A new AI model dropped last week.
Twitter exploded LinkedIn was a wall of hot takes My feed filled up with this changes everything and the future is here and seventeen threads about what it means for developers.
I opened the announcement Scrolled for thirty seconds Closed the tab Went back to work.
That's it That was my entire reaction.
A few Months ago I would have read every word Watched every demo Tried it the same day Stayed up late experimenting with it Woken up the next morning still thinking about it.
Now I feel tired.
Not because the tool isn't interesting Not because I've stopped caring about the industry Because there's always another one And another one And another one after that.
The excitement didn't disappear overnight It got worn down One release at a time One must-learn framework at a time One firehose of announcements at a time.
I used to get excited about new tools Now I feel tired And I don't think I'm alone.
What Excitement Used to Feel Like
I remember discovering React.
Not learning it from a tutorial someone assigned me - discovering it Stumbling on a blog post at 11 PM reading it twice because I couldn't believe what I was reading, and immediately opening my editor just to see if it worked the way they said it did.
I didn't care if it was the "best" tool I didn't think about job prospects or market adoption or whether it would still be relevant in three years. I just wanted to build something with it Right then That night.
That feeling was electric The curiosity The possibility The specific sensation that there was a whole new world to explore and I was standing at the entrance.
I stayed up late reading the docs not because I had to because I wanted to know what came next I bookmarked obscure tutorials Joined Discord servers Followed the creators on Twitter and felt genuinely invested in where the thing was going.
I wasn't learning because my job required it I was learning because it was fun Because I was genuinely, enthusiastically curious.
That version of me feels like a different person now.
The Slow Erosion
It didn't happen because of one bad release or one disappointing tool It happened because of a thousand releases.
Every week, a new framework you were supposed to know about Every month, a new "game-changing" model that rewrote the rules Every quarter a new architecture pattern or paradigm or approach that you needed to understand to stay relevant.
At first I kept up Read the docs Watched the videos Tried the demos Formed opinions Shared them.
Then, I started skimming Just the headlines Just the "what's new" sections Just enough to have something to say if someone brought it up.
Then I started ignoring.
Not because the tools were bad Because there were too many Because the firehose never stopped Because keeping up stopped feeling like curiosity and started feeling like a second job I hadn't signed up for.
The industry calls this "staying current." I call it running on a treadmill that keeps getting faster while someone stands next to you explaining why you should be enjoying this.
The excitement didn't die It got buried under the weight of obligation. And somewhere along the way I stopped being able to tell the difference between something that genuinely interested me and something I was just supposed to care about.
The Moment I Noticed
A junior developer pulled me aside last month "Have you tried the new [tool]? It's actually incredible I've been up until 2 AM with it.
I hadn't Not because I was too busy I hadn't even opened the announcement.
They were excited Genuinely visibly infectiously excited The way I used to be The way that made me want to stay late and experiment and come back the next day with things to share.
I wanted to feel what they were feeling I actually tried I opened the tab Read the headline Scrolled down.
Nothing.
I closed the tab and said something like "Oh yeah, I've been meaning to look at it" Which we both knew wasn't true I knew it the moment I said it.
That's when I understood what had actually happened I wasn't tired of tools I wasn't tired of building things or learning things or caring about craft.
I was tired of keeping up Tired of the pace Tired of the expectation that genuine enthusiasm is something you can sustain indefinitely if you just care enough.
The Question I've Been Avoiding
Is this just what happens? Do we all eventually get tired of the thing we used to love?
The industry says "stay curious" "Lifelong learning" "Adapt or die" There are entire conference talks about embracing change and staying excited and treating every new tool as an opportunity.
But nobody talks about what happens when your curiosity runs out of gas Not because you're lazy or complacent or not cut out for this Because you've been running at this pace for years and you're a human being and human beings get tired.
I'm not against new tools I'm not against learning I'm genuinely not What I'm against is the unspoken expectation that you have to be excited about every single one That enthusiasm is a professional obligation That feeling tired means something is wrong with you.
Sometimes I just want to do my job Build things Solve problems with the tools I already know Without having to learn a new paradigm every three months just to stay considered relevant.
Maybe that's not laziness Maybe that's not burnout Maybe that's just being human in an industry that has forgotten to leave room for being human.
Small Things I'm Trying
I'm not quitting new tools I'm not logging off from the industry or pretending nothing is interesting anymore.
But I'm changing my relationship with the pace:
I don't have to be excited. Curious is enough Skeptical is legitimate Even I'm aware this exists counts Excitement isn't required as a minimum viable response to every announcement.
I wait now. I don't try something the day it drops If it matters, it'll still be there next week Next month The tools that are actually worth learning tend to stick around long enough for the dust to settle The ones that don't weren't worth the urgency.
I ask one question before I click: Does this solve a problem I actually have? Not is this trending? Not is everyone talking about this? Just do I have a problem that this would genuinely help with?
I give myself permission to ignore things. Not everything is for me Not every release needs my attention Not every thread requires my opinion That's not falling behind That's filtering And filtering is a skill, not a failure.
Will this bring back the excitement? I honestly don't know Maybe the electric, stay-up-late, tell-everyone feeling is something that only happens a few times in a career Maybe that's fine.
But it's better than feeling tired about yet another thing I'm supposed to care about.
One Question Before You Go
When was the last time you felt genuinely excited about a new tool?
Not this is useful Not I should probably learn this Not everyone seems to think this is a big deal.
Genuinely spontaneously can't-wait-to-try-it excited.
If it was recent - tell me what it was I want to know what still cuts through.
If you have to think about it for a while - you're not alone.
I'll go first in the comments.
Your turn. 👇
Top comments (9)
I feel like this is a completely normal experience for developers today. Personally, I also skim through each new tech release but I'm also not that "eager" to try it and drop whatever I was doing. Whenever I use a new tool, it's not because I want it, it's mainly because I needed it. Necessity forces me to learn new and relevant tech and I believe that pacing is much better than running towards every new shiny tech emerging in the industry.
Elmar this is the wisdom the article was missing I don't try a new tool because I want it. I try it because I need it that's the filter. Want is emotional Need is practical Want leads to burnout because there's always another want. Need leads to sustainable learning because the problem is real.
Necessity forces me to learn. And that pacing is much better than running towards every new shiny tech You've named the alternative. Not ignore everything Not try everything Try what you actually need The rest can wait. Or be ignored entirely.
This is the healthiest relationship with new tools I've heard. Not excitement. Not exhaustion. Just necessity as gatekeeper.
Thank you for this genuinely helpful. 🙌
This feels very real. At some point “staying updated” starts feeling like unpaid homework. I think the healthier filter is: does this tool solve a problem I actually have right now? If yes, try it. If not, let it pass. Not every launch needs our attention, and ignoring a tool is not the same as falling behind.
Varsha staying updated feels like unpaid homework Perfect phrase Not learning Not growing Homework Does this tool solve a problem I actually have right now? that's the filter. Want vs need Ignoring a tool is not the same as falling behind the fear of falling behind is the trap Falling behind who? To what?
Thank you for this clarity. 🙌
This is so relatable. Earlier I'd jump on every new tool that came out Now I feel exhausted just reading about another framework You've perfectly described the tool fatigue many of us are going through.
Thank you Urmila
Earlier I'd jump on every new tool Now I feel exhausted just reading about another one That's the shift, isn't it? Not from curious to bored from curious to exhausted The curiosity is still there somewhere It's just buried under the weight of too many releases, too many must-learn announcements, too little time the fact that so many of us feel this and don't say it is exactly why I wrote this.
Thanks for reading and for saying it out loud. 🙌
Hello Everybody and Hello @harsh2644
Some Post here on DEV.to do are Just beyond Development, and that is a Good thing to notice, some may believe, that Development of Software, Tools, APPs, and so , are just Dry and unemotional Work, but Post like this one here, cleary show, "We are All Humans" and that is Very important in Times of "AI Hype" and some may State "AGI RELIGION"
Your ÜBERSCHRIFFT = TITLE : i-used-to-get-excited-about-new-tools-now-i-feel-tired .
Well just hit me, because i do can Relay and fell it,
To be honest Iḿ even to to tired to Read all of your Post, it just do READ in a FLY Over, for a long time now, to much input, to much feeds, to much of everything , every day... Some things do lose there Specialty, there uniqueness i guees. AI EVERYDAY, new Tools, EVERYDAY.
Well I am Tired.
Sincerly
Patrick R Miller (Iinkognit0)
Patrick this comment is the article.
Too tired to read the whole post That's evidence You're living the exhaustion right now.
Some things do lose their specialty, their uniqueness.
Yes When everything is game-changing nothing is When every release is revolutionary the word stops meaning anything The tools blend together The announcements blur And you stop being able to tell what actually matters.
That's not a failure That's a symptom And the fact that you shared it honestly that's what makes this comment valuable.
Thank you for the honest reflection Rest well. 🙌
I say, try to get a bit off the AI hype train and do some development again in the "old fashioned way" - it might largely cure your "ailments" ...