Shutdown ritual

What It Means

A shutdown ritual is a fixed routine at the end of the workday that closes out work on purpose: you review what's open, make sure everything has a place and a plan, and then mark the day as finished. Author Cal Newport, who writes about focused work, made the idea popular. His version ends with a spoken phrase, "schedule shutdown complete", and an agreement with himself that work thoughts after that point get no more attention that evening.

How People Say It

• "Give me five minutes to shut down for the day."
• "Shutdown complete, I'm off."
• "I don't check email after my shutdown."

The Breakdown

Cal Newport's steps

1. Look over your calendar and your task listTo-do listA written list of the tasks you plan to do, checked or crossed off as each one is finished. See more, and see what's finished and what's still open.
2. Check where you stand on each of your major projects.
3. Make a plan for the rest of the week, so every open item has a time or a place to go.
4. Say your closing phrase. Newport's is "schedule shutdown complete", a phrase he says meant nothing in particular and simply came to mind when he first tried the ritual.
5. After that, when a work thought comes up in the evening, don't work through it. Newport's rule is to remind himself that he completed his shutdown ritual today.

Add-ons to consider (Buhata's own suggestions)

• Write down the first task for tomorrow morning.
• Clear your desk or close every work tab.
• Turn off work notifications on your phone.

Short version to try today. Ten minutes before you stop, list what's still open, give each item a day this week, and say one closing phrase out loud before you leave the desk.

Where It Comes From

Cal Newport, an author and professor known for his book Deep WorkDeep workFocused, distraction-free time spent on a mentally demanding task, a term from author Cal Newport's 2016 book Deep Work. See more, described his work shutdown ritual on his website. He has written about it as a way to reduce stress after hours and about his own experiments with shutdown routines.

Good to Know

The review comes before the phrase so that each open item has a plan before you stop, and that plan is what lets the phrase close the day. Newport's shutdown uses his calendar and task list, so it fits naturally with time blocking, where tomorrow's plan is already on the calendar.

Related Terms and Categories

• Deep work

  Focused, distraction-free time spent on a mentally demanding task, a term from author Cal Newport's 2016 book Deep Work.

• Attention residue

  Thoughts about an earlier task that stay with you after you switch to a new one, leaving less attention for the work in front of you.

• Weekly review

  A regular session, usually weekly, where you clear your inboxes, bring your lists and calendar up to date and decide what matters next.

Productivity methods and focus