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Strategies for leaving the office on time |
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| 1. Start with small chunks - plan for once a week first | Depending on the size of your habit, consider going home 'religiously' one day of a week for a few weeks. Then ease yourself into two days. Don't beat yourself up if some days you have to work longer. The reality is that some times you'll have to break your own rules. Make sure it's only because you have to, not because you can't be bothered sticking up for yourself or reprioritising. |
| 2.Just get up and walk out | It sounds simple, but just get up and walk out at the right time. It's the most effective strategy. Much of the ritual of leaving work (logging out, shutting down, putting away and saying goodnight) just keeps you there longer. As you tidy, you pick up a matter, thinking 'just 10 minutes more', and suddenly it's 8pm. The same problem will be there tomorrow morning. You'll be fresher and able to deal with it more quickly. |
| 3. Get a watchdog | Enlist the help of a colleague or friend - get them to remind you to go home. And pay attention to them when they do. |
| 4. Prepare for it | If you have a clean desk policy, then prepare for leaving. Two hours before you're ready to leave, make your 'to do' list for the next day. Clear your desk and work on just one thing at a time. When it comes time to leave put the one thing you're working on away, log off, and leave. Do not take appointments for the last hour of the day you want to leave on time. If people have questions or ideas in that time, let them know you must leave at an appointed time (and have them let you know when that time is 10 minutes away). |
| 5. Punish or reward yourself | It's all very well to have people remind (or bully) you to leave. Too many people say 'yes, yes, I'm off,' then they're still around three hours later. Take it one step further. Offer yourself a reward for leaving, or a punishment if that suits you better. Drink instant coffee instead of filtered coffee if you transgress. Book a massage to celebrate adherence. |
| 6. Make it important enough | If you're still not doing it, make the reason you're leaving more
important. Catastrophise the issue - if you don't leave now, you'll
not meet that big client who'll help your career. If you do leave
now, you'll get a chance to make a few phone calls to friends who
may be that next big client. You'll have a life, a loving network
and interesting ideas coming into your life. |
| 7. Stop kidding yourself you can get it done! | It's also important to stop kidding yourself that you can get it all done if you can't. You're busy. So are most of the successful people in the world. If you think that working an extra 30 minutes (or three hours) is what it will take to move the mountain of work you have to do, then start tracking how long it actually does take. If you're attempting to do 18 hours of work in a 10 hour day, then perhaps you'd better re-prioritise or let yourself off the hook. Accept that it's 18 hours. Stay at work to complete it, or split it into two days. None of us is superhuman. It it's 18 hours don't kid yourself you can do it in 10 hours. |
| 7. Realise what you know | Of course we make tasks bigger by over preparing, double
checking and examining every alleyway of opposition. You will never
have enough information. Listen to your inner voice. What do you need
to do to satisfy it, to see or feel that you're prepared enough? Do
that first. Your entire lifetime has brought you to where you are now. You can call on your track record, your memory and your experiences. No amount of preparation will equal this. Realise what you know and just get up and walk out at the right time! |
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Cindy Tonkin can help you improve your ability to deal with detail people, or help people who need help with details! Coaching by phone, email or in person. Public Training in Sydney. If you'd like to get a regular e-zine linking to new articles on this web site, just sign up now. |
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