Stop Drifting: The 10-Minute Career Audit
Most people do not plan their careers. They drift into them. You say yes to a project because it is easier than thinking. You stay in a role because you are good at it, even if you no longer want to do it.
Drift feels like stability, but it is actually lost momentum.
This short audit is a tool to help you stop reacting and start steering. Use these three steps to find your course correction.
(Download the audit worksheet below)
Step 1: The Skill-Energy Matrix
List your primary weekly tasks. Evaluate them based on two questions:
- The Competency Trap: Are you doing this because it stretches you, or simply because you have become too good at it to stop?
- The Battery Test: Does this task give you energy, or does it leave you drained for the work that actually matters?
Step 2: The Day One Reset
Imagine you are applying to your company for the first time today.
- Look at your current job description and your actual tasks & calendar.
- If you were a fresh candidate, would you honestly apply for the role you currently hold?
- If the answer is no, identify the specific gap between the role you want and the tasks you currently perform.
Step 3: The One-Degree Shift
You do not need a dramatic reinvention. You need a small adjustment, consistently executed. Commit to just two actions this week:
- The Strategic No: Identify one meeting or low-value project you will decline or delegate to free up mental capacity. There's more on this with my ignore list.
- The Intentional Yes: Identify one person or one project that aligns with your 'Day One' role. Reach out to them for a coffee chat today.
Take the Wheel
Your career will drift unless you steer it. Steering does not require a perfect map. It only requires a deliberate choice to move in a specific direction.
How will you change your heading today?
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