How you start your workday sets the tone for the rest of the day; how you end it sets the tone for your transition from work to personal life. Implement a workday shutdown ritual to help your mind realize you’re off the clock, and it’s time to relax.
How often do you reopen your work computer after closing it, swearing you were done for the day?
When we worked from the office, we often left our work there. Our commute home was our time to review the day, decompress, and mentally prepare for what’s next. Now that we work remotely, we’ve forgotten the importance of this ritual.
As we all know, it can be challenging to set clear boundaries between work and home when working remotely. Even if you physically close and walk away from your computer, your mind stays in work mode.
While being able to choose the hours and location you work from is fantastic, your mental health shouldn’t suffer. A workday shutdown ritual will help your neurotransmitters tell your brain it’s time to refocus.
What Is a Workday Shutdown Ritual?
A workday shutdown ritual is a set of activities you do at the end of the workday to help you relax and transition out of your work life and into your personal life. Think of it as a pause button. If you have numerous tasks and stressors, it helps you let go of them for the moment and prepare a plan for the next day.
Workday shutdown rituals usually don’t take longer than about ten minutes and may include things like:
- Taking a few deep breaths
- Writing down what you accomplished that day
- Planning for the next day
- Doing something you enjoy, such as reading, listening to music, or spending time with loved ones
Customize your workday shutdown ritual to fit your own needs and preferences. There is no right or wrong way to do it. The important thing is to find something that works for you, and helps you transition out of work mode in a healthy way.
Benefits of a Workday Shutdown Ritual
- More confidence. Once you get into the swing of things, you’ll be able to look back on everything you achieved in the day and feel good knowing that you’re clocking out after completing all of your daily goals.
- Increased productivity. Many people include list-making in their workday shutdown ritual. This makes it easier to start your day with clear goals in mind.
- Less stress. Knowing exactly what the next day brings and what you’ve achieved today helps you rest easier. Anything that you didn’t get to yet has time dedicated to it in the future.
- Better sleep. Amerisleep, a mattress company, studied how working late can affect your sleep. As you might expect, those who work late reported a lower quality of sleep, fewer hours, and felt less rested.
- More time for things you enjoy. By fully disconnecting after work, you’ll have more time to spend with family, friends, animals, or alone, doing something that brings you joy.
5 Crucial Pieces of My Workday Shutdown Ritual
There’s no rule about what your workday shutdown ritual must include. Try one set of tasks for a month and then try a few new ones. Within a few months, you’ll have figured out what works best for you.
A few of my go-to tasks include:
Reviewing My Daily To-do List
As I read through it, I take notes about anything I’d like to review or revsit. This helps me feel a sense of achievement for completing what I intended for the day and helps me plan the next.
Prioritizing the Next Day
Inspired by the Ivy Lee Method, I make a list of tasks I want to complete the next day. Then, I organize them by importance. While I’m not always successful, I do my best to mono-task and focus on one item at a time.
Resetting My Workspace
I take any coffee cups or trash I may have acquired on my desk to the kitchen. I wipe down my workspace and reorganize my knick-knacks and paperwork. Afterward, I do the same with my computer. I close any open tabs and delete junk emails.
Setting an Evening Plan
Even if I don’t want to be social, establishing a goal or intention for the evening is useful. It can be as simple as enjoying a delicious meal in front of the TV or watching the sunset. This is an excellent segway into thinking about myself and not my work for the rest of the evening.
Completing a Ritual Action
For some people, it’s a walk around the block; for others, it’s taking a shower, and for others, it’s storing their computer equipment. No matter what, a physical action you complete at the end of each workday helps you enter (or re-enter) your home in a new mental state.
