Mark Twain once said, ?You have to take your brain out and dance
on it.? In other words, you need to give your mind some downtime
tonight, if you want to have a more productive tomorrow. With
that said are you a person who spends weekends and evenings
worrying about business? Do you think about meetings, emails,
and office politics? If so, it?s time to learn how to use your
free-time more productively. Not only is your time away from the
concerns of the workplace necessary, but a rested mind is more
efficient and productive.
Dr. Barbara Mackoff describes a number of techniques to help you
leave work at the workplace in her book, ?The Art of
Self-Renewal: Balance Pressure and Productivity On and Off the
Job? (Lowell House, 1992).
One of the first steps is learning how to leave in the evening ?
shifting from the fast, demanding pace of the workplace to the
more relaxed rhythms of the home. Try these ideas for making the
transition easier:
1. End the day with the low-pressure work. In your last hour of
work, you may be doing your most demanding tasks. If the day
ends in this kind of stressful rush, you?re bound to take that
intensity home with you. Instead, try to end the day with
easier, less pressured work. Clear your desk, put stuff away,
read professional literature.
Even better, this is a great time to return phone calls or
emails. (Don?t you hate it when people don?t return your calls
or emails? I?m sure that you do, so don?t do it to other people.
If calling back takes too much time, then send an email. Keep
your replies short and friendly. No one is that busy that they
can?t return emails.)
2. Make a list of what you need to do the next day or the
beginning of next week. Alleviate apprehensions you feel about
tomorrow by setting up your plan right now. List everything you
want to do. Decide if any tasks can be delegated or handled
later in the week. Then assign a priority to each item and
preferred time of day to tackle it.
Before I go to sleep, I take a notepad and write everything down
that I need to do the following day. (Sometimes this list can be
two full pages!) The next day, as I finish each task, I not only
feel a wonderful sense of accomplishment, but I also am amazed
at how much work I?ve done.
3. Create a closing ceremony, a routine you will perform every
day before you leave. Tear a page from the wall calendar and
drop it into the waste bucket; log off the computer; ask
co-workers about plans for the evening, put a sign up in your
office or cubicle that reads, ?I?m here, you just can?t see me!?
or ?Gone home.? No matter how simple the closing ceremony, it
has the power to indicate the day is done and your evening or
weekend has begun.
Start tonight and take your brain out for a dance. Not only will
you have a more productive tomorrow, but there?s also no cover
charge and you don?t even have to dress up! What could be better
than that?
About the author:
A successful entrepreneur for over 20 years, Bob Garner is the
author of "Masters of Motivation" which has been called a
?blueprint for success.? The creator of a number of CDs that
have empowered thousands, Bob writes for numerous business
magazines and speaks extensively worldwide on motivation and
success. Sign up now for his free monthly newsletter called
"Personal Success" at http://www.bobgarneronline.com.
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