The Resignation Checklist: 25 Sneaky Ways To Bleed Your Employer Dry Before Quitting

One night, after I’d already been writing Bitches Get Riches for many years, I awoke in a cold sweat, gripped with the sudden realization that I had an incredibly comprehensive resignation checklist… but I’d never actually written it down.

It was the height of the post-pandemic “Great Resignation.” Millions of Americans were walking away from their jobs. And I’d been selfishly sitting on a list of ways to bleed said companies dry before peaceing out and driving off into the sunset.

I recognize that this constitutes a top ten anime betrayal.

許してくれ。

The thing is… I’d been daydreaming about leaving my job for years. These plans had been a part of me for so long that I kinda forgot they were plans at all. Like, I don’t necessarily notice my own breathing. Why would I notice something equally natural and reflexive: constructing elaborate fantasies about leaving corporate America forever?

Planning to quit ahead of time is a great advantage. Not everyone gets it. In most states, people can be fired suddenly, for no reason. Other people need to leave their job abruptly because of absolutely untenable issues like workplace safety or harassment. Those people do not have the luxury of planning a soft landing for themselves.

But if you’re planning to quit voluntarily, you can do what they cannot. You can be strategic. Y’know, like Light Yagami eating potato chips! And in doing so, you can extract a ton of value back from your employer and/or your government before you go.

I quit my job and retired forever in 2022. As my final date approached, I systematically went through this list myself. It saved me thousands of dollars. It also prevented a lot of logistical headaches for my future self. Which was important, because I wanted to set her up with a low stress post-job lifestyle. Listening to the hold music for the COBRA continuation assistance hotline was not on my retirement vision board!

This article was originally published upon my retirement. It jumped immediately into our top-ten most popular list, and has stayed there pretty much ever since. Now that we’ve branched into audio and video formats, I’m sharing it again, along with a few new ideas generated by our amazing Patrons and readers.

Please enjoy this, my ultimate resignation checklist…

Special note for hourly workers

Before we get into it, I’ll confess that my list skews toward white-collar salaried workers.

Part of that is because of the limitations of my own experience. I worked in salaried jobs for the last chunk of my working life. Before that I was self-employed—which is a fancy way of saying “chronically underemployed” and “very hungry.” The last time I worked hourly shifts was back in college, slinging physical copies of Metroid: Other M at GameStop. (If you bought one of them, I personally apologize for my small role in your trauma.) So yeah, it’s been a while!

But even if my experience was fresh, I think I still wouldn’t have as many tips to share for people who work in more transactional fields, like retail and service. Generally, these jobs have fewer legal protections and offer far fewer exploitable benefits to their employees. The reasons for this are really complex, but can be summarized nicely with one word: classism.

Remember, unskilled labor is a classist myth! Whether you make four figures or six figures, we’re all on the same team. The billionaire class is the fisherman; everyone else is just crabs in the bucket.

To refocus human dignity at the center of a new workplace culture, workers must unite and work together to demand change. Our enemies—the men who made themselves wealthy by exploiting others—will never have an Ebenezer moment and decide to stop acting evil. Here’s a little suggested reading on this topic.

• Antiwork Is the New American Dream
• How to Use Labor Shortages to Your Advantage
• How To Support a Labor Strike with 3 Simple Steps
• 1 Easy Way All Allies Can Help Close the Gender and Racial Pay Gap
• Season 1, Episode 4: “Capitalism Is Working for Me. So How Could I Hate It?”
• Why Are Poor People Poor and Rich People Rich?

Resignation checklist: Choose the right time to quit

A couple of astute Bitchlings in our comments sections pointed out something really important, which many people may not realize…

It used to be standard practice for employees to give two-weeks notice before leaving their jobs. The expectation was that you’d use your last two weeks to wrap up your duties and let your employers begin the search for a replacement. However, it’s become increasingly common for businesses to ask you to leave immediately once you’ve given notice.

So if you decide to give advance notice, don’t tell your employer until you’re actually ready to go. Anticipate that you may be physically walked out of the building, that very day.

(If this happens to you, YES, you can apply to collect unemployment for the extra weeks between the date you were let go and the date you planned to leave. It’s just a lot of hassle for one paycheck.)

This is a perfect example of why I think giving notice is a ridiculously one-sided, outdated expectation that needs to die. If companies want two week’s notice that I plan to leave, they can give me two week’s notice that they plan to lay me off. Unless I get the same courtesy, it benefits me in no way to reveal my intentions. Especially when they’re likely to respond with the humiliating discourtesy of walking me out under guard like I’m a deranged criminal as thanks.

… But that’s a whole ‘nother rant for a whole ‘nother day! Here’s how to time your departure perfectly.

#1: Plan to quit in the first few days of a new month to extend your healthcare coverage an extra month.

Employer sponsored healthcare benefits are one of my least favorite features of this timeline. But that’s all the more reason to exploit them where we can.

At most companies, your healthcare benefits remain active through your last month of employment. For example: if you quit on January 2nd, you have 29 days before you need to get a new plan. But if you quit on January 27th, you have only 4 days. For that reason, I highly recommend quitting in the first few days of a month. It saves you money and buys you time.

But do your homework first, because although that’s what’s most common, it’s not the only possibility. Some businesses offer a flat four-week continuation, and some stop cold on your last day. Bastards.

#2: Plan to quit after January to collect a full year’s paid vacation time.

If you get paid vacation time and you live in a state that considers vacation time to be wages, you’re in luck. If you quit after January 1st, you’ll get a fat final paycheck for all those unused vacation days.

Unfortunately, our useless representatives don’t set this policy at the federal level. So you need to look up your state’s laws to know if it applies. Here’s a handy chart where you can look your state up.

#3: Cover an employment gap by quitting just after the new year.

There’s another good reason to quit early in the year. It’s much easier to hide an employment gap if you quit in the new year.

Now, employment gaps should be normal. For those of you who will one day sit in an interviewer’s chair, I beg you—don’t ask people to explain gaps. The company doesn’t need an explanation for how a candidate spent their time when they weren’t even employed there! It’s almost always some incredibly personal bummer shit—caregiving, illness, unemployment—that’s neither germane nor pleasant to talk about.

But that said, gaps are still viewed as red flags by many hiring managers. You can disguise a gap by listing your employment on your resume by year, without accounting for the month.

#4: Plan to quit only after getting the most out of your benefits.

In my final corporate job, I got an annual bonus. It came out every year during the last week of March.

Don’t you just find it *so weird* and *incredibly coincidental* that I left my job in the first week of April?

If you have good benefits, make the most of them before you leave.

• Do you get an annual or quarterly bonus? Make your exit after that delicious extra money lands in your account.
• Are you planning for children? Suck their parental leave dry before you go! (If you’re a lady, you’ve already preemptively been punished for it, so ya might as well do it!)
• Are you considering getting a new degree? If your company offers tuition reimbursement, make use of it before you bounce.
• Do you need specialized medical care like gender transition support or fertility treatments? Those can be extraordinarily expensive, and not every plan includes them. So if you have good access now, use it before you go.
• Do you get ANY other cool perks? I’m thinking employee discounts, gym memberships, home office stipends, vehicle usage reimbursements, personal development budgets, or free tickets to sponsored events? Those are sweet perks! Vacuum that free money up. And read your employee handbook, because sometimes these perks are intentionally under-advertised. My last employer was the corporate sponsor of a local aquarium, which granted their employees free admission. I only knew about that from pouring over the handbook, looking for information on something completely different. You better believe I went and peeped some free fish!

#5: Use every single sick day and vacation day that won’t be paid out.

I’m super lucky. My state compels companies to pay out unused vacation time. And I had a good boss, so I didn’t need to lie about how I used my sick leave. I could say “I need a few mental health days,” and he’d approve it, no questions asked.

But if you aren’t that lucky and can’t look forward to getting that money back, use those sick days up. Use them with wanton brutality!

If I worked for a crappy company in a crappy state, I would feel no shame whatsoever in faking sick or taking staycation days.

Side note: The best fake sickness ever?

What is the best way to fake sick? I’ve devoted many shower thoughts to this question, and I believe I have a definitive answer.

In my opinion, the easiest way to fake sick for a good chunk of time without straining your ~*acting abilities*~ is to announce that you’ve scheduled a minor surgery.

Specifically, a pilonidal cyst excision.

• People don’t pry once they learn it’s a problem within six inches of your bunghole. Getting people to avoid asking questions does a lot of the heavy lifting of lying for you!
• The condition is common and treatable. Pretending to have it doesn’t diminish the experiences of people who actually have it.
• It’s super minor. You won’t make people worry about you.
• Since it’s on your tailbone, you can’t really do anything but lay on your stomach for several weeks—no standing or sitting allowed. This would get you out of almost any kind of work.
• You don’t have to fake coughing or fatigue. No advanced acting skills required.
• And you can always mention a “ripped stitch” or “infection” to prolong your paid time off.

IT’S THE PERFECT CRIME. YOU’RE WELCOME.

(For the sake of moral clarity, let me add: Since originally publishing this tip in 2022, one person with pilonidal cysts told me it was unethical; nineteen told me it was awesome. This is the golden ratio for advice-givers, as far as I’m concerned.)

Resignation checklist: Get the most out of your existing healthcare

#6: Schedule your annual physical exam.

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, lots of routine preventative medical procedures are now free.

Actually, it’s more accurate to say that you’ve already paid for them. So if you don’t use it, you’re wasting the money you’ve already spent on it when you paid your first insurance premium.

The first, most critical step is to schedule an annual physical exam with your general practitioner. Do it to renew outstanding prescriptions, address any health concerns, and avoid unpleasant surprises while you transition between healthcare plans.

#7: Get your vaccinations, including the flu shot.

I’m not a doctor. But I watched a lot of Scrubs, so I’ve got this.

Everyone’s lifestyles, risks, and needs are different. Talk to your doctor, ya dirty step-skipper! But in general, adults need the following vaccines:

• COVID-19 vaccine and booster
• Seasonal flu shot every year to prevent influenza
• Tdap booster every 10 years to prevent tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis
• HPV as a series to prevent genital warts and cancers
• And you may need more if you are…
  • Over 50
  • Pregnant
  • Working in healthcare
  • Traveling internationally
  • Someone who missed critical vaccines during childhood
  • Living near anti-vaxxers fixing to bring back the classics

Piggy and I have a friend who almost died in their twenties from regular ol’ influenza. It’s not just a bad cold—it’s a serious disease that claims tens of thousands of lives every year in America. So we were ferociously passionate about this even before the pandemic made it all trendy! Get your shots before you need them.

#8: Have your teeth cleaned, x-rayed, and repaired as needed.

Tooth pain is proof that god exists and he hates you.

I barely remember orientation week of college because I was in so much pain from a tooth abscess. I even met my future coblogger during this time! And Piggy thought I was preppy. Her bad judgment? Or my good Vicodin? You decide!*

*Editor’s Note: Piggy here to set the record straight. Bitch showed up to move-in day in an A-line skirt and kitten heels.** What the hell was I supposed to think?**

**Author’s Note: THEY WERE 2.5 INCH MULES, NOT KITTEN HEELS, GET IT RIGHT. I HAVE LOW ARCHES AND AN INDOMITABLE SPIRIT.

Most plans cover 1-2 annual cleanings and a set of x-rays. If you have a cavity or something more serious, better to have it taken care of now. You don’t wanna be interviewing for new jobs with a toothache so bad you can’t think straight.

One last note: I need to write about this in the future, but the’s a growing number of scammy dental offices who bilk customers and their insurance plans by suggesting treatments they don’t really need. (The most popular one I’ve heard is a “deep cleaning” or a “deep pocket cleaning.”) So be aware. Get a second opinion if something doesn’t sound right.

If you need a cavity filled, your dentist should sit down with you and show it to you on your x-rays. You can see the shadow for yourself. Trust dentists who take a long-term approach. I have shitty enamel, and a lot of baby cavities. My dentist monitors their growth year over year, and doesn’t take action to fill them until it becomes necessary. Under his watchful eye, none of them have grown at all, and I haven’t had any new fillings in many years. 

#9: Get new glasses and/or contact lenses.

Who’s wearing their dailies like monthlies? Couldn’t be me! (…It is me.)

Most plans cover an annual eye exam, plus a set amount reimbursed for new lenses every year and new frames every-other year.

Again, you’ve really already paid for it. When you switch to a new insurance, you can get even more! So get a fresh prescription. If you don’t need anything, use your imagination. Get a second pair, higher quality contacts, prescription sunglasses… just get something! Why waste it?

#10: Stockpile extras of your most necessary prescriptions.

If you’re leaving your job voluntarily, hopefully you already have a plan to move to a new insurance provider. But if that plan falls through, you don’t want to be without the medications you most need. You may need extra time to find a new provider if your current doctors don’t take your new insurance.

I remember running out of birth control pills during a job transition. Gotta tell you: not an ideal time to experiment with your hormones. My body became 1,000% convinced it was pregnant—sitcom cliché pregnant. I made my partner go to a convenience store after midnight for poofy-style Cheetos because the idea of not having them nearly brought me to tears.

If your doctor is cool, ask if they can write you a prescription for a longer period of time. If they aren’t—or if your medication is a controlled substance, so they can’t—just be savvy and stock up some extras in whatever way you have to, so long as you’re not endangering yourself.

#11: Pursue any necessary medical diagnoses before you quit.

If you have a niggling feeling that your weird mole has become a Weird Mole, it’s better to get it looked at now. You don’t have to solve every issue. It’s enough to seek the clarity of a diagnosis and familiarize yourself with treatment plans.

When you start your next job, you’ll likely be offered tiers of healthcare plans. If you know you have a condition that requires expensive procedures, like surgery or physical therapy, you can strategically choose a higher tier to offset the damage.

My only caveat is mental health. I would not recommend starting therapy just before quitting your job. Finding a good therapist and building a relationship with them is hard work. I’d hate to see you throw that work away because your therapist doesn’t accept your new insurance plan. I’d get situated on a new plan first. But you know best, so trust your own judgement about what you need.

Resignation checklist: Optimize your finances

#12: Get independent logins to your company-sponsored financial accounts.

My final employer had an intranet that connected me seamlessly through a VPN network to all my many horribly designed benefits portals. (Seriously. Were they personally designed by Clippy himself?!)

Once I left the company, I needed external links and the passwords to go with them. You don’t want to exit with a hearty middle finger only to come crawling back six months later for help getting your 401(k) rolled over!

#13: Front load your 401(k) contributions.

If your employer offers 401(k) matching, make the most of that benefit while you can. There’s a reason it comes super early on our suggested financial order of operations guide. It’s as close to free money as it gets. It’ll grow throughout your lifetime. And the sooner you start, the better the returns get.

Always aim, at minimum, to max out the company match.

At time of writing, people under 50 may contribute up to $23,500 per year to their 401(k)s. If you’re trying to maximize your contributions to this tax-advantaged retirement account, you’d put $1,950 per month into it. Hoo-wee! That’d buy about fourteen eggs in this economy!

And by the way—if you’re on a 403(b), the principle is pretty much the same.

#14: Max out your company’s 401(k) matching.

If you know you’re quitting your job early to midway through the year, consider a strategy called front loading your 401(k). This means depositing larger payments at the start of the year instead of steady drips throughout the year.

Since I left my job in April, I would’ve had to set my monthly 401(k) contribution to $5,875 to make up for the whole year. That’s… insane. I obviously didn’t do that! But I got as close to it as I comfortably could.

If you can afford it, front loading is a pretty good idea. It builds your wealth faster by giving you the whole year to earn interest. It also lets you be sneaky and take more of your soon-to-be ex-employer’s money and run. For those reasons, not all matching plans honor front loading.

If maxing out the employer match is your only reason for considering front loading, check your plan details before you commit to the strategy. Not all plans support what’s called “true up” matching, which is what you need to accomplish this.

If you’re unclear, call your plan’s administrator and ask. They’ll have reps who can tell you directly, in plain English. If they’re a big external company, like a Fidelity, you really don’t have to worry about your employer getting wind that you asked. They’re too big to moonlight as snitches for all their clients.

#15: Check your vesting schedule on “extra” money like retirement matching, bonuses, or stock options.

Perks like these became fairly rare in the last twenty years. But I suspect they’d see a resurgence in popularity if labor continues to strengthen.

Vesting can be a little confusing. Luckily, we just did a deep-dive on how vested funds work. You can read that here:

• Ask the Bitches: “Can I Quit With Unvested Funds? Or Am I Walking Away From Too Much Money?”

But the tl;dr is that some financial benefits don’t truly become yours until you’ve worked at the company for an arbitrary amount of time. So before you quit, you need to know if the money that appears to be yours will actually go poof! because you were three months shy of its vestment date.

Not that you asked, but I personally think deferred compensation is denied compensation. I never count on vesting funds because I want the psychological freedom to walk away from jobs that don’t work for me. (Leaving money on the table causes me psychic damage—and they know it.)

#16: Secure loans for major purchases now.

Some years back, I closed on my first house the same week I started a brand new job. My bank was surprisingly chill about it. They accepted a copy of my formal offer letter as proof of income.

If I were trying to do that now, I don’t know if it would be so easy. Inflation and interest rates are rising. Money won’t shoot out of banks quite like it did in the good old days—like a greased pig on a Slip ‘N Slide. So if you’re thinking about major purchases like a home, car, or educational degree, secure those loans before you quit your job.

There is an exception. If you expect a large pay bump in your next role, hold off. You may qualify with more lenders and better terms with a higher income. (Hold on while I space out for a second, thinking about how dystopian it is that we treat rich people as inherently more deserving of discounts than poor people… … … Phew! I’m back! There were so many stars where I went!)

Resignation checklist: Get the data you’ll need in the future

#17: Make personal copies of critical files

Make sure you walk away with everything you need to secure another job in the future.

Some companies frown on you making personal copies of your work. Some outright forbid it. But personally, I take what I want and don’t even bother to ask permission.

That’s because I worked as a graphic designer. It would’ve been impossible for me to demonstrate my skills without examples of my past work. So any time I make something great for any employer, it goes right in my (password-protected, hidden from search engines) personal portfolio. If it contained proprietary information, I redacted it or replaced key parts with lorem ipsum text before using it.

You’re all smart people. I think you know the difference between some portfolio pieces or supportive analytics reports and, uh, trade secrets that will send your cheeks clapping all the way to federal prison. Make good choices!

#18: Copy important emails to your personal account

Whenever I get a really important email, I put it in a folder called “useful.” And when I’m ready to leave a job, I download those emails or forward them to my personal address.

This is especially important if you’re leaving your employer on bad terms. We pray at the Holy Church of Document Everything. If you’ve been harassed or treated badly, make sure your future self has the proof they need to pursue justice. Check out this guide for more specific steps to take if you’re in this situation…

• Sexual Harassment: How to Identify and Fight It in the Workplace

#19: Switch any account logins that use your work email address

Your work email will likely be deleted or passed on to someone else. Check your password manager for non-work-related accounts linked to it and switch them over now. It’ll be a lot harder—or even impossible—to do so after you’ve lost access to your work email forever.

Resignation checklist: Solidify relationships

#20: Save coworkers you like

LinkedIn is the easiest way to stay in touch on a neutral, professional level. Whenever I leave a job, I invite everyone to add me as part of my final farewell email.

If you found someone who’s more like a friend, add them on whatever social platforms you use. Once you’ve announced your impending departure, you can ask for their personal phone numbers or emails. Just don’t ask too early, in case somebody has loose lips.

#21: Delete coworkers you hate

When I announced my impending retirement on my private Instagram, I got a lot of positive comments from friends and acquaintances.

I also got one snarky comment from a former manager, who I completely forgot followed me. “Aw, just when I was about to call you about a job!” Cue stink face. This dude and I haven’t spoken in years. And when I was in his department, he criminally underpaid me based on my age and gender. He figured out that bright-eyed recent college grads would work tirelessly, exactly as directed, for half the pay of more senior employees. He climbed his sweaty ass up the ladder by stealing credit for their achievements.

So ew! So no! I’d rather rub sand up my own asscrack for 40 hours a week than work for him again.

I deleted him. It’s the perfect time to clean house! You’ll be so much happier if these tools aren’t living rent-free in your feeds.

#22: Ask for LinkedIn recommendations

For a variety of reasons, professional references don’t carry the weight in the hiring process they once did. Which is a shame, because I think they’re very illuminating. (And a pretty great way to screen out high-purity whackadoos.)

One of my core strengths in the workplace is building trust and relationships. So I need another way to express that, y’know, people like me and enjoy working with me?

Public LinkedIn recommendations have been great for this reason. When I leave a job, I usually ask several people to write one for me. Since it lives on my profile, future recruiters can see what I’m like to work with before they ever interview me. I only ask people I know I can trust, and in a clear “no pressure” way. And I try to include a spread of coworkers, managers, and mentors to showcase my ~*social adaptability.*~

So maybe try that?

Resignation checklist: Miscellaneous

#23. Steal office supplies

I worked remotely most days before the pandemic started. So by the time I left, I hadn’t been in the office in-person for over a year. I lost all sense of what was even in my desk drawers anymore.

Low-tier pens? Awkwardly sized notebooks? Maybe a cardigan, at the most. Nothing I’ve missed. So I never went back.

… But oh god. I just considered…

What if I left snacks in my desk?

Do you think they were so covered in mold they became technically, legally alive?

Did they have to send a team in hazmat suits to establish diplomatic relations with them?!

Regardless, I sanction the theft of office supplies. You gave them the best years of your life. PLUNDER THEM OF THEIR PRECIOUS POST-IT NOTES AND UGLY TEAM T-SHIRTS LEFT OVER FROM LAST YEAR’S FUNDRAISER! You need something to paint in.

Personally, my modus operandi is mugs. I steal a mug from the last workplace and use it at the next one. Drinking from it reminds me of all the lessons I learned in the past.

(Readers, check out the video version of this article if you’d like to see me show off my funniest stolen mug!)

#24. Take time off for yourself

This is a luxury. It shouldn’t be! But it is, because you need money, time, and support to do it properly. So if you can, please consider taking a few days or weeks to enjoy being your autonomous, uncommodified self.

For one reason or another, I was never able to take time off between jobs. I always had to rush into the next thing. And now that I’m at the end of my career, I realize how much I regret that. Everyone deserves time to rest and reflect after a major life change and prepare for what comes next. I robbed my past self by not finding a way to let it happen.

#25. Go out as a legend

I don’t know what it is. Maybe I just love a dramatic ending. But I often find myself honoring the ends of eras with a bit of harmless devilry.

When my beloved first college dormitory was sold, I said goodbye to the building by instigating a massive multi-floor water gun brawl. My memory is awful—I have a Bad Brain™—but I will never forget streaking down her hallways and coursing up her staircases, fingers blistered from the cheap pump-action knock-off Super Soakers we’d found for $1 in Chinatown. It was the first place I’d lived where I truly felt I belonged. And it was the send-off she deserved before being torn down to the studs to make more apartments for millionaires.

This spirit has carried through to my jobs as well. The last time I quit a job (not my final job—the one before that), it was to escape a truly terrible workplace. It was toxic and oppressive, with an omnipresent tension in the air. There were good people on my team, and I hated to leave them behind to suffer without me.

I wanted to make sure I left like a legend. So I set off two (figurative) bombs.

First, I detonated an immediate accountability bomb. I hadn’t been the victim of the racism, the nepotism, the bullying, and the sexism… but I’d seen it happening to others. People with families and obligations that made it difficult to speak up or walk away. I did my best to speak for them, leaving a molten hot dossier with HR. My CMO left our exit interview feeling “humiliated” by the way I characterized my time there. (Good for you, Barbara! You should be!)

Second, I detonated a time-delayed comedy bomb. I hid photos of hairless cats shellacked in Geocities-era sparkle gifs throughout our team’s project folders. Each one was annotated, in lime green Comic Sans font, with different callbacks and inside jokes. My team was still finding them months after I left, and sent me texts howling with laughter when one appeared in a hidden layer or device wallpaper.

I felt gutted to leave the good, kind people on my team behind. I knew that despite my best struggles, the leadership wouldn’t do a damn thing to make real change. It made me feel so powerless. Leaving subversive little gifts of laughter felt like a wholesome way to stay connected to them and give them hope that they’d soon escape too. Which they all did, in their own time.

For the rest, I channeled a lot of that anguish into words. First for catharsis; then, hoping to guide others to be more effective change-makers than I was. I teamed up with Piggy, whose different experiences somehow brought her to the exact same place. And eventually we published everything. That’s the blog you’re reading today, and the calling I continue to pursue into retirement.

That’s why my final piece of advice is to go out like a legend.

I think we’ve been far too conditioned to hide our true selves while at work, to act like perfect commodified automatons. Whether quitting your job leaves you feeling sad, angry, conflicted, or joyful, find a way to let those feelings live in the way you choose to quit.

A resource for people who want to quit, but can’t

So that’s the end of my resignation checklist!

For the purposes of today’s discussion, I’ve assumed that you already firmly decided to quit. I don’t question your reasons; I’m sure they’re good.

But some of you aren’t there yet. You hate your current situation, and you wish you could quit, but you can’t. So you’re spending a lot of time daydreaming about how awesome quitting would feel. And you’re reading articles like these as The “Sickos” Guy, getting secondhand enjoyment from knowing other people are doing the thing you desperately want to do.

If I’ve just accurately described you, allow me to suggest our Burnout Workshop. We wrote it for people who feel desperately unhappy, trapped by their your current situations, and paralyzed to do anything about it. You get a movie-length video you can watch (and rewatch) at your own pace, plus a 75-page workbook crammed with exercises, personality tests, guided questions, tips, resources, and more.

If you’re not sure whether quitting your job is the right thing to do, I guarantee you’ll get clarity and peace of mind on that question. And you’ll leave with excellent strategies for improved mental health regardless of whether you ultimately decide to leave or stay.

Anything else on your resignation checklist?

When we first published this guide in 2022, we got a ton of fantastic reader suggestions in the comments.

FrenchGirl—ooh lala!—pointed out that you should use up any money in your FSA. This is a reflection of my own blind spot: I’ve only ever had HSAs, not FSAs. But FrenchGirl is totally right: if you have an FSA, that money is use-it-or-lose-it. You can spend it on any eligible medical expense, which includes things like sunscreen, ibuprofen, and tampons. So go on! Fulfill your destiny and become a hygiene prepper!

For people who work in manufacturing environments, Laura had a great tip: use your full work-sponsored allowance for clothing, shoes, safety gear, or tools that would remain your personal property. This is a great tip, because you can always use that stuff. This weekend I’m pulling all the old insulation out of my attic myself. I really wish I had some heavy-duty overalls, steel-toed boots, eye protection, and respirators. As it is, I’ll be going in with my classic min-mix strategy for intense physical labor: slutty shorts, Girl Talk, and Adderall.

These are just two among many great tips from readers, so please peruse the comments for more ideas! We’re always looking for more ideas, especially from hourly workers and people in unique industries. Please add your thoughts to the comments below the resignation checklist!

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Happy quitting! <3