This year, more of my friends have died than usual.
Some were younger than me and some older.
It's been a timely reminder that sometime soon, I too could be recalled by the maker and therefore need what we call in business an "Exit Strategy".
An exit strategy is a contingency plan for a business wind-up.
Usually businesses have lead time to exit and therefore the strategy has steps to follow to complete the process over time.
Death, unlike a business wind-up, often has no lead time.
It often arrives in the seat of a motor vehicle, at the end of an electric power tool, or a flight of stairs.
This doesn't mean we can't have an exit strategy; it means we need a different strategy.
In this article I outline some of the things I am doing to make my exit less difficult for my loved ones.
Hopefully, I'll have to revise it for the next 20 years, but if not, it will make life easier for those I leave behind.
The Issues I have a huge and increasing number of business and personal interests on the Internet.
My business and personal records are essentially electronic with tax invoices, purchase receipts, bank statements and much more neatly filed away on two removable hard disks and backed-up on DVDs.
Then there are my collections of photographs, encrypted client information, and other files, some of which are relevant to my family and others that aren't.
If I die suddenly, my family would have one hell of a job sorting it all out so as to submit my final tax return, close down (or take over) my business operations, and do everything necessary to advise clients, friends and others that I am no longer blogging, writing articles, or participating in this earthly life.
My goal is to make winding-up my affairs easy and remove some of the stress at a time when they least need it.
Exit Activities In a folder unimaginably called, "After I Die", I have a PDF file "Read Me First" that has all the steps that need to be taken to eliminate my clutter and point the way to a neat and efficient wind-up.
First, there is a batch file I have made called destroy.
bat which, when clicked, will delete several folders of data that is private to me only and which I do not want my family to bother with.
This is nothing sinister, but has copies of private correspondence between me and people they don't know, photos of friends whom they do not know and so on...
it will just add confusion and unnecessary clutter if left viewable.
The folder contains an Excel spreadsheet that shows income and expenditure sources with URLs, passwords, user names, and contact details.
They can write and cancel these accounts...
if they wish.
Another PDF document linked to the first provides a table of contents pathway to all my tax, business and personal records.
It also has details for decrypting my business contacts information and a recommended email message to send advising them of my demise.
I've included an autobiography for my children and grandson that includes information with which they are unfamiliar including details of my father and mother's life together with photos.
They may or may not want this, but it will be too late after I'm gone to get it, so I thought I'd document it.
I recall the many things I would have liked to ask my parents before they died, but didn't.
Last is a note telling my family how wonderful they have made my life and thanking them for their loyalty, love and affection, just in case I don't get an opportunity to remind them.
Conclusion This may all seem a touch melodramatic or maudlin, but I believe it is necessary to prepare for what is inevitable.
After all, we have all of our lives to prepare for our departure...
surely we should aim to make it smooth and unproblematic for those we leave behind.