What's inside the template
One page, printable, designed for a 20–30 minute reflection session:
- Four areas from the modern reflection diagram, with space to write
- One guiding question for enjoyment, capabilities, contribution, and practical sustainability
- Three brief illustrative answers to help you begin
- A central space for possible connections—not a required perfect answer
- A final section with three questions for checking a next step
How to use the template step by step
It's not a five-minute exercise. Set aside at least half an hour and a separate notebook for thoughts that don't fit.
1. Start with 'What you love'
Write down five concrete activities you do (or have done) where time disappears. Not 'reading' — more specific: 'reading non-fiction essays on Sunday morning'. Specificity is where useful information lives.
2. Continue with 'What you're good at'
Ask yourself what colleagues or acquaintances regularly ask you for. What's obvious to you isn't obvious to many. Write down five specific skills — verbs, not labels.
3. Cross to 'What the world needs'
Which problems feel intolerable to you when you see them unsolved. It doesn't have to be epic — it can be concrete and small. Write down three.
4. Finish with 'What you can be paid for'
Look at the previous answers and ask what market exists for some combination of them. Be honest: there are passions the market doesn't compensate. This doesn't disqualify your ikigai — it just clarifies whether it lives inside or outside work.
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Related resources
If the template helps you start, these three resources are for going deeper:
What is Ikigai? Full guide
The Japanese concept, the diagram, the research behind it, and the nuances the template alone can't capture.
Ikigai reflection test (18 questions)
An interactive starting point for reflecting on enjoyment, capabilities, contribution, and practical sustainability.
Ikigai at work: applying it to your career
Use four career questions without assuming that work must supply every source of meaning in life.