Snakey wrote:The three-month notice period will be the killer, as they will make a massive list of all the things that will need doing for the rest of the year (or at least Q3) and try to get me to do it all before I go so that they don't have to worry about the gap before my replacement arrives.
I think I read it on TLF, and loved the idea:
Put up a whiteboard with a horizontal line half-way down. On sticky-notes, write each task you have been assigned and put them on the board below the line. Select the top 3 (or 5, whatever is appropriate for your situation) and move them above the line. Whenever anyone demands that a new task is prioritized / worked on, simply agree, provided that they take responsibility for moving one of the top tasks back below the line.
This worked for the originator: it told everybody what his priorities were, and also very clearly pointed out that heaping new stuff onto his plate just meant that other stuff got pushed off; this was different from his previous situation where new stuff was added and nothing got removed because all the other stuff was "invisible".
I think it's good that you want to remain professional and take pride in doing a good job, but that can be a weakness to be exploited (as you've noticed!) Being professional doesn't mean not saying "no" nor does it mean killing yourself to complete unreasonable requests.
Without fear of career repercussions, you have the opportunity to manage the last three months of the job in a way that leaves you feeling proud, dignified and professional. That doesn't have to include saying yes to every request they dream up...
Keep us posted.
VRD