How do I figure out who my work actually serves?

When you cannot see who your work is for, it starts to feel like motion without meaning. That is a real ache, not a small one. Work is easier to carry when you know a face at the end of it — someone who is better off because you showed up. So trace the line. Follow what you make until it reaches a real person. The report you write, who reads it and what do they decide because of it? The thing you build, who holds it? There is almost always someone at the end, even if layers of process hide them from view. This week, find one actual person your work touches and picture them clearly. A customer, a colleague, someone downstream. Keep them in mind as you work. Meaning is rarely handed to you; more often you have to follow the thread back to the human it serves.