As a remote worker, you often have flexibility with your work schedule, but it’s easy to get sucked into just one more hour when you’re already at home and aren’t facing a commute.
If you’re serious about leaving work behind at the end of the day to maximize your free time, set office hours—and stick to them.
Meetings usually get us going at a pretty decent hour in the morning. The problem is the end of the day. If we don’t set a quitting time, we’ll just keep on working. Worse is when our colleagues figure that out and start calling us after “normal work hours.”
Committing to and communicating your quitting time can be a game changer. Here’s the thing. You have to honor it Every. Single. Day.
3 Benefits of Setting a Work End Time
#1 When you set your quitting time you activate Parkinson’s Law – the adage that work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” In other words, any project that you have expands to the amount of time you have to give it.
If you’re in school and you got a paper due in 2 weeks, how long is it going to take you to write it? 2 weeks.
But if you only have 20 minutes to write this paper, how long is it going to take you to write it.? 20 minutes.
It expands or shrinks to the amount of time you have.
When you set your quitting time, it shrinks the amount of time you have to screw around and you become more productive.
#2 If you need to work extra hours on a certain project, having a set quitting time forces you to consider starting your day early in order to finish on time. It’s often preferable to get “extra” work out of the way in the morning when the day is just getting going than at night when your overtime will cut into family activities or after-work leisure.
#3 You’re more likely to Find Your Third Space
If you’re new to remote work, chances are that you love not having a commute. But one of the benefits of a commute is that it’s a transition between your work and personal life, during which you can let go of the stresses of the workday and get ready to transition to your non-work activities.
This third space acts as an essential bridge between work and home relaxation. It helps prepare you for the mental shift you need to go from employee to parent, spouse, partner, or friend, and enables you to show up in your personal life calm, present, and ready to roll.
When working from home, though, it’s easy to skip this transition entirely. After all, the walk from your home office to your living room likely isn’t going to cut it when it comes to clearing your mental palette. You can easily build in a third space transition to your day by:
- Creating a commute. Take a daily after work mind-cleansing drive or walk to a park or your local coffee shop.
- Working out. Going to the gym or for a run outside gives you an outlet for any pent-up stress and time to decompress.
- Taking your dog for a walk. When you’ve been inside all day, your canine friend probably has been, too, and would appreciate the fresh air.
- Practicing mindfulness. If physically leaving your house (and workspace) isn’t possible, simply taking a few minutes to meditate, do yoga, or otherwise quiet your mind can be a calming transition.
Whatever you choose, avoid throwing yourself immediately into household chores after your workday (unless they relax you). A peaceful, grounding activity at the end of your day will help you refocus your brain.
What’s your quitting time? Who needs to know? What can you do to enforce it?
