What's my next step?

By No Rush · Updated October 20, 2026

The short answer

Your next step is one small thing you can do this week that tells you more about what you want. Pick something you're curious about and try a version you can undo. For example, ask someone who does that work what an ordinary day is like for them, or try an idea for one evening. Tie it to a moment, and afterwards write down what you noticed.

Five steps to find it

These five things help with any next step. No Rush asks about each of them when you plan a step in the app.

Make it small

Small enough to do this week, even on a day with little energy. For example, ten minutes outside after lunch.

Decide when and where

For example: When I get home from work on Thursday, I'll send that message. Plans in this when-then form make it more likely that you start.

Check if it feels doable

Ask yourself how likely it is that you will do it, from 0 to 10. Below 4, make it smaller.

Think about what could get in the way

Name one thing that could stop you, and what you'll do then. For example: If I have no energy left on Thursday, I'll send it on Friday morning.

Look back afterwards

Write down what happened and what you expected beforehand. That shows you what your next step could be. If it went badly, make the next one smaller or try a different one.

Why trying tells you more than thinking

You often only find out what you want when you try something. So try a version you can undo first, like one evening class before a whole course. Researcher Herminia Ibarra studied professionals who were moving into more senior jobs. They looked at people who already did the work and tried out versions of themselves in that role. What fit, they kept.

Psychologist Oliver Robinson found that a crisis in early adulthood can go wrong when people skip the exploring and jump into something new for the same reasons as before. That's why No Rush sets out one small step at a time, with the reason for that one. If it doesn't fit, there's always another one, or a smaller one.

Ask someone who does it

If you wonder what a job or a study is like, ask someone who does it what an ordinary week looks like. In two small experiments, students guessed better how they would feel after an event when they knew how another student had felt than when they had facts about the event itself. They didn't expect that.

No Rush has steps like this too, such as a talk with someone who does the work, or going somewhere to have a look.

One thing for today

Write down one thing you've been curious about lately. Then think of the smallest way to try it this week. For example: I wonder what working in a kitchen is like. On Thursday evening I'll message someone I know who works in a restaurant and ask what an ordinary week is like.

No Rush app

An iPhone app for people who feel stuck. It sets out one small next step at a time and tells you why that one. It is not therapy.

Sign up free Take the test For iPhone. Coming soon to the App Store. The first seven days are free in the app. After that, you choose whether to subscribe. Sign up now and the app stays free for you, for life.

Sources

Ibarra (1999). Provisional selves: experimenting with image and identity in professional adaptation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(4), 764-791. doi.org/10.2307/2667055
Gilbert, Killingsworth, Eyre & Wilson (2009). The surprising power of neighborly advice. Science, 323(5921), 1617-1619. doi.org/10.1126/science.1166632
Gollwitzer & Sheeran (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: a meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69-119. doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(06)38002-1
Robinson, Wright & Smith (2013). The holistic phase model of early adult crisis. Journal of Adult Development, 20, 27-37. doi.org/10.1007/s10804-013-9153-y