When you work from home the boundaries of the work day are often blurred. Without the act of physically changing location it can be hard to switch off from work. Over the years I’ve developed a set of end of day rituals to help with this.

1. End of day review The very last thing I do at my desk is to write a short review of the day. I answer three questions:

  • What went well?
  • What challenged or frustrated you?
  • What will help you have a good day tomorrow? It helps me to mentally tie up any loose ends and set myself up for the next day. I’ll also clear up any papers or notebooks so I can start afresh in the morning.

2. Fresh air and exercise The Urban Wanderer describes the act of walking at the start and end the day when working from home as a reverse commute. I find this particularly effective at the end of the day to help empty my mind of work related things. I’m lucky to have a park on my doorstep and so I’ll usually do a few laps of that.

3. Offline activity Spending time away from a screen immediately after finishing work is the best way I know to relax and shift gear. Most days for me this means an hour or so in the kitchen cooking tea. It’s an activity that for me signifies the start of my evening.

What rituals do you have to help you switch off from work?

This is day 19 of my #100DaysToOffload challenge. Want to get involved? Find out more at 100daystooffload.com