Try a shut-down ritual

Ending your day well can set up a great day tomorrow

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of my Heart Radio.
Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to try a shutdown ritual at the
end of your work day. So confession time here. I've
spent much of my career running my own business, and

(00:25):
even when I had an in the office job, I
was freelancing on the side, so my work day has
never been officially done. A home office facilitates this. I
can always go back in, and even when I became
a parent and had to pick up a kid at
daycare or Sundays at her home, I'd often jump back
on after kid bedtime, and I'll do some work on

(00:45):
weekends as well if there's an opportunity to do so.
The result is that I would really never turn off
my laptop, and this worked fine until it didn't. At
some point this past summer, my trustee MacBook Pro just
burned out. The folks at the Apple store were able
to fix it, but I learned my lesson. Now, at

(01:06):
least a few days per week, I officially close out
of everything and shut it down. Now I'm not saying
that happens at five pm, but it does happen at
least an hour before I go to bed. This experience
has gotten me interested in the idea of shutdown rituals
in general. I think they're a great idea. People who
are interested in productivity will at least think about the

(01:28):
start of their work days and what they'd like to accomplish,
but the end of the work day can be all
over the map. And even if you do intend to
do a little more work at night after your kids
go to bed or after you go to your softball practice,
a proper shutdown ritual can set you up for a
great evening and a great next day. So what should

(01:48):
it include? Well, first, it should start quite a while
before you actually intend to leave, an hour or so
before quitting time. Revisit the days to do list. What
absolutely needs to happen before tomorrow. You can either buckle
down and get it done, or if you work at night,
sometimes you can consciously decide to block it in from

(02:11):
say eight thirty to nine thirty pm. But in any case,
you need to make a choice and a plan. If
something is not going to happen, just be honest about
it and whether it should get pushed to tomorrow or
here's the thought whether it actually needs to get done
at all. If there's anyone you need to speak to,
now would be a good time. If you leave these

(02:33):
conversations until the last possible minute, they will just delay
your trip outdoor About twenty minutes before quitting time, you
can save any work or send off anything that's supposed
to go in. Then you can spend a few minutes
reflecting on the day. What went well, how can you
capitalize on that, What needs to change, how can you

(02:54):
make that happen. Are you happy with how you spent
your time or would you like to rework your schedule?
Then spend a few minutes planning what needs to happen tomorrow.
Look at your calendar so you're familiar with the day's landscape.
When do you have appointments? How long will each take?
Do you need to do anything more to prepare for

(03:15):
these What other priorities do you have for the day?
List your top three or four to five at most.
How long will each of these things take? Put an
estimate next to each. Now look at the next day's
schedule and see where you can fit these things in.
Taking a few minutes to do this allows you to
make strategic choices. For instance, if you have some work

(03:38):
that's going to take an hour and you have a
meeting at nine thirty am, you might decide to be
in your desk and working by eight thirty so you
can get it done. This means you don't have to
find an hour long slot later, which might become more
difficult as stuff comes up. Map out the day and
be sure to leave plenty of open space. Knowing the

(03:58):
plan means when you show up tomorrow, you won't waste
valuable time and mental energy deciding what to do. And yes,
schedules can change. Of course, they can change, but they
also might not change, so best to have a plan.
Then finally, think about your evening. What would make your

(04:19):
evening feel good? If you and your family have plans,
that's great. If not, set an intention, maybe to call
a friend, lift weights in your basement, cook that slightly
more elaborate dinner you've been thinking about, or read fifty
pages in the novel you just picked up. When we
think through our personal time, it starts to seem bigger

(04:40):
in our mental accounting, which is good for reminding us
that we don't actually spend all our time working, even
if it sometimes feels like it, then you can grab
your things and walk out the door feeling good about
your day. And you can do the same thing from
a home office too, even if you'll be going back in.
You can shut door and consciously consider yourself off the

(05:02):
clock for a while. If nothing else, your laptop will
thank you. Do you have a shutdown ritual? Please let
me know at Before Breakfast podcast at I heart media
dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening,
and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

(05:29):
I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod.
That's b the number four, then Breakfast p o D.
You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
podcast at i heeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast

(05:51):
is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,
I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is
a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from
I heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.