a professor and build a successful career in my field. Over the past few years, I’ve pushed myself hard, sometimes working 10 or 11 hours a day, five or six days a week. For months, I didn’t realize that I was burnt out, but looking back, the signals were there. …