Perhaps you spend the last 10 minutes of your workday staring at the clock, counting down the seconds until you’re free.
Or, maybe you bury yourself in your work until the very last minute — then you grab your stuff and run for the door without saying goodbye to your colleagues.
If either of the above scenarios sounds familiar, it may be time to reassess your end-of-day routine.
“How you finish the workday is very important,” says Michael Kerr, an international business speaker and author of “The Humor Advantage.” “It can set your mood for the rest of your day; it may impact your personal relationships, overall level of happiness, and how well you sleep that night; and it will set the stage for the next day.”
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1. They stay focused.
“This is a classic time when your mind can drift,” explains Lynn Taylor, a national workplace expert and the author of “Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job.” “Typically, you’re not as sharp at the end of the day.”
Try not to allow yourself to get distracted or caught up in non-work related activities at the very end of the day.
2. They update their to-do lists.
Successful professionals always keep an eye on their ever-changing to-do lists, Taylor says.
“But the last 10 minutes is when they also check their final progress against that day’s objectives,” she says. “They revise their final list accordingly while in the moment, rather than abruptly leave and hoping they’ll remember all the nuances of that day in the morning.”
3. They review what they achieved.
Taylor says in addition to focusing on what you still need to do, it’s important to look back on what you’ve done.
Kerr agrees. “Taking even one minute to review what you achieved can give you a sense of accomplishment, and on a particularly trying and busy day it can remind you that you got more done than you realized,” he says. “Happiness research tells us that doing a simple routine like this, and taking the time to reflect on what you accomplished, is a key way to boost your overall level of happiness.”
