How to do more by working less

After reading this post, we’ll see:

• What is The Shutdown routine.

• Why you should know about it.

• How you can use it in your professional life.

TL; DR;

Create & perform a ritual to separate your work and personal time. You’ll thank me later!

When COVID hit, I was working from home.

Work and personal time fused into one confusing bunch of hours.

There was no separation for office and personal work. In the morning, I would begin working with no plan.

In the evening, tired, I would end up working late. There was no stop to the office work day.

So my open projects would keep spinning in my mind. My sleep was messed up.

It was a disaster!! 😑 

Then I read “Deep work” by Cal Newport. It’s an amazing book with so many good ideas! In it, Cal speaks about the “shutdown ritual“.

This method helped me:

• Reduce stress

• Improve my sleep

• Get more done by working less.

Here’s how you can get started.

1. Create a recurring calendar meeting for the end of your day.

2. At that time, stop everything. Review your open projects.

3. Prioritize 3 most important projects.

4. In tomorrow’s calendar block 30 - minute deep work slots for each project.

5. Say “shutdown complete”, and close your laptop.

But why does this work?

- Unconscious thought theory

Giving your mind a break allows your unconscious mind to work on problems involving a lot of information and vague constraints.

This is why you get great ideas when you’re walking or in the shower.

- Attention restoration theory

Attention is a finite resource.

After a day of work, don’t exhaust it further.

Watch the sunset, take a walk in nature and you will feel energized.

- Deep work (mostly) isn’t done in the evenings.

Your high - impact work should be done in the mornings, when you can focus and concentrate.

A beginner can focus intensely for an hour and an expert, around 4 hours.

Anything more isn’t productive. (even if your boss tells otherwise).

That’s it!!

I hope this concept helps you do more by working less . If you found this helpful, share with someone who will benefit.

Further reading:

• Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

P.S: Did you like this idea? Let me know. I personally respond to each mail.