It’s Episode 018 of Fulfilled – the Podcast! We are diving deep into the logistics of how to quit a job!

Ultimately the first thing you need to decide when quitting your job is that you believe that whatever comes next for you is likely to be better than where you are! It’s not concrete, there’s no quadratic formula that you can use, there’s nothing that you can Google to tell you if quitting is right for you. It’s a gut-check. It’s something that you feel, believe, but it’s not something that you know for certain. You don’t need to know where you are going at the point in which you make this decision. Don’t get bogged down in the details, the what-ifs, or the negativity. You just need to decide, then go about the business of getting things in place to make that change!

The first thing to consider when you are considering leaving a job is the financials. Work backwards, take a look at your current financial situation, including your savings, the amount of debt you have, if there’s another income coming into the household and determine how many pay periods you can go before you need income coming in. Once you have that number, you have the financial deadline, so to speak, and this informs your decision about lining up the details of your next position. Be realistic about your current financial position and make sure that you are identifying the opportunities and limitations here.

The second thing to consider when you are looking to move on is the logistics. Logistics includes things like insurance coverage, childcare discounts, commuting, and changes to your family schedule. This is a fact finding mission and ongoing discussions, thinking of what the schedule for the family would look like, and so on. Human Resources is typically a great place to start when researching options for transferring insurance, ongoing coverage, or COBRA.

The third and possibly the most important category to consider is your relationships. This is a big one! You want to think about relationships with your current colleagues, supervisors or other people who may endorse you in the form of a verbal recommendation or letter of recommendation as you are moving on. Tread lightly here to make sure that you don’t tip your hand too soon to your colleagues and your current employer.

Your relationship with your partner is going to be affected by both your desire to leave your position, looking for a new job, and the tactical approach to when this change will happen. Start these conversations early and often, keeping in mind your partners love language, the way that they process and come to decisions. Note that it is likely different way than the way that you process and come to decisions. All of the information your partner has is second hand from you and from seeing you experience this job.

How I Quit My Job:

I made the decision to leave a position that was threatening my health, my sanity, time with my family and my sacred sleep! I found myself last year working 11-12 hour days, 5 days a week, being paid salary for 40 hours but working 50-60 hours per week. I wasn’t being compensated from an overtime perspective, this added work and time and responsibilities were simply deemed “other duties as assigned.”

When I say that this job was jeopardizing my health, I truly mean that I acquired an autoimmune disease while working so hard, so fast and so long. My care team and I decided that the best course of treatment was a combination of traditional medications and get more sleep and have less stress. My job was stretching and stressing me to the max. It wasn’t conducive to more sleep and less stress.

When I say that this role was jeopardizing my sanity, I’m speaking of the undercurrents of anxiety. I was anxious about the work that I was doing, my concerns about provider and patient safety. Things were changing, but slowly and not soon enough for me!

What I say that it was jeopardizing my relationship with Dan and the kids it came down to the schedule. I was rushing out of the hospital late, barely making it to daycare on time, I was drained and empty during those scant moments of time with my kiddos on weeknights.

Things changed when, after a night awake on call with minimal sleep and tons of phone calls, RaeAnne called me “stupid”. This is a party trick she learned form her older brothers. My 2-year-old daughter called me stupid because I couldn’t snuggle her in that early morning moment. I was so busy, so exhausted, so behind and so stressed… I had to say no. I said no. She looked me dead in the eye and said “Momma, you’re stupid!” and she meant it!

I didn’t want a job that took me away from my family so much. I didn’t want a job that asked so much of me that it left me depleted, used all of my energy and all of my compassion. I loved that job but I didn’t want that job. Dan lovingly supported me and romanced me when he said “Sweetheart, you need to resign today!”.

We had laid the foundations financially and logistically as we had navigated the possibility of going part-time. We ultimately decided that I would resign and the night that I had that signed letter of resignation I slept through the night for the first time in months.

I stepped out in fear and in faith. God gave me one huge shove and I stumbled forward into the unknown. This change, this new job has helped me to become the best, most beautiful version of myself!

You will know that it’s time to leave when your role, your organization, your job or even your area. It’s so important to listen to that knowing and someday I hope that you review this post and re-listen to Episode 18 to refresh on the logistics surrounding quitting your job!

If I could go back and quit my job again I would do it in a heartbeat.

If you’d like to hear more, check out Episode 18 – How I Quit my Job! on Fulfilled – The Podcast.

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