6 tips to leave office on time

It’s normal to get stuck at the office late from time to time. But if you’ve come to the point where working late has become less of an exception than the rule, it’s time to put an end to the practice. Otherwise, in the end, you are at risk of burning out and risking your health.

However, it’s quite easy to pick up a leaving time than done. Especially when there’s still work hanging over your head, it becomes a dream in real terms. But if you’re serious about finding a better work-life balance, below are some of the tips for prying back at a more reasonable hour from your office.

Prepare a to-do list ahead:

Think about what you need to do as a priority on this day as you arrive at work in the morning. Ensure the first completion of urgent tasks with a deadline, with optional tasks remaining for later completion. If it’s time to get the least important things done, there’s always tomorrow … or even the next day. 

One reason some people get stuck at work late is that they don’t invest in getting organized a few minutes early in the day. If that’s happening to you, every day spend your first few minutes writing out a to-do list at your office. This way, before the day slips away from your reach, you will see what needs to be done on a priority basis.

Avoid distractions:

Many workplaces naturally teem with distractions, so the first step in avoiding them is to identify those that are most detrimental to you. Perhaps the chatty colleagues who sit around you constantly interrupt your workflow; or perhaps you tend to check your phone too often during the day and get sidetracked as a result. Either way, the less distraction you allow to disturb yourself, the more productive you’re going to be during the day, thereby increasing your chances of getting off on time. Thus it becomes very important to figure out what’s throwing you off and thus fight back. That could mean locking yourself up in a conference room to better focus on key tasks or promising to keep your cell phone on “silent” until the most important tasks are accomplished for the day. Coworking spaces provide a friendly distraction-free workspace for a smooth workflow.

Try to Reach Early:

You could always try to arrive early rather than stay late if there are particular time constraints on your day. It’s amazing how successful you can be at the start of the day in a quiet office. At this point, you are completely energized and are likely to be most successful as such. Coming early to offices have other benefits too. For example, if you are in a coworking space and prefer to be mobile throughout the day, you may get your favourite sitting area.

Make Plans for “after-office” hours:

If you plan for the evening, there is a stronger incentive to complete your work and leave work on time so you can honour them. There isn’t the same kind of stress on evenings where you have nothing particular planned, and you may find yourself sitting around at home. Be vigilant, of course, about arranging gatherings or night activities when it may be necessary to work late-such as at the month-end-as you don’t want to get used to letting people down. Do time to yourself and party too. After all, life is meant to be fully enjoyed!

Tell your colleagues when you want to leave:

If you start telling people you need to leave at some point, you’re going to be much more likely to do that. Make the commitment to yourself and then express it with others: when you discuss plans and tasks throughout the day, inform your colleagues, “Tonight I have to be out of here on time, so if you need anything, let me know by 3 PM.” By reminding your colleagues to give you as much notice as possible about any inquiries and setting the presumption that you will not be available late in the evening.

One day, then another, and then the next, keep on trying this method. Finally, your colleagues will be retrained to expect you to leave every day on time. So, saying it out loud and expressing your intention of leaving on time will help you feel more empowered to do so.

Takeaway:

It’s crucial for your health to leave work at a reasonable time. Follow these tips, and your days of burning “mid-day” oil will soon be behind you with some luck. You may even come to our workplace for a quick visit to see how we keep our coworking space as a nice and quiet place for employees and startups to work smoothly.

What do you guys generally do to leave office on time?

Do tell us in the comments!