12 Questions to Ask Before Quitting Your Job

Quitting your job can feel like progress. It can feel clean and decisive. It can also be the best way to dodge a challenge.

Before you hand in your notice, pause.

These questions will help you decide if quitting is the right move, or a rushed on.

1. What problem am I actually trying to escape?

Most people don’t quit jobs. They quit one specific pain. A manager who drains them. A workload that never ends. A culture that rewards noise over results. Name the real issue, or you’ll carry it with you.

2. Have I said what needs to be said?

If you’ve never clearly asked for what you need, you haven’t truly tested the situation. Great feedback is the key. Direct beats polite. Closed mouths don’t get fed. If your company won’t meet reasonable requests, that tells you something too.

3. If nothing changed, how long could I tolerate this?

This is your truth serum. A week is panic. Six months is frustration. A year is a slow leak. How you spend your days is how you spend your life.

4. Am I burnt out or under-stimulated?

Burnout feels like dread. Boredom feels like numbness. Both push you towards the exit, but they need different fixes. You might not need a new life. You might just need a new plan.

5. What would a good version of this role look like?

Define 'better' in writing. Clear responsibilities. Clean handovers. Fewer meetings. More autonomy. Without that picture, you’re not leaving a job. You’re leaving a mood.

6. What am I hoping the next job will fix?

Be ruthless here. New jobs do not fix weak boundaries. They don’t fix avoidance. They don’t fix fear of conflict. Wherever you go, you are there.

7. Have I tested alternatives inside this job?

Before you burn the bridge, try small moves. A new project. Different stakeholders. A reset with your manager. Quitting is a big bet. Experiments are cheaper.

8. What evidence do I have that leaving will improve my life?

List it like an adult. Money. Time. Learning. Energy. Health. Be specific and exhaustive. Feelings are real, but they are not always true.

9. Am I running towards something or away from something?

Running away creates urgency. Running towards creates direction. If you’re only escaping, you’ll grab the first offer that is presented. Relief is not the same as progress.

10. What will I regret more in twelve months?

Staying too long or leaving too early. Imagine the future version of you looking back. Which decision feels heavier to carry?

11. What is the real risk if I stay?

Sometimes staying costs more than leaving. Confidence erosion. Skill stagnation. Quiet resentment. The longer you stay somewhere that shrinks you, the harder it is to grow again.

12. If I could not quit, what would I change first?

This question cuts through the fantasy. If quitting wasn’t an option, what action would you take tomorrow? That answer usually exposes the real move you’ve been avoiding.

Quitting may well by the right thing to do, just don;t let quitting be your first strategy.