The time may come when it is time to move on. After you have exhausted all other options, quitting may be the only thing left for you to do. While you may have wished things turned out differently, making the choice to leave your job and pursue something new is nothing to be ashamed of. As in all areas of life, making decisions that empower you and bring you to new heights in your overall well-being and development are smart ones.
But before you call it quits, keep in mind the things you should never do. Even if you are leaving on what you consider to be bad terms, professionalism and poise are always key to a smooth and sophisticated exit.
Here are four things you should never do if you are planning to quit your job. You may be fed up or just "over it," but quit like a class act and you'll be a better person for it.
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Don't Lose Your Cool
You may be at your wit's end, but once you lose control and say something you regret, you'll want to bury your head in the sand. Stay level-headed and be as calm as you can, even if you are quitting at a time of great stress or frustration.
As per The Balance, "Don't tell your boss and co-workers off… even if they deserve it. It is not just about being the bigger person. You never know who will turn up in your life at some point in the future. You may have to work with one of these people again. Even coworkers who are your allies may be put off by your behavior and may form a negative opinion of you."
Take a deep breath and go into the situation with discipline and directness, but never cross that line and risk damage to your professional reputation.
Don't Badmouth or Complain About Your Boss
If you know you are planning to leave the company, keep all thoughts about your boss to yourself, whether that means during "water cooler" chit chat among co-workers or with a potential new employer. It does nothing to help your cause or credibility.
Similarly, do not badmouth the company as a whole either. It stinks of pettiness and lack of appreciation. Instead, The Motley Foolsuggests, "Stay positive. Focus on the exciting opportunities you have and how much you will miss your colleagues. Even if employees make a practice of badmouthing the company over lunch or post-work drinks, don't participate."
Remember, you are quitting anyhow, so name-calling is nothing but juvenile and mean-spirited. The rules of kindergarten always hold up.
Don't Sever Ties
You have your valid reasons for leaving, but that does not mean that the relationships you have built and contacts you have collected must be tossed aside and forgotten. If you depart from the company in a classy and friendly manner, you can keep those connections solid as you move towards the next step on your career path.
As per Wishing Well Coaching, "Don't burn bridges. Your network is one of your most valuable career assets.Keep the relationships you have and build new ones in your new place of work. No matter how sure you are that you're never going back to where you are working now, don't do anything you'll regret."
Don't forget, "You may need the company for references," as The Motley Fool notes. Keep in touch.
Don't Give Zero Notice
As per Wishing Well Coaching, "Quitting a job without notice is a sure way to burn bridges with your manager and co-workers, who are all left to pick up the pieces after your departure."
Your employer deserves respect and a decent amount of time to process your decision to leave and find a replacement. Walking in to your boss's office and walking out for good immediately after is in poor taste, unless something truly horrendous has happened.
The Motley Fool suggests, "You should give proper notice -- two weeks in most fields, but more in a few others. During your notice period you should make every effort to tie up any loose ends. Think about what the next person in your job might need and leave a hand-off note containing the relevant info."
You may be eager to move onward and upward but doing the right thing will end your time with the company on a high note.
Quit the quality way. And good luck in your next position!
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Every time payday rolls around, I’m on top of the world. Jeff Bezos-level rich - even though I’m anything but. And then somehow the very next day, rent is due.
The cycle continues. The next payday, bills for my apartment. I find myself without a surplus of savings since I just moved and newly-furnished my apartment completely.
Even more terrifying is the looming presence of the holiday season. Halloween’s officially over and before we know it, hello Thanksgiving…and then there’s Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s. It’s insane.
I’ve been feeling very British lately. Not in a Union-Jack-obsessed, “Keep Calm and Carry-On” way. I went through that phase in 2012 with everyone else… no thank you. And it’s not even a surge of patriotism catalyzed by the Queen dying — I’m firmly team Diana and team Meghan.
Now that fall is officially here, the holidays will sweep in and I’ll have to contend with the fact that I won’t be spending them with my family in the UK. I went home to London earlier this year, so there’s not much left in my travel budget for another trip across the pond. A few domestic jaunts might be in my future, but the closest I’ll get to England this winter is watching Love Island and Love, Actually.
So in that spirit, I’ve been filling my days with content from my favorite Brits. I’m listening to all the old British rock bands I grew up listening to, patiently awaiting the new Arctic Monkeys album, and rewatching anything with Michaela Coel in it. I even shipped myself an order of British Baked Beans, so you know it’s dire.
I’ve also been watching British YouTubers like Grace Beverley — my favorite. Generally, I only go on YouTube to watch Vogue Beauty Secrets and AD Open Door videos. But I’m so glad I stumbled on Grace. Her content is a mix of London lifestyle (what lured me in), relatable entrepreneurship, and mindful productivity. I’m not a hustle-and-grind-girlboss, but as a creative person in a 9-to-5, I need all the help I can get to stay plugged in. So, the video “how to be really really really productive without getting overwhelmed” changed my approach to WFH.
Grace outlines her own productivity method: the to-do table. Instead of making a simple to-do list, she divides her tasks into a table that anyone can follow. As someone who’s survived with to-do lists for years, I recently implemented Grace’s method, and it’s revolutionized my workdays.
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I follow her routine to a tee. Here’s how it works:
Essentially, she divides her daily responsibilities into four categories: quick ticks, tasks, projects, and non-negotiables.
- Quick Ticks: Actions that take less than 5-minutes
- Tasks: To-do’s that take up to 30-minutes. Probably don’t take too much brain energy.
- Projects: Long-term list items. These help guide your priorities, even if you’re not crossing them off in one day.
- Non-negotiables: Pick 3 things each day that you must get done. This is how you’ll truly measure success.
With everything written down and sorted, next address your schedule. Meetings, deadlines, and time blocks — whatever works best for you. Write it down. Then make a pact with yourself to stick to them.
This way of categorization provides a roadmap for prioritizing your day — making you far more productive. Have you ever spent the entire day on small tasks and then suddenly realized you hadn’t moved the needle on any task? Or do you spend way too much time on tasks that aren’t a priority? No more. With your non-negotiables laid out, you know what to laser-focus on and what to dedicate energy towards.
Also, it pays to know your working style. I’m not a morning person. Yet, I have to be up and at ‘em super early. So, first thing in the morning, I march through my Quick Ticks to warm me up. I set a time limit, so I can knock out some easy wins which is totally inspiring. Then I move on to bigger things without lingering on emails or admin. For others, it might be more helpful to tackle the big things with all that early-in-the-day brain power earlier.
Grace has great tips on avoiding overwhelm and burnout. My favorite is taking more intentional breaks rather than scrolling through social media. I call this scrolling “productive” because I’m “coming up with pitches.” Oh, the lies we tell ourselves. It’s more productive in the long run to giving my brain a break with non-screen related stimuli.
Grace’s solution? Set a timer to read a real, an actual book. I’ve never thought of this. It’s a genius way to check off some books on my TBR and kickstart my creativity. After reading a good book, I’m completely inspired to write. So having books near my desk helps me step away from the computer during my lunch break for an actual reset. (And yes, the current books I’m reading are by British authors: Assembly by Natasha Brown, and Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold by Bolu Babalolu.)
In my pursuit of switching out my WFH set-up and getting my life together, I’ve engineered my workstation for success. With my new WFH essentials and Grace’s productivity technique, I’m revitalized for work — despite the fall blues and my melancholy about the pending holidays.
Here are the things getting me hyped for work and helping me crush my Grace Beverley-inspired to-do tables — no lists in sight:
Southwest Airlines Sale 2022
Pack your bags — Southwest Airlines is having a major sale! Fares are as low as $59 one-way if you book by October 3rd.
This end-of-summer super sale is a game-changer for your travel plans through the end of the year. Summertime travel gets all the glory. But why not take advantage of your long weekends, holidays, and PTO this fall. You’ll be surprised at how much travel you can fit in. Keep the fall/winter season exciting with domestic trips that give you all the excitement without breaking the bank. All thanks to Southwest.
Here’s the breakdown:
Where can you go?
You’ll find discounted tickets to and from most airports. Sale fares apply to cross country travel, and even Hawaii, Mexico, and the Caribbean! Whether you’re visiting a new city or revisiting your last beach vacation, this sale has fares to make your travel dreams come true.
What do the fares cover?
Southwest Airlines has multiple fare tiers, each with various benefits. Wanna Get Away fares start at $59, while Wanna Get Away Plus fares start at $89. You can also find great deals on Anytime fares, which offer priority boarding and express lanes. Then there’s Business Select tickets for a luxe experience at an affordable price point.
Do you have to be a Southwest Rapid Rewards member?
You may think these sale fares are too good to be true. Is there a catch? Do you have to be a Southwest Rapid Rewards member to access them? You’re in luck — anyone can attain these fares for a limited time.
But, insider tip, you should consider signing up for Southwest Rapid Rewards. With a free sign up, you earn points and miles with each trip you take. And with this sale, each dollar you spend on these discounted tix can stretch super far until you eventually earn free travel. The only thing better than a sale is free stuff.
So pack your bags and brace yourself for those chaotic airport lines. Everyone’s hopping on this deal so get on it. Don’t miss out — grab your sale tickets by October 3rd!
I’ve been browsing the Southwest Airlines site, checking out flights and dreaming.