Similar to an effective workout cooldown, where you unwind the body and heart rate to a resting pace, and take the time to stretch the muscles you have used, a similar wind down period at the end of your day brings you to a place of relaxation and prepares your body for a good night’s sleep.

Entrepreneurs and business professionals can pick up the bad habit of working at a crazy frenzied pace until they run out of daylight and crash into their beds.

Here are a few thoughts to consider for ending your day well:

  • Create a separation between your work day and home life. Do you really need to have your business emails open 24/7?  Be willing to give up addiction of checking your phone every 10 minutes (or 5, or 1).  To prevent this behavior, I changed my settings so my emails only populate when I open the program. In a recent talk from entrepreneur and Shark Tank member, Lori Greiner, she plugs in her cell phone to charge in entry hall when arriving home from work, and does not touch it again until she leaves for work the next morning.
  • Put a curfew on your work talk. As a family business it is very difficult to separate work from home. When my husband and two daughters, who both work in the business, are over having dinner it is hard not to catch up on our work days. As it will sometimes be necessary to talk business, we limit the discussions at the dinner table, and have set a time where work talk ends.
  • Take time to wind down. Think about what things you can do to prepare yourself for a good night of sleep. With the long days on the Pacific Northwest, my family often takes walks after dinner. I enjoy spending time reading in the evening.
  • Give thanks. Finally, take a few moments at the end of each day to pause and be grateful. We all have so much to be thankful for, and if we choose to take our minds off the troubles we have encountered in the day and instead focus on the good things, it calms our minds and spirits.

Create an evening that allows your body and mind the rest it needs, and you will end your day well.