Hey Time Dorks,
This week, let’s talk about knowing when to call it a day, the productive power of breaks, and how many things you should tackle at one time.
🏃♂️Something to Try
A friend of ours started his career at a tech startup. In his first full-time office role, he found he was most focused in the hours before lunch.
When he found himself struggling with a less demanding task late in the day, he decided to call it a night and pick up fresh the next morning.
Do you think his approach was the right approach?
Before you answer that, let me give you some more context.
A common workday phenomenon is known as the “One More Thing” syndrome. Simply put, as the day winds down, we often struggle to hit the brakes. The Busy Bandwagon encourages us to think, “Just one more thing!” We think that if we answer one more email, one more text, do one more task, that we will have succeeded.
And guess what? We fall into that trap ourselves, a lot! It can feel like the responsible and hardworking thing to do, and the Busy Bandwagon often makes it seem like it’s the only way to keep from falling behind.
What if I told you there was a different approach?
You see, in our design sprints, we discovered that wrapping up work before exhaustion sets in made a big difference in how people felt the next day. Even stopping thirty minutes earlier than usual made a big difference in the week’s productivity.
So, when is the right time to call it a day?
Forget about conquering every email (not happening) or tackling every task (dream on). Instead, experiment with setting your own finish line.
We call this tactic Quit When You’re Done (#16), and it can work in several ways.
Perhaps you can time a perfect time of day to stop that fits your life. In our design sprints, we used 5 p.m. as our finish line.
Or as the day’s end nears, you can think about whether you accomplished your Highlight. If you have, then rest easy knowing you made time for the day’s most important job.
And guess what? Even if you didn’t finish your Highlight, you might look back at the end and recognize you had to bump it for something super urgent. If that’s the case, you can still feel satisfied with your effort, and call it a day!
🤖 Tech & Tools
I’ve found setting my own finish line to be really helpful, especially on the days I’m working from home. But you don’t need to wait until the end of the day to take a break!
In fact, by taking intentional, real breaks throughout the day, you can balance your energy and avoid ending the day feeling like you’ve just run a marathon.
I recommend using a break timer to give you gentle nudges throughout the day.
Personally, I use Time Out on Mac. It’s a super simple app that can customize to fit your work routines and preference
I have it set up to nudge me every 25 minutes to take a short stretch break and rest my eyes, then every 90 minutes when it’s time for a proper break.
📚 Timely Quotes
Thanks for reading, see you next week!
Connor
