It’s 4:01pm and you should have already been on your way to your car. The day ended about 25 minutes ago, and somehow, you are still sitting at your desk, swamped amongst piles of paperwork and sticky notes. If only you had a clearcut shutdown routine to help you finish the day in an organized manner. If only you could leave school at school.
Here’s how you can. Try Reflect, Review, To-Do.
Start with reflection.
- What went well today?
- What did not go well today?
- How could the day go better next time?
This should give you a good sense of the successes and failures of the day.
Next, review.
- What is sitting on your desk that still needs to be done?
- What did you want to get to today that you didn’t?
- What should be your first priority for tomorrow morning?
Now, you have a better idea of what tomorrow will look like. The last step is key…
Finally, create the To-Do.
- List your number one priority to start the day tomorrow.
- List your 2-3 other tasks you want to complete tomorrow (especially if you didn’t get to them today).
- Jot down any other thoughts, ideas, questions, or any other brain dump items.
Now that you have your list, you can end the day without anything on your mind. You have a clear to-do list to start fresh tomorrow. You should have a clear desk, and you should have a clear mind to go home and turn off school mode for the day.
Be gone by 4:01. It’s important that you leave school at school. It will be there again tomorrow.
Rich
For more productivity strategies, pick up a copy of Autopilot: Practical Productivity for School Leaders.
