The work of ending includes returning what was borrowed and explaining what remains unfinished.

An ending is a set of tasks, not just a date. Leaving a job, a house or a group means keys, books, files and half-finished business that only you can account for, and the temptation is to treat the last day as a farewell rather than as the final piece of work. What you leave undone becomes someone else’s puzzle.

Make a short list of everything of other people’s that you hold, and give it back. Write a plain note about what is incomplete and where it stands. Ten minutes of that saves someone hours later, and it is the part of leaving that people quietly remember you for.