Whether you work from home or outside the home, ending your work day in a
positive manner is necessary in being more productive. The steps you
take do vary depending on the type of work you do, but essentially the
methodology is the same. Therefore consider the following ways to end
your business day.
Steps
-
1
Always back-up up your work into an external hard drive, in the event of a system crash.
This is definitely a habit you want to be serious about. Losing your
files can be detrimental to your business and reflect negatively on your
professional reputation and credibility.
-
2
Tackle the finances before you close out each day if you are self-employed.
Don't wait until the invoicing and bills add up. Save some time at the
end of your day to bring your accounting to date. If you are proactive
with this part of your business, you will just have to add that day's
expenses, income, and invoicing. Allowing your finances to build up will
just make it more difficult and overwhelming to face, and you may be
tempted to hold off as long as possible to face it.
-
3
Finish each workday by cleaning out your inbox so you have completed everything that came your way for the day.
Delete what you don't need, file what you do, and respond briefly to
those that need a reply. Anything that needs more than a brief response
can be added to the next day's to-do list. An empty inbox signifies a
day concluded.
-
4
Check your to-do list and compare it with what you actually accomplished.
Make sure that you completed all the day's priorities and, ideally, all
you had set out to do. If you completed everything, ask yourself if you
could have done more, and if you did not finish everything on your
list, ask yourself if you could have or if you simply set yourself up to
fail by overestimating what was actually possible. Having a to-do list
to guide your day helps you to stay focused and on task. It is a tool
that holds you accountable and you need to take it seriously if you want
to have a productive day that you can be pleased with when you reach
its end.
-
5
Create your to-do list for the following day as you
complete your business day, and begin by adding everything that you did
not manage to complete for this day. Be realistic with what you are
capable of achieving. Write a list that you believe will fill your day
and then add one more reasonable assignment. This will push you to be a
little more productive. If you wait until the morning to set up your
day, you will likely take longer to make the list. Projects and
priorities won't be fresh in your mind and you may use the list creating
process to procrastinate. Making a list the day before also prepares
your mind for the type of day you are going to have.
-
Edit step
6
Say goodnight and let your day go. If you did
everything you needed to do for the day, and you set yourself up
productively for the next, then let it go. Free your mind of work and do
something active to relieve the stress of your day, such as taking a
walk or going to the gym. Allow this to be your transition period from
business to pleasure.
1Always back-up up your work into an external hard drive, in the event of a system crash. This is definitely a habit you want to be serious about. Losing your files can be detrimental to your business and reflect negatively on your professional reputation and credibility.
2Tackle the finances before you close out each day if you are self-employed. Don't wait until the invoicing and bills add up. Save some time at the end of your day to bring your accounting to date. If you are proactive with this part of your business, you will just have to add that day's expenses, income, and invoicing. Allowing your finances to build up will just make it more difficult and overwhelming to face, and you may be tempted to hold off as long as possible to face it.
3Finish each workday by cleaning out your inbox so you have completed everything that came your way for the day. Delete what you don't need, file what you do, and respond briefly to those that need a reply. Anything that needs more than a brief response can be added to the next day's to-do list. An empty inbox signifies a day concluded.
4Check your to-do list and compare it with what you actually accomplished. Make sure that you completed all the day's priorities and, ideally, all you had set out to do. If you completed everything, ask yourself if you could have done more, and if you did not finish everything on your list, ask yourself if you could have or if you simply set yourself up to fail by overestimating what was actually possible. Having a to-do list to guide your day helps you to stay focused and on task. It is a tool that holds you accountable and you need to take it seriously if you want to have a productive day that you can be pleased with when you reach its end.
5Create your to-do list for the following day as you complete your business day, and begin by adding everything that you did not manage to complete for this day. Be realistic with what you are capable of achieving. Write a list that you believe will fill your day and then add one more reasonable assignment. This will push you to be a little more productive. If you wait until the morning to set up your day, you will likely take longer to make the list. Projects and priorities won't be fresh in your mind and you may use the list creating process to procrastinate. Making a list the day before also prepares your mind for the type of day you are going to have.
6Say goodnight and let your day go. If you did everything you needed to do for the day, and you set yourself up productively for the next, then let it go. Free your mind of work and do something active to relieve the stress of your day, such as taking a walk or going to the gym. Allow this to be your transition period from business to pleasure.
