You're right, but a lot of inspiration comes from serendipity. Just randomly clicking and hitting a link that sparks for you. It's why I created http://skimfeed.com to scratch my itch.

Additionally I've found focusing on the work of others rather than "news" works best. Show hn, tutorials, questions and answers on topics of interest (stack is huge), new plugins, that sorta thing. That way you're improving even in your downtime.