Create an End of Work Routine to have a More Productive Tomorrow
Chances are you already have routines throughout your day; You probably already have a way that you start and end your day. However, you might not have a routine at the end of your work day.
Having an end of work routine can help you wrap up your work day in a satisfying way. You won’t have to worry about work during the evening and you can start your next day refreshed and ready to go. Here are some crucial elements you should have in your end of work routine.
Review what you did today
The first thing you want to do at the end of your work day is review what you did. Take a look at your to do list for that day and see what you were able to cross off. Then, celebrate what you got done.
It can be tempting to only think about what we didn’t accomplish. However, this can lead you to have a negative outlook on what you are doing. Instead, look at what you DID accomplish. Hopefully there was at least one thing you wanted to do that you were able to do. Let yourself feel good about that thing.
List what you want to accomplish tomorrow
Next, make a list of what you want to accomplish the next day. You might need to pull over some of the tasks that you didn’t get to today.
That’s alright. Just move them over and know you can work on them tomorrow. You’ll also want to list out what else you need to get day the next day.
How many times have you laid awake at night thinking about what you need to accomplish the next day? By making your to do list the night before, you can get all of your thoughts out on paper before you have personal time/sleep. You’re less likely to have those thoughts bleed over and stress you.
Clean up your work space
Having a messy work space can make your brain space feel messy too. It becomes harder to focus and get what you need done. When you walk into your office in the morning, simply seeing a mess can make it harder to sit down and focus. In order to combat this, the night before, you should clean up your workspace.
What do we mean by work space? Well, I obviously mean your physical workspace. Put all of those loose papers away and clear off your desk. Just make the room look tidy. However, you also want to clean your digital space. Get rid of any desktop files that you don’t need anymore. Organize the remaining ones in folders that allow you to quickly and easily find what you need. Also, go through your inbox and clean up any last minute things that need to be taken care of.
In the morning, you’ll be ready to sit down and get to work.
End when you planned to
How many times have you meant to end work at 5 pm and told yourself, “I’m just going to work 5 more minutes.”? And then how often did that 5 minutes turn into another hour?
Doing this to yourself doesn’t respect the time you need for yourself and your family. Working on your business more is great. But not respecting ourselves opens us to a space where we can end up burned out and frustrated. So do yourself a favor and end work when you originally planned to.
Close the door
At the end of the day, you need to close the door, either literally or figuratively. If you have a home office, shut everything down when you’re done working and close the door. Doing so creates a physical barrier that can help you better separate your work and home life. If you don’t have a separate office, that’s okay (I don’t). Just make sure you shut down all of your work programs and don’t check your work email. Close your laptop and be done with work for the day.
Having a solid end of day routine can allow you to have a better work life balance. Plus, the next morning, everything will be ready for you to jump back in and be more productive.
