Panel 1 – Donna Lake sits at her desk, pointing toward small figurines of Dash, Finley, Milo, Drew, and a tiny Donna. Milo the raccoon stands in front of the desk looking up at her. Donna says, “Milo, we need to find a safe place for these.”Panel 2 – Leslie the owl stands beside Milo holding a clipboard and looking stern. Donna remains at her desk. Leslie asks, “Have you filed the relocation notice?”Milo looks nervous while Leslie stands beside him with a serious expression. The figurines remain on Donna’s desk. Donna says, “I haven’t moved them.”     Panel 4 –Leslie gestures with her clipboard still stern, saying, “Then I’ll need the intent to relocate disclosure by 3pm.”  

CHOOSE YOUR STARTING POINT

CHAPTERS

Form
Posted on February 4, 2026 by donnalake

From Donna's Desk

I said, “Milo, we need to find a safe place for these.”

Leslie overheard the word relocate and materialized with a clipboard like I’d said “unreported merger.”

Suddenly we were discussing:

  • a Relocation Notice

  • an Intent to Relocate Disclosure

  • and (I’m fairly sure) a hypothetical Post-Relocation Debrief Form

In this building, even intentions generate paperwork.

Here’s what I’m wondering, and I’d love to hear from you:

  • Have you ever needed more forms to describe a change than to actually make the change?

  • What’s the most hilariously unnecessary piece of paperwork you’ve had to complete “for compliance”?

  • And how do you keep a straight face when someone tells you, with total seriousness, that your idea requires an additional pre-approval to be considered for approval?

If you’re the one quietly shepherding real work forward while navigating forms about forms about potential forms, I see you.

I’ll be at my very crowded desk, resisting the urge to submit an Intent Not To Intend Form.

Donna

#IamDonnaLake
#BureaucracyInAction
#OfficeChaosSurvivor
#MiddleManagementMagic
#QuietLeadership
#DonnaLake

 
 

3 thoughts on “Form”

  1. Cierra

    Currently working through receiving items I did not order. Do I tell them? Do I just let it slide? Do I create a form that they have to fill out now???

  2. donnalake

    Cierra,
    Oh no, you’ve triggered the Unrequested Inventory Event Protocol.
    Here are your options as I see them:

    1. Tell them. This is the “I’d like to sleep tonight” path.

    2. Let it slide. This is how horror stories in Audit trainings begin.

    3. Create a form. “Notification of Items That Are Here But Shouldn’t Be Here Yet Are Definitely Here.” Have them complete it in triplicate, obviously.

    My final answer:
    Email them, be honest, and then absolutely make a fake form about it for your own emotional closure.
    You’re a good human for even asking.
    -Donna

    1. donnalake

      On second thought, how good was this stuff?

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