As 2026 approaches, many people are looking at tips and tricks to ring in the new year at home and at work.
And while many people are considering new morning and evening routines, there are two other routines you can incorporate into your schedule to help you focus when you need it and take a break at the end of the day, especially at work, says Cal Newport, a computer science professor at Georgetown University and author of several books on focus and productivity.
Newport advocates using time blocking to set aside time during the day for deep work, or tasks that require the most cognitive ability.
The first routine Newport recommends is a warm-up to a deep work block.
“Our brains aren’t wired to stay focused on abstract or symbolic topics,” Newport says. “Give your brain time and help it transition into deep work mode, because that’s a very unnatural thing to ask of your brain.”
Many employees are constantly bombarded with notifications throughout the day. According to an April report from Microsoft, employees are interrupted by an email, meeting, or ping every two minutes. Your brain, which manages all of the digital noise, is in a completely different state than when you’re concentrating on deep work, so you need to switch between these modes.
You can take a quick walk around the block, make a cup of tea, or clean your desk before your calendar gets busy. You can repeat this and use it as a signal to your brain that it’s time to switch modes. Think of it like stretching before a run.
“You can’t shut down your inbox, open Microsoft Word, and think, ‘I can focus now,'” Newport says.
You should also have a routine for shutting down at the end of your workday.
“It’s a way to clear your mind after work and avoid having your non-work time partially held hostage by work thoughts,” Newport says.
When signing up at the end of a workday, his shutdown routine includes doing a final check of his inbox, looking ahead at his work calendar, and writing down any reminders.
By the end, you’re going to feel like, “We’re in a good place. There’s nothing we need to figure out tonight. We’re on track to do what we need to do.” Next, you need “some visible shutdown statement or routine to indicate that you’re done.” For example, Newport’s final step is to check the box that says “Shutdown is complete.”
While a shutdown routine won’t magically end work anxiety, “it can help teach your brain to slow down work rumination.”
“You say you checked the box instead of ruminating, but you wouldn’t have done that if you hadn’t considered everything and convinced yourself that you were in a position where it was safe to stop working that day,” Newport says.
“That way you avoid the temptation to go check your inbox,” he added. “Ultimately, your brain learns so you can step away from work and take the next step, so you can have a more fulfilling life outside of work.”
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