Is This Career Burnout or Misalignment?

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Quiz Questions

1.
When you think about your energy at work lately, which feels most accurate?
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- A.
  I feel tired at times, but it feels situational and manageable.
- B.
  I’m mentally exhausted mainly because the pace or volume feels unsustainable.
- C.
  I’m drained because the work itself no longer feels meaningful or aligned.
- D.
  I feel both exhausted and disconnected from work tasks at the same time.
2.
How do your values show up in your work right now?
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- A.
  My work mostly aligns with my values, even if things feel stressful.
- B.
  My values align, but I don’t have the energy to show up the way I want to.
- C.
  I’m often asked to work in ways that don’t sit right with my values.
- D.
  I feel both value conflict and exhaustion trying to navigate it.
3.
What happens when you take time off or step away from work?
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- A.
  I usually feel better once the pressure eases.
- B.
  I get brief relief, but the exhaustion returns quickly.
- C.
  Rest helps, but I still dread returning to the work itself.
- D.
  Time off doesn’t restore me — I feel tired and disconnected regardless.
4.
How well does your role use your strengths and skills?
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- A.
  My strengths are mostly well used, even if work is demanding.
- B.
  I’m capable and well-matched to the role, but too depleted to enjoy it.
- C.
  My strengths feel underused or mismatched in this role.
- D.
  My strengths aren’t well used, and I’m exhausted trying to compensate.
5.
How has your ability to focus and think clearly at work been lately?
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- A.
  Mostly intact — stress comes and goes.
- B.
  It’s harder to focus because I feel mentally overloaded.
- C.
  I disengage mentally because the work doesn’t hold my interest or meaning.
- D.
  I feel both mentally overloaded and disengaged from the work.
6.
How connected do you feel to the purpose behind your work?
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- A.
  I still feel connected, even during busy seasons.
- B.
  I care about the work, but I’m too tired to feel engaged.
- C.
  I struggle to connect to the purpose or meaning anymore.
- D.
  I feel disconnected from the purpose and too depleted to re-engage.
7.
How does work affect you emotionally right now?
- A.
  I have ups and downs, but nothing feels overwhelming.
- B.
  I feel emotionally drained even when things are going “fine.”
- C.
  I feel frustrated or flat because the role doesn’t feel right anymore.
- D.
  I feel both emotionally drained and increasingly frustrated with the role.
8.
How do your current role expectations feel?
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- A.
  They mostly make sense for where I am right now.
- B.
  The expectations are reasonable, but I don’t have the capacity to meet them sustainably.
- C.
  What’s expected of me no longer matches what I want from my career.
- D.
  The expectations don’t fit, and trying to meet them is exhausting.
9.
When you think about continuing in this role as-is, what comes up?
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- A.
  I can imagine sustaining this with some normal adjustments.
- B.
  I don’t see how this workload is sustainable long-term.
- C.
  I don’t see how this role fits me long-term, even if things eased up.
- D.
  I can’t see this being sustainable or fulfilling without major change.
10.
If nothing about the workload changed, but the work itself did, what do you imagine?
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- A.
  I’d probably feel about the same.
- B.
  I’d feel better if I had more rest or support — not necessarily different work.
- C.
  I’d likely have more energy doing different work that fits me better.
- D.
  I’d need both different work and less strain to feel okay again.

Quiz Outcomes

1.
Most Likely Misalignment
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Your responses point to misalignment as the primary issue. Something about your role (the expectations, values, scope, or environment) no longer fits the person you are now.This isn’t a motivation issue or a lack of grit. It’s a fit issue.What this often looks like:You’re capable and performing, but the work feels heavier or less meaningfulYou experience recurring friction around priorities, decision-making, or valuesYou can imagine having more energy or engagement in a different role or structureWhat may help right now:The most useful focus here is clarity, not immediate change.Identify the one part of your role that feels most misaligned (not everything — just the loudest friction).Name whether that misalignment is about values, expectations, autonomy, scope, or growth.Decide what would make the next 30 days more workable — one adjustment, boundary, or conversation.Something To Think About:What is the one part of your role that feels most misaligned right now?If you want to take it one step further:If you had to put that friction in a bucket, which one fits best?Common Misalignment CategoriesValues: What’s being asked of me doesn’t line up with what I care about or believe is important.Expectations: The role has grown, shifted, or become unclear in ways I didn’t agree to.Autonomy: I don’t have enough say in how my work is done, prioritized, or paced.Scope: I’m carrying responsibilities that feel outside the role — or far beyond what’s sustainable.Strengths: My skills and strengths aren’t being used in meaningful or energizing ways.Growth: I’ve outgrown this role, and there’s no clear or realistic path forward here.Measurement of Success: How success is defined or rewarded doesn’t reflect what actually matters to me.Environment or Culture: The norms, pace, or dynamics of the team or organization don’t fit how I work best.If you’re curious what alignment could look like for you, that’s a good place to start. Career coaching can offer a place to think out loud, ask better questions, and make sense of what you’re noticing.Whether that leads to small adjustments or a bigger change down the line, the goal is simply to help work feel more workable and more aligned with who you are now.
2.
Most Likely Burnout
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Your responses point to burnout as the primary issue.Something about the load of your work, the pace, volume, or lack of recovery, is stretching your capacity right now.This isn’t a resilience issue or a need to “push through.” It’s a capacity issue.What this often looks like:You feel exhausted, even when things seem “fine”.You’re spending more energy keeping up than doing your best work.Time off helps a little, but doesn’t fully restore you.What may help right now:The most useful focus here is reducing strain, not solving everything.Identify what’s currently taking the most energy — not the whole workload, just the heaviest drain.Get honest about what truly requires your involvement.Choose one small way to protect your capacity over the next 30 days (a boundary, a pause, or a reduction).Something To Think About:What part of my workload is costing me the most energy right now?If you want to take it one step further:What kind of strain is it?You might notice that the strain is coming from:Volume: There’s simply too much on your plate.Pace: The speed or urgency never really lets up.Recovery: There isn’t enough space to reset between demandsEmotional Load: You’re carrying more people, feelings, or tension than you can sustainably hold.Decision Fatigue: You’re making too many calls without enough support or clarity.Just naming the type of strain can make the next step feel clearer and less overwhelming.If you’re curious what support around capacity could look like, that’s a good place to start. Career coaching can help you sort through expectations, identify leverage points, and advocate for sustainability.Whether that leads to lighter weeks or clearer boundaries, the goal is simply to help work feel more livable again.
3.
Mix of Burnout & Misalignment
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Your responses suggest both burnout and misalignment are present.Something about your role no longer fits and the effort of pushing through it has started to wear you down. This is a very common experience, especially for capable, high-performing people.What this often looks like:You feel tired and increasingly disconnected from the work.Small issues feel heavier because there’s no margin left.You’re questioning whether the effort is still worth it.What may help right now:Trying to fix everything at once usually adds more pressure. Start here:Create a little breathing room by reducing or pausing one demand.Name the primary source of misalignment, without solving it yet.Decide what you need first: relief, clarity, or change. Focus on just one.Something To Think About:What feels harder than it should right now - the work itself or the weight of carrying it?If you want to take it one step further:Which needs attention first?You might find that what you need most right now is:Immediate Relief: Creating a little breathing room by pausing, reducing, or stepping back from something that’s draining you right now.Clearer Boundaries Or Expectations: Getting more explicit about what’s expected of you, what’s reasonable, and where your limits are.Re-shaping The Role: Adjusting the scope, focus, or responsibilities so the work fits you better as you are now.Exploring Something Different: Allowing yourself to look at other roles, paths, or structures, even if you’re not ready to make a change.It might help to know this: Burnout and misalignment often show up together. When something in a role no longer fits (the values, the scope, the expectations) people tend to compensate by pushing harder. That works for a while, until it doesn’t. Over time, the misfit creates strain, and the strain starts to feel like burnout.That doesn’t mean you missed something or waited too long. It means you stayed capable and committed in a situation that was quietly asking more of you than it should have.If it would help to talk this through with someone, career coaching can be a place to do that. I’ve been on this side of it myself, pushing through roles that looked fine on paper but didn’t fit anymore, and feeling the toll before I had language for what was happening. Coaching is the space I wish I’d had then: a place to steady what’s draining you right now and think through what might need to shift next, without rushing yourself into a decision.The goal isn’t a dramatic change. It’s work that feels more doable and more aligned with who you are.
4.
Most Likely A Short Term Stressor
Your responses suggest this may be a short-term work stressor.Right now, your answers don’t point to a strong pattern of burnout or misalignment. Instead, this looks like a specific season of pressure rather than a systemic issue. That doesn’t mean work feels easy! It just means the stress likely has a clearer cause or endpoint.What this often looks like:Stress tied to a project, transition, or busy season.You still recognize your strengths and values in the work most days.You’re able to recover when the pressure eases.What may help right now:The focus here is containment, so stress doesn’t quietly become something bigger.Name what’s driving the pressure and, if possible, when it will shift.Narrow your focus to a smaller set of priorities for the next few weeks.Be intentional about making time for things you enjoy, even brief resets count.Something To Think About:What is making this season feel heavier than usual?If you want to take it one step further:What would help this feel more manageable right now?For many people, it’s one of these:Clearer Priorities: Getting more focused about what actually needs attention, and what can wait.Temporary Support: Extra help, flexibility, or shared load while things are heavier than usual.More Realistic Timelines: Adjusting expectations so they reflect what’s actually possible right now.Protected Recovery Time: Making sure there’s space to rest and reset, even briefly, so this season doesn’t quietly drain you.If this season starts to feel more permanent, it might be a time to pause and reassess. Career coaching can offer a place to check in, get perspective, and decide what, if anything, needs attention before stress turns into burnout or misalignment.