End Work Stress in Minutes: Try This Shut Down Routine!
See how easy it is to relax and unwind after work.
As the hustle culture increases, we are learning how to be more productive. We are making sure our minds are running fast, making decisions that will result in positive outcomes.
But one thing we often forget is that once we make our minds run fast, they will keep running fast even if we want them to slow down. Because the mind doesn’t have a switch button, you can press it to go fast and then press it again to be slow.
Once you have made your mind run fast and be more productive, you are going to fall into the trap of thinking about your work all the time, even after your work time is finished.
For instance, when you are having dinner, you’ll think about the pending task. While doing other activities like taking a holiday or watching your favourite show to spend some time making yourself happy, you’ll still be thinking about work and feel guilty of wasting time.
We have put a price on our time; most of the internet gurus and millionaires are asking you to decide what your hourly rate is, and when you are spending it on something, know that you are wasting that much money.
This thinking might help you make more money and be growth-centered, but it has some consequences. We start to compare everything with money. We feel guilty spending time with our family, watching our favorite show, or going for a walk because we could be doing something that can take our business to the next level and make more money.
We don’t own our time now; money owns it. If we can’t use our time to do the activities that we feel happy to do, then what is the point of all this hustling and productivity?
The problem I faced
As a self-employed entrepreneur, it has been very hard for me not to think about work. There is no work schedule; whatever activity I am doing, my mind is still thinking about work.
This made me work day and night; I couldn’t find time for myself, my family, or the activities that I used to love.
But that wasn’t the only issue; I was also procrastinating on things because there was no fixed schedule. I would keep delaying tasks until later in the day, and when there was no time left, I would do the task.
This behavior was costing me my leisure time, my mental peace, and even my productivity, which I was so worried about.
I hadn’t found any solution for it; even I used to think there wasn’t any solution for it. How can someone solve a problem like this?
Then I found out about the man, Cal Newport; he shared one thing that crushed my self-limiting beliefs about this situation. He shared that:
In order to make sure your mind stops thinking about work, you will have to create a shut-down routine from work.
That was something new.
How can I shut down my routine at work and make my mind stop thinking about work?
He said that our brain creates associations between things in order to make the behavior repeatable and to use less mental energy each time to perform the activity.
The reason our mind doesn’t stop thinking about work is because we never created an association that tells our mind that we have finished our work, and we can stop thinking about work now.
The important thing here is that you need to have a physical or digital activity outside your mind; you can’t rely on your mind for a shut-down routine.
After listening to this technique, I decided to create my own shutdown routine at work to see if it really worked.
Shut Down Work Routine Experience
Surprisingly, it does work. I’m now feeling much better when it comes to enjoying my activities other than work.
My brain knows that the work for today is finished, and we’ve already planned the next day. Now we can enjoy our time doing any activity we want without worrying about work.
My Shutdown Routine Checklist
Here is how I built my shut-down routine; you can get inspiration from it and create your own.
I’m using a habit tracker for keeping track of my habits, so I added my shutdown work habit to that. There are other habits and checklists that I need to see before checking the shutdown work box. These habits are
- Wear blue-light glasses while using a laptop.
- Walk for 15 minutes.
- Positive memory recall (I learned about this habit from The Power of Positive Thinking.).
- Learn Arabic (one exercise from an app).
- Reading book.
- Journaling.
Whenever I feel my day is finished, I go to my habit tracker and see if I have done all the habits I need to do. If something is not done, I do it instantly to check the box.
Once all the habits are checked, I create a to-do list for the next day; one is a deep work list, and the other is a shallow work list. I’ve written about it in this article (Why simplicity equals productivity).
Once that is done, I check the shutdown work box.
The important thing here is that I’ve set a rule for myself. Once I’ve checked the box for shutdown work, I can’t do anything work-related or habit-related, even if I feel it’s not done.
Whatever is left is left, even if it’s important. The next day, I will make sure to not check the shutdown work box before finishing everything.
Mental peace from overthinking
This created an association in my mind that once we press this shutdown work box, we’ve finished our important things today, and rest time is free to do anything except the work or habits; it is fun relevant time only for the things that make me happy.
After repeatedly doing it for 21 days, I’ve made this a habit, and my mind gets relaxed after checking the shutdown work box. I don’t get the thoughts like I used to, but still, if an idea pops into my mind, I write it down in sticky notes so I can review it tomorrow, instead of keep thinking about it right now.
This helped me overcome the feeling of guilt whenever I’m spending time on activities I love.
The shutdown routine from work for you might be different, but having it is a must if you want to stop overthinking about work. You have the idea of habits and checklists from my routine; now create your own.
Once you have the list, create a habit tracker, either digitally or on paper. Then make sure you check the box for shutdown work after completing all the checklists. It will take a few trials and errors until you make your final checklist, but it’s worth it. We deserve to be free and relaxed from all the unwanted thoughts about work.
If you liked this story, you can follow me on Medium so you can get my life lessons to become a happier, productive, and more wealthy person. Mindful Kamal
Thank you for reading this story.
Kamal
