Successful people neither bury themselves in their work till the last minute nor sit back and surf the net like most of us do before leaving the offices.
Instead, they have an end-of-day routine that allows them to:
- Remain in control of their evening
- Get energized
- Be accountable
- Ensure tomorrow’s success
- Get perspective
- Record history
- Stay organized
- Not overthink or worry about the small stuff
- Stay connected
- And be as good at home as they are at work
Here’s how they do it:
1. They Dictate When They Will Stop Working
Super successful people know exactly when they’re leaving their office. They’re not stressed about urgent stuff that may or may not pop up on them. They say “No,” to that stuff without hesitation or remorse. Not only do they know when they’ll leave, but they’re flexible to life’s higher priorities and often leave early.
The reason they can do this is because they always get the important stuff done at the beginning of the day – often before the average person’s workday even begins. They are members of the Results Economy, they don’t measure their success by hard work and effort.
2. They Eat A Small Piece Of Chocolate
Of course they do. They deserve it. Not only is it an extrinsic reward for another day’s labor, but it generates an endorphin buzz and energy boost from the caffeine chocolate contains. Dark chocolate is not only tastier and healthier, but it has more caffeine than milk chocolate. This little buzz and energy boost is just enough to finish the day strong and not go home a zombie.
Not only does chocolate have psychological benefits, but a 100 gram bar of dark chocolate with 70-85% cocoa contains:
- 11 grams of fiber.
- 67% of the RDA for Iron.
- 58% of the RDA for Magnesium.
- 89% of the RDA for Copper.
- 98% of the RDA for Manganese.
- It also has plenty of potassium, phosphorus, zinc and selenium.
Don’t eat 100 grams though (600 calories!). 50-150 calories is plenty to give you the benefits you need to finish strong. This stuff is over-powered.
3. They Compare Their Actual Results To The Day’s Goals
Successful people are accountable to themselves. They keep commitments they’ve made to themselves. They don’t justify bad behavior and lie to themselves! They are highly objective when they examine their daily to-do list. For one thing, their list isn’t very long. They generally have 2-5 things they hope to get done each day. Their days are purposeful and far simpler than the average person. If something important didn’t get done, it gets put on tomorrow’s small priority list.
4. They Mentally Create Their Workday Tomorrow
Dr. Stephen R. Covey has explained that in all things, there are two creations: a mental creation followed by a physical creation. Like an architect that creates a detailed blueprint before a house is physically constructed, successful people create their mental blueprint for the next day.
When they leave the office, they already know they’re going to crush it tomorrow. This builds momentum from day-to-day, helping them accomplish things most people can’t comprehend.
5. They Pause To Reflect On Their Big Picture
Successful people have their life vision in eyeshot of their working space. They look at it frequently throughout the day to remind themselves where they are headed. However, at the end of each day, they take several deep breathes, and take a few minutes to go to their ideal future. They see it happening. They know that today’s work got them that much closer. They don’t doubt or question where they’re going in life. It’s been engrained in their subconscious.
Not only do they reflect on their life mission, they also reflect on the brilliance of life in general. They take the time to be grateful for having the ability to do the work they love. They recognize that many people are without the opportunities they have. They don’t take it for granted. They’re truly grateful for the opportunity they’ve had to serve this day in their most authentic capacity.
6. They Write In Their Journal
Everyone knows they should write in a journal. Successful people actually do. They don’t need to spend hours doing it. Just a few minutes is all that’s needed. But they actually take the time to record what happened that day. They’ve been doing it for years and have volumes of history written.
Not only do they write what they’ve done. Building off their life vision, they write the powerful things that are coming for them. They journal their future and it manifests organically.
7. They Clean Their Space
Their office is structured and organized how they like it. They ensure that it’s designed in such a way that personally facilitates their highest insights. At the end of each day, they take a few moments to create the environment they want to walk into the next morning. When they enter the next morning, the subconscious mind clicks into high-performance-mode.
8. They Detach From Everything Out Of Their Power
When most people stress out and take our work home with them (or worse, stay long hours to finish), successful people see it for what it is: distraction. Most things work themselves out. Most things can wait for tomorrow. Successful people know this and can quickly let it all go. If things went wrong at work, they don’t let it ruin their evening. It will all work out. They’ll handle it tomorrow. Done is better than perfect.
9. They Make Any Final Essential Communications
Successful people don’t leave people hanging. They reach out and make any final connections needed before going dark for the evening. They set expectations regarding their availability between now and tomorrow morning. They say “Good bye,” “Thank you,” and leave on a positive note. Those they work with feel respected, heard, and appreciated.
10. They Completely Unplug From Work Mode
Most importantly, successful people have a life outside work. They know how to fully live off the job. They know how to unplug and be present with the most important people in their world. They are just as successful in the other aspects of their life as they are at their work. They don’t answer emails after they’ve left. Unless a serious emergency is occurring, they are unreachable to the office.
Successful people’s end-of-workday routines are just as important as their morning routines. Just before leaving the office, they put themselves in a position to be present tonight and to dominate at work tomorrow.
Featured photo credit: Home-office1/citirecruitment via imcreator.com
