Let's skip the motivational posters. The decision to leave a job — especially a good one — is one of the highest-stakes choices you'll make in your career, and most of the advice out there is dangerously simplistic.

"If you're not growing, you're dying." "Life's too short to be unhappy." "Follow your passion." All of this sounds wise and is basically useless when you're lying awake at 2am trying to figure out whether you should leave a stable role that pays well but doesn't excite you anymore.

Here's a more honest framework. Score yourself on each of these from 1-10:

1. Am I still learning at a rate that matters? Not "am I learning anything" — you learn something everywhere. But are you acquiring capabilities that will be more valuable in three years than they are today? If you're the smartest person in every room, you've outgrown the room.

2. Do I respect the people making decisions? Not "do I agree with every decision" — that's unreasonable. But do you trust that the people at the top are competent, ethical, and building something you believe in? If you've lost faith in leadership, no amount of salary makes up for that erosion.

3. Is my trajectory here better than my trajectory elsewhere? This requires research, not just feeling. Talk to recruiters. Look at the market. Understand what you're worth externally. Sometimes you discover you're underpaid and underleveraged. Sometimes you discover you've got it better than you thought.

4. Can I articulate what I'd be running toward, not just what I'm running from? This is the most important one. Leaving a bad situation is valid. But the best career moves are toward something specific — a role, a company, a type of problem — not away from something vague. "I'm bored" is a reason to start looking. It's not a reason to accept the first offer that comes along.

5. Have I had the honest conversation? Before you leave, have you actually told your manager what you need? "I need more scope." "I need to work on the payments product, not the lending product." "I need a path to VP in the next 12 months." You'd be surprised how often the answer is "I didn't know you wanted that — let's make it happen." And if the answer is "that's not possible here," at least you leave with clarity rather than regret.

The scoring: if three or more of these are below a 5, it's time to start looking seriously. If they're all above 7, stay put and stop doom-scrolling job boards at 11pm. If it's mixed, the answer is probably: start building relationships and exploring opportunities quietly, without urgency. The best time to look for a new role is when you don't desperately need one.