Look for the pattern, not the day

Everyone has a week where work feels heavy. A career change is worth considering when the feeling lasts for months and shows up in different projects, teams and managers.

Keep a short note each Friday for six weeks. Write down what gave you energy and what drained it. After a month and a half, the pattern is usually obvious.

Separate the job from the work

Ask yourself whether you dislike the company, the role or the kind of work itself. A new employer can fix the first, a new role can fix the second. Only the third points to a real career change.