Pick A Task To Cap Off Your Workday
It’s over an hour since you were supposed to leave and yet you feel like you still have so much left to do. If you don’t get home soon you might just give up and sleep in the office because, before you know it, it will be time for work again. You’re feeling stressed, worn out, and at the end of your rope. We’ve all been there.
Sometimes it’s difficult to know how and when to end your workday. If you wanted to you probably would have enough work to keep going until the next morning when you’re supposed to be back in the office but that doesn’t leave enough time for rest, which is an essential ingredient in a productive day. If you want to work smarter, not harder, one of the best things you can do is to pick a task to cap off your workday.
At the beginning of the day look over what you need to get done and try to schedule your day as best as possible, leaving ample time for unexpected tasks that can be filled with extra projects if nothing urgent comes up. This is a great way to schedule your day but the most important thing you choose each morning will be your end of the day cap-off task. To resist the urge to do “just one more thing” later in the day you should select a task that signals the end of your day. Once it’s done, get up and leave. This will help restore a healthy work/life balance and keep you sane and productive.
Some of the best end of the day tasks are the ones you’ve done a million times before, that way you know exactly how long they will take and you can plan to start them at an appropriate time. Another great idea for an end of the day task is making a list of your top-five to do’s for your next work day so that you have clear goals when making your next day’s schedule the following morning.
If you struggle with getting out of work on time and you feel like you’re close to a burn out, don’t fret! Choosing an end of day task each morning will help you cap off your work day at an appropriate hour and help you maintain your much needed personal time and rest.