This is one of the simplest but also most impactful productivity tips I introduced into my daily life. It’s been exceptionally helpful, especially since I’m studying and working from home a lot. An environment where the lines between work and leisure often blur.
It’s called the “daily shutdown ritual” and has been brought onto my radar by Cal Newport. You might know him from his books “Deep Work” and “Digital Minimalism”.
The idea is simple: Introducing a barrier between your work and leisure time in the form of a simple ritual.
Cal’s version is a bit more systematic than mine: He updates his main task list, reviews his calendar and his plan for the next couple of days and then says his magic phrase: “schedule shutdown, complete.”
For me, it works in an even simpler way: At the beginning of the day, I draw a little box somewhere. This can be on a post-it, on a loose sheet of paper or in my bullet journal. Then, when I’m done with what I set out to do for the day, I simply make a tick inside this box.
This point in the day also serves as a point of reflection: Did I forget something that I should probably write down for tomorrow?
No matter how your shutdown ritual looks, the effects are always the same.
It serves as a signal to the brain to shift into “leisure” mode where one can forget about daily obligations and can just do whatever the heart, mind or body desires. No need to worry about the other stuff for the rest of the day. What a great feeling.
Sometimes, the best productivity hacks just mean ticking a single box.