A few years ago, I read Cal Newport’s book “Deep Work”. One of the techniques he describes is having a shutdown routine. This got me thinking about computer startups and shutdowns. This is the time that the device recalibrates and reboots to ensure everything in optimum working order.
In taking Cal’s advice, how can we design the right startup and shutdown routines for ourselves? How can we ensure that we are in optimum working order for our workdays? After reading the book, I worked on developing my own daily routines to mark the start and close of the workday.
My Story
The startup and shutdown routines I use have evolved over the last couple of years and looked different on days that I was working at home vs. days in the office. Below is an overview of how they generally look with modifications and adjustments made as needed.
The Startup – My mornings begin with self-care. This includes listening to podcasts and soaking in content while getting ready, making coffee and, when going to the office, packing lunch and commuting. When arriving at my desk – office or home – the official work startup begins.
My routine is to spend the first 30-60 minutes doing deep work. This could be designing a presentation, writing, sketching out thoughts or concepts to pursue. My creativity is at its best first thing and so I seize the opportunity before getting caught in email and schedules. This is possible because of my shut down routine.
The Shutdown – To enable deep work in the morning, I need to be free of worry about the day ahead. My shutdown routine is focused on getting my arms around my schedule and deliverables. The actual time of the shutdown varies depending on the day. Some days I’m able to shut down earlier than other days. The time matters less than the process. For me, shutdown lasts 25 minutes (one Pomodoro cycle). During that time, I do the following:
- Calendar – Spend 5 minutes (max) looking at my calendar for the next day. I determine how full the day is with scheduled activities, when I can do some personal work, and ensure that I’m ready for all the planned meetings. I also glance at the rest of the week to see if calendar conflicts have popped up that need to be resolved.
- eMail Organizing – The next 5-10 minutes are spent clearing email from the day. I delete anything I don’t need, respond to anything that takes less than a minute, and move the rest into my three folders – To Do, To Read, and To Review.
- eMail Processing – I use the final 10-15 to process email. Typically, I use this time to handle responding to as many of the To Do items as possible. Sometimes there is a To Review note that takes priority as someone is waiting on my input before they can continue their work. The To Read items usually are not looked at during this time.
This process puts all the email in the right place so I can work through it more efficiently the next morning. I try to have at least 30 minutes after my deep work each morning to process email before the meetings of the day begin.
Your Turn
Do you have a startup and shutdown routine for work?
If not, do you think these types of routines could work for you?
How would your routine look different from mine based on the rhythms and schedule of your energy and your work?