Things You Should Do At The End Of Every Work Day

Evaluate your to-do list.

Make sure you are where you need to be on these activities and that you’ve accomplished as much as you could. If you could quickly get something done before you leave, do it. This will save you time the next morning.

Review your schedule for the next day.

Make sure you’re aware of any meetings or calls for the following day. You can also use this opportunity to schedule time on your calendar to accomplish any remaining items from today’s to-do list. 

Check in with your boss and colleagues.

Depending on how hands-on your boss is, you may want to visit with him or her to discuss the status of any projects you’re working on.You’ll also want to get end-of-day updates from co-workers. This is also a great opportunity to double-check deadlines and confirm that everyone is on the same page.

Tidy up.

Nobody likes the feeling of walking into a mess, especially when you are under the gun.You should also clean out your in-box. Block off at least 15 minutes at the end of your day to sort through those unnecessary CCs, happy hour invitations, and random solicitations!

Get closure.

Be sure to tie up any loose ends so that you can truly disconnect when you walk out the door. Be sure not to leave anything hanging that can quickly be taken care of.

Reflect on the day.

Unfortunately most people don’t do this. They’ll run out the door the second they’re done with their work. But if you can make time to reflect on your best achievement or success that day, you could end up walking out with a spring in your step.

Say good bye.

Michael Kerr, an international business speaker, author and president of Humor at Work, says it’s important to create routines and rituals at work that will helps us feel more fulfilled and happy in the long run, “so that we go home feeling reenergized and inspired, instead of fried and dead tired.” One simple routine that falls into this category is saying a proper good bye to your colleagues. “We tend to think about the importance of checking in and saying good morning to kick off the day, but we forget that it can be just as important, and make us feel good as well, to say a friendly and proper good bye to everyone rather than just silently drift off into the night. This is triply important if you are the supervisor.”

Leave on a positive note.

Take note of something that went well, compliment a co-worker on an accomplishment, or drop a thank you note to a client. The idea is to find something positive that makes you feel good about your job and make sure that moment is the last thing on your mind before walking out the door. 

Disconnect.

Don’t be afraid to shut down your smartphone or at least shut off the e-mail alerts. Let people know about it. When you walk out that door be sure to tell your colleagues the period of time you will be unavailable and stick to it. It’s important to be present for your family and friends.

 

Read full article on Forbes.