The “Before I Quit” List

I was catching up with a college friend of mine, and she mentioned a concept so brilliant I had to share it. The “Before I Quit” List. Allow me to explain.

A friend of hers was starting to get the feeling that she wasn’t going to stick around her current job much longer. Her first move, however, wasn’t to update her resume or LinkedIn, or even start job hunting. Her first move was to draft a list of skills, experiences, conversations, and abilities she wanted to gain or accomplish at her current employer before she left.

She made her “Before I Quit” List.

I think this is a brilliant strategy for a number of reasons. First, a “Before I Quit” list helps you gauge how much value your current job is giving you. If you have a long list of things you can still learn and skills you can still pick up, your search might be less urgent than if you can only think of a handful of things you want to do.

Second, this list can help you stay engaged until your last day on the job. I hate wasting time, and if can be easy to check out of your job once you know you’re leaving it. Having a written list of everything you want to accomplish before you leave can give you clear direction on how to leverage your current role’s connections, resources, and access.

Third, your “Before I Quit” List, if accomplished, will be synonymous with your “Recently Learned Skills” list, which can help you market yourself and find your next opportunity.

Fourth, it can help you estimate a time horizon for when you want to make the jump to your next adventure. Unless your situation is pretty dire, you want to make sure you don’t have any regrets or loose threads upon leaving. A “Before I Quit” list can help make sure you give yourself enough time to wrap up any loose threads.

Next time you feel a transition coming, considering taking the time to draft your own “Before I Quit” List.

Would you make a “Before I Quit” List? What would be on it? Let me know at YourSTEMMentorBlog@gmail.com!