Ultimate Day Step 9: Set Your Evening
“As you wind down your ultimate day here, consider the landing. If you think about the morning as your takeoff routine, I also think that it’s a great idea to have a landing routine. That’s the period of time between work and home life.”
We’re starting to wind down your ultimate day here. Let’s call it the landing. If you think about the morning as your takeoff routine, I also think that it's a great idea to have a landing routine. This follows the afternoon team huddle. You’ve put a bow on that part of the day, which follows your final power work zone.
It’s important to have a transition ritual between your work day and home life, especially when we are working from home. There are boundaries to protect so that our work doesn’t just keep flowing into our private time or family time. This is especially important when we are working from home.
Back when most everyone was working from an office and commuting, I used to advise using the drive home in the same way. Use that time productively – which doesn’t mean “be productive” in the work sense. It means listen to a podcast or to your favourite music, read if you take public transportation, or enjoy the quiet and let your mind wander.
Whether you’re at home or come home from somewhere else, be intentional about this time. Plan for it – that’s why it’s scheduled into your ultimate day. If you walk straight out of a phone meeting or a Zoom meeting or a project and directly into interacting with your family, they're relaxed but you're not. There’s a disconnect in the energy. So choose an activity you enjoy that relaxes you. As much as possible, leave your work mode behind so you can fully engage with family, friends, or your non-working self during the evening.
One researcher who focuses on healthy relationships conducted a survey of military service men and women on their strategies for making the transition from work to home. That is certainly a career that can lead to a lot of stress within individuals and families. He found that many had created small rituals for themselves, like removing their insignias before entering the home, saying a little prayer, or interacting first with the natural surroundings and even their pets before their family members. Service personnel who established habits like these had more positive and harmonious personal relationships.
The same principle holds true for all of us, though you may choose different rituals. Some people like to change their clothes or take a quick shower. Others like to sit quietly and reflect. I’m a big advocate of getting outdoors. But what’s important is that you find something that works for you and that clearly signals a change in focus and energy. And it’s important that it becomes a routine.
So as we reach the end of your ultimate day planning – which is designed to become a highly productive routine from takeoff to landing – schedule in a transition period after your final work zone and be intentional about how you fill this time.
Today’s Exercise: Set your Evening
Fill in Step 9: Set Your Evening on page 23 in the Ultimate Day Workbook to help you make the switch from “working” to “not working” every day.
Today’s Bonus Podcast
Check out this podcast Here with coach Scott Livingston where he and Greg discuss high performance, exercise, wellness, and careers.
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