Ithaca College

First-time remote work for individuals means adjusting to being away from colleagues while navigating logistical challenges like spotty wifi and awkward video calls with kids, cats, dogs, and significant others. Now that you’re getting the hang of things, do you find yourself working more hours? Is it sometimes hard to shut down at the end of the day because there’s always one more thing that needs to be done? Fact is, you’re not alone. Here are a few tips to help you get the job done and walk away at the end of a productive day

1. Clean up your physical and digital workspaces. Seems obvious, but it turns out that being organized actually has tangible benefits for our mental health and productivity. End the workday by taking a minute to tidy your desk, save everything you’re working on, and close out of all your tabs and windows. It will help you to start the next morning focused and distraction-free.

2. Review your to-done’s. One of the easiest and most effective ways to stay motivated and build momentum at work is to celebrate your progress. We tend to measure progress in terms of long-term goals and big milestones. The problem is those only happen rarely. Boost your mood and motivation by taking five minutes to review your completed tasks at the end of each day.

3. Write out tomorrow’s to-do list. One of the most common end-of-the-work-day habits is planning out what needs to be done the next day. Writing out tomorrow’s to-do list at the end of the workday boosts your productivity in two important ways: it helps you stop thinking about work and increases your willpower. Clear your mind and conserve your willpower by planning tomorrow’s to-do list at the end of every workday.

4. If you do your most difficult, important task of the day first, the rest of the day will be easy. Do your future self a favor by using your end-of-the-work-day routine to make it as easy as possible to get started on tomorrow’s Most Important Task (MIT) in the morning. Another way to lower your stress level is to start off the workday with a “quick win.” Checking that easy task off the list builds momentum and makes it mentally easier for you to start on your Most Important Task of the day.

5. Confront the things you’ve been putting off. We all have those nagging items on our to-do list that we just can’t seem to cross off. For some reason or other they make us uncomfortable, so we keep putting them off. Then we feel guilty, which causes even more mental discomfort, which in turn makes us even more likely to avoid doing them. This self-defeating behavior culminates in a procrastination “doom loop” of anxiety and avoidance. Break out of the procrastination doom loop by identifying the tasks that you’ve been avoiding or that make you feel uncomfortable at the end of every workday. Break those tasks down into smaller, more manageable sub-tasks and schedule the next step to tomorrow’s to-do list.

6. Set a time to end your workday and stick to it. If you end the workday at a certain time, you will work more efficiently throughout the day. Ending work at a set time also gives you a chance to relax and recharge, an essential part of long-term productivity. It’s easy to talk about the benefits of finishing work on time, but when your office and your home are one in the same these days, it can be harder to put this advice into practice. Solution? Try to stop working at a reasonable hour by making plans to exercise or have a virtual chat with a friend at your goal end-time. Make your personal time a priority and schedule it onto your calendar if you have to. You wouldn’t skip a meeting with the boss, so don’t skip a “meeting” with your family, your workout, your friends, your Netflix series, etc. Remember that setting boundaries will help you boost your productivity, so give it a try.

7. End on a high note. It’s hard to feel good about work when you’ve had a less-than-productive day. Forgive yourself if you didn’t accomplish everything you set out to do and don’t beat yourself up about it. Another creative idea? Expressing gratitude is one of the quickest ways to boost your mood and feelings of well-being. Reach out to a co-worker at the end of the day to say thank you. As an added bonus, it will probably brighten their day too. Doing something for someone else is scientifically proven to make you happier. Through it all, remember that you’re not alone in this new normal. Take time to remember that a majority of people are experiencing the same challenges and learning the same lessons you are. Be kind to yourself and you’ll likely discover that you’re capable of so much more than you ever thought possible.

Adapted from: https://doist.com/blog/end-work-day/