A new way to know when you’re done with work

Cari Nazeer
Forge
Published in
Sent as a

Newsletter

2 min readAug 3, 2020
Photo: valentinrussanov/E+/Getty Images

🕔 Today’s tip: To end your workday earlier, focus on tasks, not time.

Even the time-management expert Laura Vanderkam sometimes has trouble managing time, as she writes in her latest Forge column. And especially now, when the entire idea of “going home” has lost all meaning for many of us, it can be a struggle to know when to end the workday.

To keep her tasks from spilling over into the evening, Vanderkam set a rule for herself: Whatever went on her daily to-do list had to be done before she quit. Once the list was done, so was she. “Sometimes that would happen at 2 p.m. or 7 p.m.” she writes, “although 5 p.m. was more frequent” — a full day, but not an overly long one. Her technique ensures you do what you say you’re going to do, and that you don’t keep piling on, which can lead to burnout and, ironically, getting less done in the long run.

📚 More from Forge on managing your daily workload:

How to Use Your Calendar to Make Every Day Your Ideal Day
Read more >>

The 5-Minute ‘Shutdown Routine’ That Can Improve Your Entire Day
Read more >>

3 Ways to Optimize Your Mornings
Read more >>

The Forge Daily Tip is sent every morning via email. ☀️ Subscribe to The Forge Daily Tip here.

You’re subscribed to receive emails from Forge. You can adjust your settings via the link at the bottom of this email.

--

--

Forge
Forge

Published in Forge

A former publication from Medium on personal development. Currently inactive and not taking submissions.

Cari Nazeer
Cari Nazeer

Written by Cari Nazeer

Former lead editor, Forge @ Medium