It’s the question that sneaks up on you while you’re scrolling through Zillow at midnight, sipping your oat milk latte, or finally sitting down after a long day of meetings. For those of us who are doing all the things—getting promotions, finding the right partner, adopting rescue cats instead of having kids — it’s the same question that stares back at us in those rare, quiet moments: What do we do now?

For overachieving, highly productive millennials, this question carries a unique existential weight— because, let’s be honest, we were raised to believe that once we checked off the major life boxes, happiness would just naturally follow, like a Prime package arriving on our doorstep. And we’ve hustled hard to make sure we hit every milestone: career? Check. Marriage or long-term relationship? Check. A home with a cool aesthetic that makes your friends jealous on Instagram? Check. We’ve arrived, right?

But here’s the kicker: once you’ve reached this so-called summit, a strange and mildly terrifying thing happens. You start asking yourself… Now what?

Cue existential dread.

For many of us, especially those who’ve chosen not to become parents (a millennial generation specialty, right up there with avocado toast and having opinions about Harry Styles), this question looms even larger. We’ve sidestepped the traditional path of raising children, either by choice or circumstance, and suddenly, the roadmap that society handed us starts to blur. We’ve hit all the big goals, so what’s the next one? Is there even a next one? Or are we just supposed to live out our days on the grind, going to brunch, adopting more dogs, and collecting houseplants?

We’re not saying we’re bored per se — but also, maybe we’re a little bored.

Millennials, unlike generations before us, were raised in an environment where productivity was king. We grew up during the “you can be anything you want if you work hard enough” era, complete with participation trophies and an overwhelming focus on self-improvement. We’re the generation that brought you hustle culture, startup dreams, and side gigs galore. We figured out early on that success was something to earn, and earn it we did.

But now that we’ve reached a place where our hard work has paid off, the question hits a little differently. Without kids to raise, what’s our next project? Without a looming life milestone to chase, what are we working toward?

For generations before us, the answer was clear: get married, have kids, work hard, and repeat. But we millennials are experts in breaking the mold. We’ve challenged societal norms, especially when it comes to having children or following a traditional career path. But by creating new paths, we’ve also ventured into uncharted territory.

So, what is the goal now?

One answer, of course, is that there’s no singular “next goal.” Maybe life, post-achievement, isn’t about checking off more boxes but about embracing a different kind of existence. What if the answer isn’t in productivity but in reflection? In savoring the life we’ve built instead of constantly trying to build more?

Okay, okay, we know. You’ve heard this before in every self-help podcast ever. “Be present.” “Practice gratitude.” And to be fair, there’s wisdom in that — learning to sit with contentment and understanding that life isn’t just a ladder to climb can be freeing. But for overachievers like me, this advice can feel a little like being told to stop running when all you’ve ever done is sprint.

Because we thrive on doing. And that’s where things get tricky. If there’s no big goal left to chase, what are we even doing here? Are we just supposed to, like, live our lives and enjoy it? What does that even mean?

So, here we are, millennials, staring down the barrel of our own success and wondering what comes next. Maybe it’s time we stop looking at life as a series of achievements and start exploring other dimensions of meaning. We can dive deeper into hobbies, relationships, and experiences—not because they’re another thing to conquer but because they offer something different: joy, connection, and curiosity.

We could redefine what it means to “achieve” in this new phase of life. Instead of hustling toward the next big milestone, what if we became really, really good at mastering the little things? Like making the perfect pour-over coffee or finally finishing a crossword without Googling? (Yes, I know you cheat on the NYT Crossword. It’s fine.)

And let’s not forget that not having kids doesn’t mean we’re off the hook for finding purpose. Many of us already channel our nurturing instincts into mentoring others, volunteering, or even doting on our friends’ kids. We’ve created communities that go beyond the nuclear family, and that’s pretty amazing in its own right.

What’s next for us, then? Maybe the real secret is that there’s no big next anymore, at least not in the way we’ve been trained to think. Life, after a certain point, is less about “what’s next” and more about “what’s now.” We’ve reached success, but that doesn’t mean the journey is over. It’s just a different kind of adventure now — one that’s less about getting somewhere and more about discovering what we want to do once we’re here.

So, fellow millennials, as we sit in our perfectly curated living rooms and pet our fur babies, let’s permit ourselves to ponder the question: What do we do now?

And hey, if we don’t have the answer yet, that’s okay. It’s all part of the journey… or maybe just another excuse to adopt more houseplants.