Lifestyle

All successful people do this in the last minutes of their workday

By Wieke Veenboer | #!30Tue, 19 Sep 2023 11:45:40 +0200+02:004030#30Tue, 19 Sep 2023 11:45:40 +0200+02:00-11Europe\/Amsterdam3030Europe\/Amsterdam202330 19am30am-30Tue, 19 Sep 2023 11:45:40 +0200+02:0011Europe\/Amsterdam3030Europe\/Amsterdam2023302023Tue, 19 Sep 2023 11:45:40 +02004511459amTuesday=9#!30Tue, 19 Sep 2023 11:45:40 +0200+02:00Europe\/Amsterdam9#09-19-2023#!30Tue, 19 Sep 2023 11:45:40 +0200+02:004030#\/30Tue, 19 Sep 2023 11:45:40 +0200+02:00-11Europe\/Amsterdam3030Europe\/Amsterdam202330#!30Tue, 19 Sep 2023 11:45:40 +0200+02:00Europe\/Amsterdam9#

I have a lot of admiration for people who can focus for eight hours in an office: how do you do that without getting distracted? In the comfort of my own home, I can always be productive for hours (with the music I choose playing in the background), but when I'm at the office, the stimuli are often a bit too much for me. A chat here, a chat there, background music that I don't like but is distracting (for me, that's really killing my concentration), the chair that just isn't comfortable, the table at an awkward height... You get the idea: before I know it, I'm distracted. It doesn't help that my brain never really turns off, so with so many stimuli around me, it's a complete chaos in my head.

Recognizable? Then I have a few tips for you on how to end your day so that you go home feeling fulfilled and satisfied, and start the next day with good spirits.

1. Keep things tidy
Literally: always tidy up your desk before you go home. Just like a tidy house means a tidy mind, this definitely applies to your office as well. Bet you'll feel much more cheerful heading back to that desk when it's neat?

2. Write everything down
This is a task that needs to be split in two, but the second part is the most fun: at the beginning of your day, make a to-do list and cross off everything you've done by the end of the day. That gives such a satisfying feeling because you've (probably) been super productive. And sometimes it's okay to cheat a little by adding very small tasks just so you can cross off more.

3. Reflect
Go over the day with yourself again: how did you find it today? What went well, what could be better, and were you happy? This is a little moment of rest for yourself, but also a learning moment: every next day you can approach it differently, or better.

4. Organize your inbox
Just like keeping your desk tidy is important, so is that in your inbox. So mark your important emails, archive the ones that aren't; whatever system works for you so that you don't open your inbox tomorrow morning stressed, knowing what kind of chaos awaits you.

5. Go. Home.
A good balance between work and private life is so important, yet many people don't have a strong backbone when it comes to this. So stand up for yourself and be strict: really go home to take your rest and take a break from work. This means not (over)working too much, but sometimes also skipping that social obligation if you don't feel like it or don't gain energy from it.

Source: Fem-Fem