I’m reading Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman which highlights the fact that the lifespan of us average humans is about four thousand weeks. As someone who’s always chasing time, it stopped me cold.
Recently, I’d been looking at my company product road map. As I looked at the three-year-out delivery dates, it hit me that in 2025 I’d simply be three years older. Not three years happier, not three years ahead, just three years older.
Then a funny thing happened, after a very long time (1378 weeks to be exact) working for a very large company, I was let go. I was hugely fortunate that my long service rewarded me with an incredible gift—paid time. Beautiful, elusive, hopeful time. Full of possibility, hope, and joy.
It was bit weird to be let go “remotely”—no physical building to leave or iconic cardboard box stuffed with family photos—just a meeting with HR in the comfort of my own home.
The last time my role was made redundant, I was invited to a meeting in an office that I had no idea existed with someone I had never seen before. Locating the door (unusual for an open plan environment!) felt like searching for Platform 9¾, I don’t think it presented itself to someone until you needed to go.
This time, I’d received a meeting invite late Thursday from my manager (the cheery term invite always tickles me) and an unfamiliar name was added overnight. Friday, the unfamiliar name started the meeting a few minutes before the hour, I hopped on, and everything changed. So with my husband working in our bedroom, my son enjoying a snow day home from school, and me wearing comfortable slippers, I was virtually—but actually—let go.
Throughout all of the reorgs I’d experienced—I took on new, expanded roles. I was continually challenged and incredibly grateful to work with talented, kind colleagues; many of whom became my dearest friends.
So since structure is also one of my dearest friends—I decided to record my progress and what shifts and changes along the way. I initially included a countdown widget on the blog but the down-to-the-second visual ticking, like the 4000 weeks calendar, was slightly terrifying.
I’ll share my game plan in Week 2—see you next time, same bat channel!
FIFTY-TWO WEEKS weekly 