What's next
Notice what you love, hate and wish for at work
A simple exercise to see what the job you already have is telling you about what you want
Make three short lists about your job, what you love, what you'd happily lose and what you wish were part of it, then look for what they have in common.
- 15 minutes
- Just you
- Every few months
- Worksheet
Why this can work
The clearest clues to what you want are usually in the job you already have. Big questions like what to do with your life tend to stall because there's nothing to hold on to. Three short lists about your actual weeks give you something concrete to notice, and a pattern you can act on without quitting anything.
Read moreHow to figure out what you want from your job
You’ll come away with three short lists and one pattern you can say in a sentence.
- Fill in three short lists about your job.
Think about the last few weeks rather than your job description, and be specific: a particular meeting, a kind of problem, a person you like working with.
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Tip: You don't need to overthink it. Five minutes a list is plenty, and a messy first pass is fine.
- Look for what repeats.
Read the love and wish lists together. What do they share: a kind of problem, a kind of person, a way of working, a pace? Then use the lose list as a filter. It often tells you as much as the other two.
- Say the pattern in one sentence.
Something like: I'm happiest untangling messy problems with one or two other people, and least happy reporting on work after it's done. It won't be perfect. It only has to be true enough to test.
- Pick one thing to move toward.
Choose one item from the love or wish list that you could get more of in the job you have. Check it against what your team is trying to do this year; the ones that help them are the easiest to ask for.
- Mention it in your next 1:1.
Keep it light. You're not announcing a plan, you're letting your manager know what brings out your best work, so they can steer some of it your way.
You“I've been thinking about which parts of my work I do best and enjoy most. Could we spend a few minutes next time on where I might get to do more of that?”
Good times to repeat it: every few monthswhen work starts to feel flatbefore a conversation about what's next
Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
A long lose list doesn't mean you're in the wrong job. It may mean one part of the job has grown out of proportion, which is often fixable.
What might make this harder
Look outside your job: what people ask you for help with, what you read about for fun, what you enjoyed in an earlier role. Wishes often hide in hobbies and old jobs.
Questions people ask
How do I figure out what I want in my career?
Start with the job you have. List what you love, what you'd happily lose and what you wish were part of it, then look for what repeats. Details from your real weeks tend to reveal more than big abstract questions.
What should I do if I don't enjoy my job anymore?
Before deciding anything, get specific about which parts you don't enjoy and which you still do. Often it's a few tasks rather than the whole job, and those can sometimes change.
How do I tell my manager what I want to do more of?
Keep it light and connect it to the team's goals where you honestly can. A short mention in a 1:1 about what brings out your best work is usually easier to hear than a formal request.
Why this works, and where it comes from
Ask most people what they want from their career and you'll get a pause. It isn't that they don't care. The big version of the question has nothing to hold on to, and it's almost impossible to answer on a Tuesday night. What you want is easier to find in the details of an ordinary week than in a big question. You already have months of evidence about what gives you energy and what drains it. It's just never been written down in one place.
The three lists do different jobs. The love list tells you what to protect. The lose list works as a filter, and it's often the most honest of the three, because dislike is easier to notice than enjoyment. The wish list is where direction tends to hide: the things you drift toward when nobody's asking. Read love and wish together and a shape starts to appear, maybe a kind of problem, a pace, or a way of working with people.
The next move is where most people stop short. Once you can name what brings out your best, you can often get more of it where you are, especially when it lines up with what your team needs. Your manager may simply not know that you love the messy analysis and dread the weekly report, and may be glad to rebalance once they know. Even if you end up leaving, the same lists become a sharp description of what to look for next.
If nearly everything lands on the lose list, set this aside for now. That pattern is more often a sign of being worn out than of lacking direction, and the better first step is to deal with the load, by naming it to your manager or someone you trust. Direction is much easier to find once you've had some rest.
Other simple things to consider
What to do next
More in What's next
Know what you actually want
Do it with Truest and it goes on your permanent record, in a Career Vault your employer doesn’t own.
See how Truest worksAlready a member? Log in- The longer sessionCareer Compass is the guided session for working out what you want next.
- A living page in your VaultKeep it as one page you add to, next to your reviews and your files.
- A reminder beforePut it on your calendar and Truest reminds you before it starts.
Read this alongside your role page
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An exercise written by Truest, based on our experience. Last updated September 25, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.