Issue 29

July 16, 2024

4 Ways to Get Reinspired at Work

Have you ever felt stuck or uninspired in your career?

I've gone through phases like this before. And it can be challenging to get through them. I spent some time thinking about what I did to get unstuck during these times.

I want to share four actions that you can take to get reinspired at work. These worked for me and I'm sure they'll work for you.

Learn something new

One of the best ways to reinvigorate your job and career is to learn something new.

What's great about this is that the knowledge you gain is yours to keep. It can help you with your day job and beyond.

Let's say you learn a new programming language. You can use that knowledge in your current role, side projects, and future jobs.

Professional development budgets are a popular benefit for software engineers. Think of this as a college scholarship. This is money for your education and it's completely free.

I've used professional development budgets to buy books and online courses. I've also gone to some amazing conferences during my career.

Conferences are like mini vacations. You can immerse yourself in the subject matter without any distractions. And you can visit a new city and meet new people.

Whenever I attend a conference, I return to work excited to use my newfound knowledge and share it with my team.

Get out of your comfort zone

When you're in your comfort zone, it's easy to stay there. This is fine from time to time, but not all the time. If you stay in your comfort zone too long, you don't get challenged or motivated to grow.

One way to renew your passion for your job is to get out of your comfort zone. Seek new projects and responsibilities that seem a little scary at the start. This will help you get new skills and help you grow.

If your comfort zone is writing front-end code, ask to work on a back-end project. This will allow you to learn more about data and architecture. You can also pair with a QA or DevOps Engineer and get exposed to the technologies and frameworks they use.

At one previous job, I decided to help with a React Native project my team was working on. I was new to React but excited to start learning it. Working on this project gave me a solid foundation in React programming.

Since then I've used React in almost every web project I've worked on. Today it's my go-to library for web development. If I hadn't volunteered to work on that initial project, I would've never known how much I enjoy coding with React.

Join (or create) an ERG

You might work for a company that already has some employee resource groups (ERGs). Joining an ERG can be a fantastic opportunity to meet new people at your company. And it can be very rewarding to work with your group members towards a common goal.

When you enjoy your job, you tend to do better work. You feel satisfied and accomplished. And this can reinspire you to reach your career goals.

I've been fortunate to join and create ERGs at previous companies. Spending time in these groups has been a highlight of my career. And it's motivated me to do my best work.

Ask your manager or someone on the People team about your company's ERGs. There might be one you can join. If not, consider creating one. It doesn't hurt to ask co-workers and gauge their interest. You might find a few people who want to help you start one.

Meet with other departments

Want to rekindle joy for your job and career? Meet with people outside your department. This helps you get to know new co-workers and gives you a broader understanding of what the company does.

Do you want insights into how customers use the products you're building? Schedule a 1:1 with a Customer Success Manager at your company. You might want to learn more about the key selling points of your company's services. If so, schedule a meeting with a Sales team member.

You can leverage this fresh knowledge in your job. It can help you fine-tune a feature and make it even better. Or it can spark an idea for a brand-new feature.

I want to let you in on a little secret. You don't need to wait until you're stuck in your career to do these things. You can also do them when you join a new company or get promoted into a new role.

Keep in mind that growth often happens at the edge of your comfort zone. Don't worry if you find yourself uninspired in your career. That means inspiration and growth are up ahead.

Thanks for reading this week. See you next week! 👋

David Weiss Founder • Made by DW ​Follow me on X, LinkedIn, & Instagram​

​