Dear Ruby,
I know this is a bad time to think about leaving my job, but I hate it and I don’t think I can stand it much longer. I have a micromanaging boss and some bad coworkers, but mostly I’m just tired of what I do. It’s office work and not very creative. I’ve been trying to stick it out, but I find myself surfing around online all day and I’m afraid that I’m going to get caught and fired before I find something better. Should I stay or should I go?

Ken

Dear Ken,
You didn’t tell me whether or not you are supporting a family, but I’m going to try to answer in a way that would address both situations — stay.

Put down the letter opener, I don’t mean forever. What I do mean is, end it like a man. End it honorably, like an agreement, like a marriage, like any obligation. You need a plan and a timetable, so I am providing you, free of charge, Ruby’s patented 3 Weeks to 2 Weeks’ Notice program:

Week 1: Get some real work done.
On Monday morning for two hours, figure out what you need to accomplish in the coming week to get caught up on your work, or at least close to it. Close your office door or tape off your cubicle opening, turn off your phone. You could even send out a “please do not disturb me from 8-10” email to those likely to disturb you. If your boss gives you crap about it, tell him or her that it’s something you read about in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and you hope it will help you be more organized. It is likely that your screwing off has already been noted and this explanation will give your boss hope that you are getting back on track and that he or she will not have to fire you. It is false hope, but you don’t have to explain that.

I know what you’re thinking — if you could get yourself to work more you wouldn’t be in this position. The problem was that you weren’t incentivized. Here’s your incentive. After every 2 hours of work you complete, you get to spend 20 minutes on your resume and you get to pick one personal item to take home. Maybe it’s 20 minutes reading an online article about interviewing or maybe it’s 20 minutes of writing out a really flattering description of your current position. By the end of a week, you should have a spiffing resume in progress and a desk drawer or two cleaned out.

At night, it goes without saying, you’re Facebooking, LinkedInning, and hitting the job boards. Hard. But, only at home, where you have time to write carefully compelling cover letters and catch the errors before you hit “Submit.”

Week 2: Hanging curtains in the escape tunnel
Monday morning is again your special time to plot out the week. In addition to getting work done, you are also thinking about things like portfolios and references that you will need in case you get called for an interview. Those 20-minute time slots are perfect to call old co-workers or managers and ask whether they’d agree to be a reference for you — and maybe even write you a letter of recommendation.

This week, create a new folder on your desktop. The folder should be called “2008.” In this folder, you will start a list of all your accomplishments this year. Big projects, little projects, everything you did. You can work on this during the 20-minute time slots or the 2-hour time slots because this document will do double-duty for both your upcoming job interviews and your outgoing exit interview or possibly your resignation letter. Start with just a list at first (“1. Created tradeshow report.”) and then flesh out as you think necessary. Every time you think of something, jot it down in here. Don’t know where to start? List all the software you use in your job and then think about the things you’ve used them for.

Week 3: Seeing the light
This Monday, you may want to schedule a lunch or two with someone you’ve networked with. Maybe you already have an in-person or telephone interview set up. Start thinking about your successor. What can you put together so that they’re not walking into a minefield of problems that you’ve already overcome? Start a new folder on your desktop titled, “Manual,” and start jotting notes about vendors or deadlines or other useful information you would have appreciated if you were starting your current position. This is called, “going out on a high note.”

Your resume is gorgeous and up-to-date. You have a copy with you at all times. Your inbox is in good shape and your boss is off your back a little. You’ve hardly seen the inside of the Yahoo! games arcade — and you don’t miss it. You’re finding quite a few interesting opportunities, maybe even some inside your own company, or maybe you’re thinking about going back to school. Don’t be surprised if you start to think about sticking around.

It could happen. The combination of boredom and guilt is incredibly potent, but once you get over the hump of trying to avoid avoiding work, you may discover that an okay job is not only survivable but has hidden potential. Either way, it’s the best possible stepping stone to a great job.

In any economy, it’s smart to leave something in better condition that it was when you found it. Good luck, Ken! 

What’s Ruby on about now? Find out.

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