by Samantha Attard | Featured Contributor
Most of you are familiar with morning rituals. Having a set time that you wake up, a “usual” breakfast, and a set of practices to get your day started on the right foot can be crucial to your productivity and to working your best throughout the day.
Most of us don’t think about our power-down rituals – what we do at the end of our workday. But actually, these power-down rituals can revolutionize your day and lead to higher productivity.
Here’s why power-down rituals are so powerful.
First, having a power-down ritual makes sure that you take care of all of the loose ends. It requires you to take stock of what you did or did not do throughout the day, and categorize any residual priorities on your list.
Second, having a power-down ritual can help you really disconnect at the end of your day. We’ve probably all found ourselves spending time with family or friends, and realizing that we’re thinking about our business, not our loved ones in front of us. This ritual is the key to relaxing in your evening, instead of being preoccupied with what happened during the day.
For your power-down ritual, I recommend setting aside 15-20 minutes at the end of your workday to focus on powering down. Here are some activities that you could include in your power-down ritual:
Review the day’s to do lists: What was on your to-do list this morning? What did you check off, and what needs to be accomplished tomorrow?
Review your meetings from the day: Look through the list of meetings and appointments you had and write down any ideas, tasks, and follow-up you need to do from those meetings.
Write out tomorrow’s to do list: This is the step that’s really going to increase your productivity over the long term. Write down what you’d like to accomplish the next day, starting with the most important tasks that you’d like to accomplish first.
Clean your workspace: File, straighten, and throw out the papers that are cluttering your desk. Close your 25 internet browser tabs, and make sure everything is saved and backed up. Water your plants, and leave your desk organized and clean.
Together, these tasks will ensure that important items don’t slip through the cracks and that follow-up happens in a timely manner. You’ll be able to walk in to work the next day with a clean workspace and a clear idea of what your most important next steps are.
Do you have a power-down ritual? If so, what is your ritual? If not, which of the strategies listed above would be most beneficial for your power-down ritual? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Samantha Attard is a wellness coach and yoga instructor living in Washington, DC. She doesn’t help her entrepreneurial clients have it all, she helps them have what they want. Sam develops individualized wellness plans with her clients so that they can run their businesses and lives with energy and confidence. Currently completing her PhD in Nutrition, Sam helps her clients optimize their diets, their exercise routines, and their attitudes, so they feel less stressed, more productive, and more joyful. Learn more about Sam’s blog and business, Happy Healthy Human, at SamanthaAttard.com, and be sure to follow her on Instagram @happyhealthysam for tips on nutrition and living an integrated, healthy life.
