This is a post about Disqovery, its technology, and its users. Job reflections went live for beta users last week.

Disqovery users have been getting used to this new feature we’re calling “job check-ins.” I like to think of it as Foursquare for your job, but better.

What is the feature?

[caption id="attachment_196" align="aligncenter" width="300"] A particularly un-fun day.[/caption]

Every day or two you get a notification that it's time to check in. This notification comes in the afternoon or evening, when work is still fresh on your mind. We ask you just a few simple questions:

1. How was your day?
2. Which skills did you use?
3. Is there anything else you want to tell us?

And that's it! We can help you overcome your biases, to reach an objective measure of how happy you are and what actually makes you happy. Over time we can identify trends and possible next steps that bring you closer to career nirvana. Taking fewer zigs and zags: it's a good thing.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="319"] Reflection can be a powerful call to action.[/caption]

Why do I need it?

Humans are weird. Our weak gray matter suffers from a number of perceptual biases. One of many is the focusing effect. When you're in the thick of your day-to-day, it is tough to see the forest for the trees. And hey, for some people it's tough to see the trees for the forest. The truth can be brutal, but only by taking the blinders off and actively checking in over time could you hope to overcome your biases and learn what you need to learn to grow.

[caption id="attachment_194" align="aligncenter" width="300"] A Disqovery graph based on my recent check-ins.[/caption]

Here's some of my data from Disqovery. I cut off the notes, but on each day I documented what I worked on, and which skills I used. I've only been writing check-ins for a few weeks, but here are some bits that I've learned about myself. With some time I'm bound to learn even more:

• Talking to customers, and even being rejected by them, is incredibly satisfying.
• Learning new technologies is pretty boring unless I'm actually using them.
• Live coding and debugging using screen sharing is a highlight of the week, but more for the results than the experience.
• At a higher level: I get more pleasure from the satisfaction of making something, than the experience or knowledge gained in the process.

Want to get involved?

This feature is live already. We are of course continuing to make improvements and want to make sure Disqovery is as useful as possible. Sign up for our beta, try it out, and help us make the feature you want.

Only by reflecting back onto the past will you be able to move forward into the future.