How to find your groove again when your side hustle no longer excites you

Have you ever started a side project—be it professional or personal—and lost your enthusiasm along the way?

If you haven’t, please tell me your secrets. Because that’s seriously impressive.

For the rest of us, it’s a challenge we’ll face at some point. It might be a sign that it’s time to move on—maybe to hand the project over to someone else or even shut it down completely.

But what if you aren’t ready to move on? Or it’s a commitment you can’t walk away from? Are you destined to gritting your teeth and suffering through the work?

Recently, I lost my enthusiasm for my side project, a weekly newsletter called In the Good. But because I still loved it, I wanted to find my way back to that honeymoon stage, where everything was fresh and exciting and I just couldn’t wait to work on it.

I’m happy to report that I found my groove again. My 47th edition went out today and I’m damn proud of it.

Here’s what helped me:

1. Think about your why. There’s probably a good reason why you started this project instead of watching more Netflix.

2. Celebrate your impact. Look through testimonials, kind emails, or any metrics you have on the impact your project has on people. You’re awesome!

3. Try something new. I changed the structure of my newsletter, taking some minor bits away and adding a new section. This helped keep it fun and interesting.

4. Grit your teeth and do the work. Sometimes the best way past the resistance is a bit of brute force. But without some of #1-3, this probably won’t be successful for long.

Bonus #5. Take a break. Maybe you don’t need to bin it completely, but you do need some time away from it. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that. This one didn’t work for me at all, but I included it in case it helps you. Good luck!