The Night I Realized Why Everyone's Quitting (Including Me)
I was lying in bed at 3:07 a.m. last Tuesday, doing that thing where you mentally write resignation emails you'll never send. You know the one - where you tell your boss exactly what you think about the "urgent" Friday 4:47 PM requests.
The Spreadsheet That Changed Everything
I started keeping track of every time I wanted to quit my job. Not dramatically quit - just those moments where you minimize Slack and open LinkedIn.
I'm at 47 marks since September.
The worst one? When I spent an entire weekend fixing our email automation mess. Saved the team probably 20 hours a week. Monday morning, I'm waiting for... something. Recognition? A thank you?
My boss: "Cool. Can you update the Q3 deck?"
Cool. That's it. That's when I knew I was invisible.
Everyone's Lying About Why They Leave
Exit interviews are such BS. People say "better opportunity" or "career growth." What they mean is "I could disappear for a week and nobody would notice."
My coworker Jenny (not her real name, she's still there) built this whole new client process. Spent three months on it. Her manager presented it to leadership. As his idea. She found out from a PowerPoint someone left on the printer.
She's interviewing everywhere now.
3:07 AM Solutions
I couldn't sleep again (shocker), so I was doom-scrolling LinkedIn when I saw something about fixing workplace invisibility in 30 minutes. Not another course. Not coaching. Just... how to feel less like a ghost at work.
I almost scrolled past. Everything's usually a scam. But then I remembered - I wasn't just thinking about quitting anymore. I was spreadsheeting it.
What Actually Happened
No icebreakers. No "share your biggest weakness" crap. Just straight into it: when's the last time your work actually felt seen?
I learned this thing called the Notice-Name Protocol. Super simple - you catch yourself feeling invisible, you name it, then you do one tiny thing to be visible. Like when I fixed that CSS bug everyone was complaining about - instead of staying quiet in the next meeting, I actually said "Hey, I fixed that bug yesterday."
Revolutionary? No. But Tom actually said "Oh thank god, that was driving me crazy. Thanks."
First time anyone had thanked me for anything in months.
The Trust Account Thing Hit Different
Turns out every interaction either deposits or withdraws from an invisible trust account. Most of us? Overdrafting constantly.
I tested it. Started doing tiny deposits. Acknowledged Jake when he helped the new hire. Mentioned Lisa's code review saved us from a disaster.
Jake DM'd me: "Thanks for noticing."
Four words that made me realize - we're all just walking around hoping someone sees us.
Here's What's Real
I still wake up at 3:07 sometimes. I still have my resignation spreadsheet. But it's been two weeks since I added a mark.
Last Thursday, I used the Visibility Reset technique from the app. Basically, you list three things you did that week that nobody noticed, then pick one to casually mention. I brought up the automation fix in our team meeting - not bragging, just "BTW, that email thing is fixed now, should save us tons of time."
My boss actually looked up from his laptop. "Wait, you fixed that? That's been broken for months. Nice work."
According to recent data, 66% of professionals are experiencing burnout - and most of it comes from feeling unseen, not overwork.
Your Move
Right now you're either:
- The person with the resignation spreadsheet
- About to lose someone who has one
Either way, what happens next?
Try one session. If it helps, keep going.
Because lying awake at 3:07 a.m. gets old. Trust me.
P.S. - Jenny got a new job. They see her there. Her old boss is now complaining about how hard it is to find good people. The irony would be funny if it wasn't so predictable.
