When I was a producer for NPR’s All Things Considered, I was in my early 20s and swiping through dating apps daily. It was exhausting, almost like a second job. I thought dating would be a reprieve from the burnout I was experiencing from work, but actually…it was contributing to it. I wanted to explore that connection, so I pitched this story.

I wandered through downtown Washington D.C. on a Tuesday night, boom mic in hand, popping in and out of neighborhood bars, interviewing people who use dating apps. It was weird, hilarious and super fun. I chuckled at everyone eyeing my over-ear headphones and bulky radio equipment, smushed up against yuppies in collard shirts with full steins in hand. To my delight, people were very willing to share their stories. I even found a couple on a first date who had met online.

I also interviewed Anne Helen Peterson, a writer and journalist who wrote a viral article about burnout for Buzzfeed in 2019. According to her, burnout is not exhaustion you can fix with vacation. Instead, she calls burnout society's base temperature. We turn things that aren't work into work. Her interview served as the story’s the structural backbone.

The piece went through roughly 20 rounds of edits prior to becoming live radio ready. I reported, wrote, narrated, scored and cut the final product.