Get the Joy Back

We've all been there. Stuck in the doldrums of going through the motions and just not in it anymore. Where you used to have fun building cool things, now you're just stuck in a rut and just don't care anymore. That spark you had that got you into learning how to code, design, connect with people, and hone your craft is gone – the flame has finally sputtered out.

How do you get it back?

Work Sucks Sometimes

First, recognize that work just sucks sometimes. "By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread" is as true in 2024 as it was when those words were first written down. That job you got writing code, building products, doing real estate deals – whatever it is – you probably got it because at some point you thought you might enjoy doing that kind of work for decades of your life. But like with most things, there comes a point when it's not fun and you're stuck doing dull activities. Who doesn't love documenting bugs, sifting through legal docs, or fulfilling SDLC requirements?

You gotta pay bills, so sometimes you gotta do the stuff that sucks. And that's okay.

Bring back the Spark

Why did you get into this in the first place? Was it the stimulation of learning new things? Seeing things in a way no one else saw them?

I love building things. I've mostly worked product roles, but over the last few years I've gotten the itch to not only design a solution to a user problem, but to build it too. That's helped me get the spark back in a big way. Bored at work? Just build something useful. It could be a tool that helps me with my day job. It could be a side project that you hope may see the light of day one day. Sometimes, the thing that helps me the most is to build something no one but me may ever see. Something that let's me try a new language, a new library, or a new set of tools. Something that I don't have to answer to anyone if it doesn't work out, that I can just leave in a big pile of buggy mess once I scratch the itch.

Who knows? Maybe you'll stumble across something that makes your day job less – well, sucky.

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