Piles and piles

Some of you have asked for advice on leaving a job.  I have so many thoughts!  But the thing that comes to mind today is a tiny piece of pretty technical advice.  It’s this:

For the love of God, pack your office early. 

My last day was a Friday.  I had exactly 145 days to prepare for it, ample time, even for a a lawyer with a private office.  On day 3 of 145, I started moving some papers around my office, creating little piles.  Piles are not progress, people, don’t be fooled.  If anything, those piles simply created more work because by the time I went back to them about 90 days later I had no idea what system I had used to build them.  So I had to sort the piles into…more piles.

Around day 115 I remembered that I was supposed to be preparing to leave.  I surveyed my office and started to get nervous.  And when you get nervous, the best thing to do is to get moving!  So I decided to pour myself into revising a couple contracts.  That way I could justify not sorting the piles or any of the other stuff in my office.  Including email, which, let’s face it, had turned into the biggest pile in my office.

By day 141 I decided it was time to really focus.  Monday I made a long list of things I needed to handle – sorting, moving my collection of makeup and hair tools, which was really the bulk of the work – and with that list made I went back to mingling with coworkers and tying up loose ends on projects.

Around 5:30 on Day 145 there was a small crowd around my office. Folks had stopped by to inquire if I was in fact leaving “because by the looks of your office, you’re not.”  People offered to sort piles (which had gotten bigger) and jokingly threatened to call security to escort me out.  I think jokingly. I raced back and forth to the recycling bin, begging boxes off the mail room. I penned my “farewell” email while stuffing my emergency snack collection in my purse.  I considered tearing into the collection, because this was clearly an emergency.  I was never going to leave.

Finally, Erin, who I was supposed to meet for happy hour two hours earlier, sent a text.

“Do you need me to come get you?”

“Yes.  :(”

He showed up and within an hour had all my piles sorted, garbage tossed, farewell messages proofed, and knick knacks and books packed in the car.  I think it was easier for him to sort piles and sort me out generally because there was no emotion for him.  He just wanted his wife and maybe a plate of wings.

In the 145 days I had to prep, I had spent a lot of time thinking about the things I was going to be able to do after leaving. I had also spent a lot of time trying to learn as much as possible and take advantage of networking opportunities unique to full time employment.  I just hadn’t fully planned exactly, physically, how to leave.  Like, how to get out the door even.  If I could do it all again, I would start early and set aside a couple hours a week for organization. And create a system for organizing the new work that came in during the transition period.

Actually, let’s be real.  If I could do it all again I would probably do it the exact same way I did it the first time.  Just being honest. But if I could advise others about what to do, I’d tell them to start early and make progress bit by bit.

It has been a couple months, and the books and supplies that Erin helped collect from my office are still in an unsorted pile in the basement.  I have eaten the snacks, so at least there’s good progress there.