| Authors: | Erin Robbins O’Brien |
|---|---|
| Time: | 10:40 |
| Session: | http://docs.writethedocs.org/en/2013/conference/talks.html#erin-robbins-obrien |
| Link: | @texasgirlerin |
| Video: | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShYkFM3738Y |
How do you continue loving what you’re doing? Writing documentation isn’t always easy, but it’s supposed to be worth. A career is like marriage: it’s supposed to require some work. You have to fill out an application, you’re supposed to think about it, and after a few years, you start to think about things. And you get invested, so maybe you’re willing to tough it out a little. But the outlook for marriages – and jobs – isn’t all that rosy.
So what can we do to fall [back] in love with your gig?
Remember why you loved it in the first place.
Maybe you really like the look of a blank document, the empty margins, the sense of possibility. Or the ability to change a document’s meaning with punctuation only. Or the fact that most people don’t know a colon from a semi colon from a comma.
You can try and refresh your outlook
Looking at cute images increases fine motor skills; turning your desk away from the window (which makes you more productive); try using a different font just to see something different, sweat
Look at your docs through someone else’s eyes.
Maybe you just need a fresh perspective on why you do what you do. Talk to students, interns, users, or colleagues who are seeing the docs for the first time. Talk to someone else about your job (especially if they’re a mortician or an accountant). And go back and look at your first work: see how you’ve grown and your work has developed.
And remember... If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.