WEBVTT - Try a shut-down ritual

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of my Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to try a shutdown ritual at the

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<v Speaker 1>end of your work day. So confession time here. I've

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<v Speaker 1>spent much of my career running my own business, and

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<v Speaker 1>even when I had an in the office job, I

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<v Speaker 1>was freelancing on the side, so my work day has

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<v Speaker 1>never been officially done. A home office facilitates this. I

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<v Speaker 1>can always go back in, and even when I became

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<v Speaker 1>a parent and had to pick up a kid at

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<v Speaker 1>daycare or Sundays at her home, I'd often jump back

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<v Speaker 1>on after kid bedtime, and I'll do some work on

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<v Speaker 1>weekends as well if there's an opportunity to do so.

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<v Speaker 1>The result is that I would really never turn off

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<v Speaker 1>my laptop, and this worked fine until it didn't. At

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<v Speaker 1>some point this past summer, my trustee MacBook Pro just

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<v Speaker 1>burned out. The folks at the Apple store were able

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<v Speaker 1>to fix it, but I learned my lesson. Now, at

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<v Speaker 1>least a few days per week, I officially close out

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<v Speaker 1>of everything and shut it down. Now I'm not saying

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<v Speaker 1>that happens at five pm, but it does happen at

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<v Speaker 1>least an hour before I go to bed. This experience

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<v Speaker 1>has gotten me interested in the idea of shutdown rituals

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<v Speaker 1>in general. I think they're a great idea. People who

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<v Speaker 1>are interested in productivity will at least think about the

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<v Speaker 1>start of their work days and what they'd like to accomplish,

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<v Speaker 1>but the end of the work day can be all

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<v Speaker 1>over the map. And even if you do intend to

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<v Speaker 1>do a little more work at night after your kids

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<v Speaker 1>go to bed or after you go to your softball practice,

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<v Speaker 1>a proper shutdown ritual can set you up for a

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<v Speaker 1>great evening and a great next day. So what should

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<v Speaker 1>it include? Well, first, it should start quite a while

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<v Speaker 1>before you actually intend to leave, an hour or so

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<v Speaker 1>before quitting time. Revisit the days to do list. What

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<v Speaker 1>absolutely needs to happen before tomorrow. You can either buckle

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<v Speaker 1>down and get it done, or if you work at night,

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<v Speaker 1>sometimes you can consciously decide to block it in from

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<v Speaker 1>say eight thirty to nine thirty pm. But in any case,

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<v Speaker 1>you need to make a choice and a plan. If

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<v Speaker 1>something is not going to happen, just be honest about

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<v Speaker 1>it and whether it should get pushed to tomorrow or

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<v Speaker 1>here's the thought whether it actually needs to get done

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<v Speaker 1>at all. If there's anyone you need to speak to,

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<v Speaker 1>now would be a good time. If you leave these

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<v Speaker 1>conversations until the last possible minute, they will just delay

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<v Speaker 1>your trip outdoor About twenty minutes before quitting time, you

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<v Speaker 1>can save any work or send off anything that's supposed

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<v Speaker 1>to go in. Then you can spend a few minutes

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<v Speaker 1>reflecting on the day. What went well, how can you

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<v Speaker 1>capitalize on that, What needs to change, how can you

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<v Speaker 1>make that happen. Are you happy with how you spent

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<v Speaker 1>your time or would you like to rework your schedule?

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<v Speaker 1>Then spend a few minutes planning what needs to happen tomorrow.

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<v Speaker 1>Look at your calendar so you're familiar with the day's landscape.

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<v Speaker 1>When do you have appointments? How long will each take?

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<v Speaker 1>Do you need to do anything more to prepare for

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<v Speaker 1>these What other priorities do you have for the day?

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<v Speaker 1>List your top three or four to five at most.

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<v Speaker 1>How long will each of these things take? Put an

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<v Speaker 1>estimate next to each. Now look at the next day's

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<v Speaker 1>schedule and see where you can fit these things in.

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<v Speaker 1>Taking a few minutes to do this allows you to

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<v Speaker 1>make strategic choices. For instance, if you have some work

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<v Speaker 1>that's going to take an hour and you have a

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<v Speaker 1>meeting at nine thirty am, you might decide to be

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<v Speaker 1>in your desk and working by eight thirty so you

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<v Speaker 1>can get it done. This means you don't have to

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<v Speaker 1>find an hour long slot later, which might become more

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<v Speaker 1>difficult as stuff comes up. Map out the day and

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<v Speaker 1>be sure to leave plenty of open space. Knowing the

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<v Speaker 1>plan means when you show up tomorrow, you won't waste

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<v Speaker 1>valuable time and mental energy deciding what to do. And yes,

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<v Speaker 1>schedules can change. Of course, they can change, but they

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<v Speaker 1>also might not change, so best to have a plan.

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<v Speaker 1>Then finally, think about your evening. What would make your

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<v Speaker 1>evening feel good? If you and your family have plans,

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<v Speaker 1>that's great. If not, set an intention, maybe to call

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<v Speaker 1>a friend, lift weights in your basement, cook that slightly

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<v Speaker 1>more elaborate dinner you've been thinking about, or read fifty

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<v Speaker 1>pages in the novel you just picked up. When we

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<v Speaker 1>think through our personal time, it starts to seem bigger

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<v Speaker 1>in our mental accounting, which is good for reminding us

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<v Speaker 1>that we don't actually spend all our time working, even

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<v Speaker 1>if it sometimes feels like it, then you can grab

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<v Speaker 1>your things and walk out the door feeling good about

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<v Speaker 1>your day. And you can do the same thing from

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<v Speaker 1>a home office too, even if you'll be going back in.

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<v Speaker 1>You can shut door and consciously consider yourself off the

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<v Speaker 1>clock for a while. If nothing else, your laptop will

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<v Speaker 1>thank you. Do you have a shutdown ritual? Please let

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<v Speaker 1>me know at Before Breakfast podcast at I heart media

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<v Speaker 1>dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening,

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<v Speaker 1>and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod.

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<v Speaker 1>That's b the number four, then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at i heeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,

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<v Speaker 1>I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is

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<v Speaker 1>a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from

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<v Speaker 1>I heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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