You’re feeling burned out in your BI career. How can you reignite your passion?

Often, we overlook the importance of rest until we're already exhausted, leading to feelings of boredom and eventually burnout in our careers. From my own journey, I've learned the value of taking breaks before reaching that point of exhaustion. Planning for self-care, engaging in volunteer work, and scheduling regular vacations have been vital for maintaining my well-being. Additionally, spending time in nature has proven to be particularly rejuvenating for me. Each person has their own unique method for reigniting their passion and energy, best to know what works for you!

Feeling burned out in your BI career is tough, but there are ways to reignite your passion. Reflect on why you entered the field, explore new technologies, and set personal projects to reignite your excitement. Engage with peers, seek professional development, and diversify your tasks to keep things fresh. Take breaks, practice self-care, and celebrate your achievements to avoid burnout. If necessary, consider a change in role or field to find renewed inspiration. Remember, it's normal to experience burnout, but taking proactive steps can lead to greater fulfillment in your BI career.

Business Intelligence is tough. So first thing I would recommend is to stop taking ourselves too seriously. What do I mean by that? I don't mean that we start fooling around with our work, however it is very important to zoom out and get a different perspectives. There might be painting which you wanted to make, a picture you wanted to take, a swim in the ocean, a walk in the park or just to hug your kid. Do that. And btw helping with your kids homework is a great distraction (unfortunately some times I find out the hard way that I may not be as good as I think). In short, we some times get to engrossed with the stuff at hand and forget about other stuff. It is important remind ourselves that we are just a part and not the whole.

To reignite passion in your BI career, consider taking a break to recharge. Explore different aspects of BI that you haven't yet, such as new tools or methodologies. Attend workshops or webinars to learn and network. Work on a passion project or contribute to open-source BI projects. Seek mentorship or collaborate with peers to gain new perspectives. Remember why you started in BI and the impact your work has. Sometimes, a fresh challenge or a change in routine can bring back the enthusiasm.

The best way to regain excitement for working in data is to work on a project you REALLY care about. It doesn't have to be useful at all. But you have to be stoked about it. For example, I once did a deep dive on Strava data for my past runs. I got to see where I was starting fast, then slowing down, and learned how to better pace myself. The project itself was a blast! I got to work with data that was new to me, and told me more about how I was actually running. The project made me excited to go back to other (more vanilla) projects I had at the time.

I have a colleague I often speak to when I'm overwhelmed or burnt out. Speaking to her always helps. She helps me reprioritise or gain a bigger picture perspective on my to do list