How do you end a productive day? You time-out, the working day is over, and it’s time you get things done around the house too! Hold on! Don’t rush things so much. It’s time for your work-from-home end-of-day routine.
What would that mean?
Adjusting To Working From Home
Every day, just after you log out from your work, you have two options: get busy with more work around your house or enjoy some transitioning from one to the other.
Remote work from home has all of the advantages you could think of. You get to work in your pajamas until 11 a.m. (I’ve done that, it’s awesome), have three breakfasts and a few snacks right in front of the computer (done that too), and work as early or as late as possible, so you catch up from the previous day when you slacked on work. On top of that, you could even do your laundry while waiting for the IT team to fix your connection to the main server.
However, one big disadvantage we often face is that you lose yourself somewhere between the freshly done laundry and the hot afternoon coffee spilled on your newly printed work project.
You forget to get some time to be still and present. You cannot find a way to transition from work life to home life, and you slowly get sucked into a never-ending cycle of work/do-something-for-the-house/work-again.
You need to build your end-of-day routine!
What Should I Do At The End of My Work Day?
I’m glad you asked!
You could do plenty of things at the end of your workday that will help you leave your workplace (mentally) and adjust to your home life.
Here are 10 tips to help you build your perfect work-from-home end-of-day routine (yes, I know that’s many dashes here). You could even call it a “shutdown ritual” as you are switching off everything work-related and tuning into your personal life.
10 Ideas For Your End of Workday Routine
1. Self-Care Ritual
Many of us underestimate the importance of taking care of our minds the same way we care for our bodies. Providing your brain with some rest is essentially a form of self-care that anyone who works from home should incorporate in their end-of-the-day routine.
Self-care means different things to different people. For some of us, a self-care ritual involves a long bath on the sounds of Erykah Badu while we relax away from our workspace. For others, it’s a glass of wine in one hand and a favorite novel in the other. It’s important to find out what type of self-care ritual works best for you. It’s even more important to stick to it.
2. Break a sweat
Working from home has its benefits – answering calls from your couch and avoiding rush hour are only some of them. But staying in your house or apartment the whole day may lead tо sedentary life. That’s why it’s crucial to find the time for some exercise and what better way to end the day than to break a sweat.
Home workout programs have been gaining popularity in recent years as more and more people realize the importance of staying active, especially when you work from home. YouTube offers everything – from yoga and pilates to kickboxing. Depending on what you feel has the most positive impact on your body and mind, you have countless options to choose from. One thing is certain – you must incorporate some exercise in your end-of-the-day routine.
Here are some suggestions:
However, despite all the options for home workouts, some people still prefer to get moving outside. In that case, you can go out for a jog or a walk around the block, which would still help you clear your head and give your brain a rest. This also brings us to our next point – get out of the house.
3. Get out of the house
After spending your whole day in front of the laptop, you probably need a breath of fresh air. And going out for a jog isn’t the only way to do that. Now that life is slowly getting back to normal; you can do numerous things outside after work. When you work from home, it’s hard for the brain to separate work from leisure, so you should realize the importance of doing things outside your home.
For instance, you can devote some time to cultural experiences like theater, cinema, or art gallery visits. However, if there’s not much to do in your area in terms of entertainment, you can still find ways to get out of the house and distract yourself from work. Even simply reading a book in the local park could be rejuvenating and refreshing. In any case, you should incorporate some outdoor activities into your end-of-the-day routine.
4. Meditate
Working from home isn’t for everyone. Despite all its benefits, for some people, working and living in the same space can negatively impact their mental health. And mediation has been recommended as one of the practices that people who experience a negative impact on the home office can incorporate into their daily life.
Meditation and breathwork have been suggested to be some of the best methods for stress relief, especially when you spend most of your time at home. If you decide to make meditation part of your end-of-the-day routine, you’ll notice a change in your emotional well-being for good. Increasing self-awareness, imagination, creativity, and patience are just some of the benefits that a 15-minute meditation session can bring.
If you’re not sure how it all works, you can count on Spotify to have your back. A simple guided mediation can get you started, and don’t worry if you don’t get it right the first time.
For many workers, it’s challenging to let their minds fully rest. That’s because we’re so used to constantly receiving information from various sources simultaneously, and it feels unnatural not to engage our minds with anything. But that just proves how important it is to release that tension for at least 10 minutes a day.
5. Socialize
For some professionals, the workplace plays a significant role in their social life. But now, it seems only natural for us to self-isolate (and in many cases mandatory), maintaining workplace relationships has been harder than ever. Without team lunches and watercooler-chats, work is getting lonelier than ever. And that’s exactly the reason why we have to put effort into socializing after work.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean going out of your way and meeting people in person. You can make use of the digital tools that we all have access to these days.
Schedule a daily phone call with a friend or facetime your parents while you have your after-work drink. If you don’t live alone, that’s a great opportunity to bond with your family or housemates. Just don’t let yourself get too lonely.
6. Reflect and evaluate
This is a great tip for your end-of-the-day routine on Fridays or at the end of your workweek. Reflecting on your work and making a list of outstanding tasks can give you a sense of closure and could help you feel more relaxed during your days off.
Wrapping up the week accordingly can also give you a better start on Monday when you won’t have to bother with listing all your tasks for the upcoming days. You can start working on them right away.
Reflection doesn’t necessarily have to be related to work. Let’s find out why journaling can have a positive impact on your personal life as well.
7. Journal
Journaling evokes mindfulness, and it’s especially useful if you do it after a full day of working from home. It’s been proven that journaling can help with providing a greater sense of confidence and self-awareness.
When they hear journaling, many people imagine mechanically writing down their experiences from the day to reflect on them after some time. But it doesn’t have to be like that if it’s not your cup of tea. Journaling does more than just help you record your memories.
Journaling is an incredible stress management tool that you should incorporate into your end-of-the-day routine if mindfulness and self-improvement are what you strive for. It takes no more than 10 minutes, but it has an incredible impact on your overall mental health.
If you want journaling to be something you’re looking forward to instead of being just another task, it’s probably a good idea to make a whole ritual out of it. Chose a nice hardcover notebook, light up some candles, and put out your thoughts on the paper. Overall, if you’re looking to better your health and well-being, keep a journal.
8. Unplug
Finding an offline hobby has never been more important. Now that screen time is a mandatory part of our lives (especially if you work from home) we have to start spending time away from screens.
However, the home office has also shifted the employer’s attitude towards their workers as we’re often expected to be available after working hours. In this case, unplugging isn’t as simple as switching off our devices. But it’s absolutely necessary to know when to switch off for the sake of our mental health.
But even if we don’t have to respond to work calls and emails, we somehow find ways to spend time on our laptops and phones, even during our leisure time. The best way to truly disconnect is to find an activity or a go-to hobby that helps you stay grounded and provides your brain the space to relax.
9. Cook Dinner
I know, it’s extremely tempting to order takeout and get cozy on the couch with the latest Netflix show. Takeout is fast, easy and you have countless weekday dinner options that will be delivered to your door in less than an hour. But cooking dinner should become part of your end-of-working day routine for various reasons.
Firstly, it gives you the chance to unplug (we already discussed why this is crucial). Secondly, it could be a money-saver as you will spend less money on groceries for the week. Last but not least, cooking dinner for yourself or the people you live with will make room for creativity. We can all agree on one thing – once you make a habit out of it, cooking dinner could be an incredibly fulfilling and relaxing activity.
Why not try HelloFresh to make meal planning and cooking as easy as possible?
10. Declutter
Decluttering is a way of self-care, even if it doesn’t feel like that once you start doing it. Self-care isn’t just fun things like bubble baths and manicures. Decluttering helps you take control of your life as it improves your overall well-being. It might not seem like the best idea to declutter your house right after you’ve finished work. But cleaning up your workspace before “leaving it” will make things easier for you on the next working day.
Conclusion on End of Day Routine When You Work From Home
Now you know how many things you could do at the end of your workday at home that will positively influence your life. And it doesn’t matter if you do all ten (in fact, don’t) or will mix and match them as you please. The idea of your work from home end-of-day routine is to prepare you for a relaxing evening with your family you enjoy. Clean up your desk, go out for a walk, talk to a friend, and then do whatever your home life requires you. Prioritize yourself so you could prioritize everything else.
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