It's a good idea to run through a checklist at the end of your workday and make sure you've closed all of your open loops. You can duplicate and edit this page to use as a template.
You might also find the lessons on ‣ and ‣ useful.
Collect
Collect scattered notes and thoughts in one place...
Collect any notes & tasks you've made on paper or in note-taking apps, and tidy up any meeting notes from today, adding tasks to your task management tool.
Do a quick brain dump of things which are on your mind
‣
Check your inboxes for open loops which are causing you stress. Close them by either responding, deferring until later, delegating to someone else or storing actions in your task manager.
Slack reminders and saved messages.
Slack mentions and DMs.
Other inboxes (Eg Asana, Linear, ZenDesk, Emails etc)
Close Open Loops
Close any open loops you have...
Update all of the tasks and tickets you've worked on today with notes. They should make it clear what's been done, what the current status is, and what the next action is.
Create any new tasks or tickets, based on what you collected earlier.
Review your task boards and Asana projects - is everything up to date?
Hand off any urgent tasks to colleagues, as needed. If you're doing this in Asana make sure you assign them and add any hard due dates.
Send updates to any
project channels in slack, as needed.By this point, you should be feeling confident that you've wrapped up todays work and things are as "neat" as the need to be for you to switch off this evening.
Plan for Tomorrow
Give yourself permission to switch off by getting ready for tomorrow in advance...
Check your calendar for tomorrow and block out some focus time.
Consider making a list of your Top Three Tasks for tomorrow, or making a rough plan for your day.
Communicate
Communicate anything final messages before you sign off for the day...
Send any handoff messages you didn't send when you closed your open loops.
Anyone you want to shout out in
#core-shoutouts? Share your appreciation.Say goodnight to your team in slack, in your
#team-xxx channel.Maybe check in with other folks in your timezone and say goodnight in your
crew channel.Closing
Close your day... and your laptop.
Set your phone to DND mode, so work notifications are switched off.
Take a moment to reflect...
How are you feeling right now?
What are you grateful for right now?
Take a moment to close your laptop, tidy your desk and mentally close your work day.
Get out the house for a short walk. 🚶♀️