WEBVTT - Second Cup: Try a shut-down ritual

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is to try a shutdown ritual at the end

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<v Speaker 1>of your workday. So confession time here. I've spent much

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<v Speaker 1>of my career running my own business, and even when

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<v Speaker 1>I had an in the office job, I was freelancing

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<v Speaker 1>on the side, so my workday has never been officially done.

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<v Speaker 1>A home office facilitates this. I can always go back in.

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<v Speaker 1>Even when I became a parent and had to pick

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<v Speaker 1>up a kid at daycare or Sunday sitter home. I'd

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<v Speaker 1>often jump back on after kid bedtime, and I'll do

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<v Speaker 1>some work on weekends as well if there's an opportunity

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<v Speaker 1>to do so. The result is that I would really

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<v Speaker 1>never turn off my laptop, and this worked fine until

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<v Speaker 1>it didn't. At some point this past summer, my trusty

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<v Speaker 1>MacBook Pro just burned out. The folks at the Apple

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

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

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

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>experience has gotten me interested in the idea of shut

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

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<v Speaker 1>People who are interested in productivity will at least think

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<v Speaker 1>about the start of their workdays and what they'd like

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<v Speaker 1>to accomplish, but the end of the workday can be

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>kids go to bed or after you go to your

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<v Speaker 1>softball practice, a proper shutdown ritual can set you up

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>a while before you actually intend to leave, an hour

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

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>at nights, sometimes you can consciously decide to block it

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<v Speaker 1>in from say eight thirty to nine thirty pm. But

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<v Speaker 1>in any case, you need to make a choice and

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<v Speaker 1>a plan. If something is not going to happen, just

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<v Speaker 1>be honest about it and whether it should get pushed

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<v Speaker 1>to tomorrow or here's the thought whether it actually needs

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

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<v Speaker 1>to speak to, now would be a good time. If

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<v Speaker 1>you leave these conversations until the last possible minute, they

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<v Speaker 1>will just delay your trip out door About twenty minutes

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<v Speaker 1>before quitting time, you can save any work or send

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<v Speaker 1>off anything that's supposed to go in. Then you can

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<v Speaker 1>spend a few minutes reflecting on the day. What went well,

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>how you spent your time or would you like to

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<v Speaker 1>rework your schedule? Then spend a few minutes planning what

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<v Speaker 1>needs to happen tomorrow. Look at your calendar so you're

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<v Speaker 1>familiar with the day's landscape. When do you have appointments?

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<v Speaker 1>How long will each take? Do you need to do

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<v Speaker 1>anything more to prepare for these What other priorities do

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<v Speaker 1>you have for the day? List your top three or

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<v Speaker 1>four to five at most. How long will each of

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<v Speaker 1>these things take? Put an estimate next to each. Now

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<v Speaker 1>look at the next day's schedule and see where you

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<v Speaker 1>can fit these things in. Taking a few minutes to

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<v Speaker 1>do this allows you to make strategic choices For instance,

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<v Speaker 1>if you have some work that's going to take an

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<v Speaker 1>hour and you have a meeting at nine thirty am,

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<v Speaker 1>you might decide to be in your desk and working

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<v Speaker 1>by eight thirty so you can get it done. This

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<v Speaker 1>means you don't have to find an hour long slot later,

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<v Speaker 1>which might become more difficult as stuff comes up. Map

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<v Speaker 1>out the day and be sure to leave plenty of

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<v Speaker 1>open space. Knowing the plan means when you show up tomorrow,

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<v Speaker 1>you won't waste valuable time and mental energy deciding what

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<v Speaker 1>to do. And yes, schedules can change. Of course, they

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<v Speaker 1>can change, but they also might not change, so best

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<v Speaker 1>to have a plan. Then finally, think about your evening.

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<v Speaker 1>What would make your evening feel good. If you and

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<v Speaker 1>your family have plans, that's great. If not, set an intention,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe to call a friend, lift weights in your basement,

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<v Speaker 1>cook that slightly more elaborate dinner you've been thinking about,

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<v Speaker 1>or read fifty pages in the novel you just picked up.

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<v Speaker 1>When we think through our personal time, it starts to

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<v Speaker 1>seem bigger in our mental accounting, which is good for

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

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<v Speaker 1>even if it sometimes feels like it. Then you can

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

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>back in. You can shut the door and consciously consider

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<v Speaker 1>yourself off the clock for a while. If nothing else,

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<v Speaker 1>your laptop will thank you. Do you have a shutdown ritual?

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<v Speaker 1>Please let me know at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeartMedia

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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 E the number four then Breakfast pod. You

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

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<v Speaker 1>at iHeartMedia dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled out

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<v Speaker 1>with all the letters. Thanks so much, should I look

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<v Speaker 1>forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production

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<v Speaker 1>of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app,

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<v Speaker 1>Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.