Something to doWorking with others
Run a start, stop, continue
A simple exercise to hear what people would change about how you work together, and change one thing
Why it’s worth your time
Three simple prompts make it easy to say what's working and what isn't, without anyone having to deliver a verdict. Aiming them at something you share, like a meeting or a handoff, keeps it about the work rather than about anyone. And picking one change, not ten, is what makes it actually happen.
How to run a start, stop, continue
You’ll come away with one change everyone agreed to try, and a short list of what to keep.
We’ll turn this into a checklist you can tick off.
- Pick one shared thing.
A recurring meeting, a handoff, how you split work with a peer, a weekly report. Something specific that everyone involved has an opinion about.
- Ask the three questions.
In a meeting, or in writing ahead of one. Give people a few minutes to write their own answers before anyone talks.
To: your team or a close peerI'd like to make the shared thing work better for all of us. Could you jot down quick answers to three questions before when?
What should we start doing? What should we stop doing? What should we keep doing?
A line or two each is plenty. We'll pick one change to try.
Swap the highlighted parts for your thing. Works on Slack, in email, or said out loud. - Share the answers and group them.
Read everything out, or put it all on one page. Group the ones that say the same thing. What more than one person wrote is usually where to look.
- Agree on one change, and name what to keep.
Pick one start or stop to try for a few weeks, and say out loud what everyone wants to continue.
Tip: If you're the one asking, share your answers last, and include something you'd stop doing yourself.
- Check back in a few weeks.
Ask whether the change helped and whether it should stick. Then pick the next one, or leave things be.
Good moments for this: once a quarter on a recurring meeting or processa month into working with a new peerwhen something shared feels stale
We’ll turn this into a checklist you can tick off.
Keep going with Truest
Small actions add up. Truest helps you find the next thing worth doing, make the space to do it, and keep a record of your progress. It’s a private place to work on your career, and it’s yours, not your employer’s.
- It actually happensDo it now, and you’ve invested in your career today.
- You know what’s nextTruest suggests the next small thing to try, based on what you’re working on.
- It’s yours to keepEach thing you do is saved to your private record, there when your next review or job search comes around.
Anything else we can help you with this week?
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
It tells you what people value and would miss. Changes made without it tend to break things that were quietly working.
What might make this harder
Use writing, and make it anonymous if your team is new to this. Share one of your own answers first to show it's safe.
Questions people ask
What is a start, stop, continue?
A simple way to gather input on something shared: ask what to start doing, what to stop, and what to keep. It's widely used for team retrospectives and for feedback between colleagues.
How do you run a start stop continue retrospective?
Pick one shared thing, have everyone write answers to the three questions, group what repeats, and agree on one change to try, plus what to keep.
What are some start stop continue examples?
Start sending the agenda a day early. Stop running ten minutes over. Continue ending with clear owners. Small, specific answers tend to be the most useful.
Can I do a start stop continue with just one coworker?
Yes. Ask a close peer the three questions about how you work together, share your own answers, and pick one thing to try.
Why this works, and where it comes from
Most shared routines, the weekly meeting, the handoff, the report, were set up once and never looked at again. People grumble privately, work around the parts that don't work, and rarely say so, because there's no obvious moment or way to raise it. The things everyone shares tend to be the things nobody feels entitled to change.
Start, stop, continue gives that a shape. The three prompts are easy to answer, and none of them asks anyone to deliver a verdict. They also make room for the part people usually skip, which is what's working. Continue protects the good parts of how you work together, so they don't get swept away in an enthusiastic round of fixes.
This is a familiar practice, and Truest's version adds three small things. Aim it at one specific shared thing rather than the team in general. Have everyone write before anyone talks. And leave with one change, not a list. One change people actually try teaches more than ten that nobody owns.
It works in both directions, too. With a close peer, it's a quick way to learn what they need from you and to tell them what you need, without anyone having to raise a problem first. If you're the one asking, bring your own answers, including something you'd stop doing yourself. That, more than the format, is what makes people honest.
Other simple things to consider
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An exercise written by Truest, based on our experience. Last updated October 2, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.