The Shutdown Ritual
A 3-minute end-of-day ritual that reduces evening stress by 40%. No meditation required. Just a checklist.
Remote work broke the commute. And with it, the mental boundary between "at work" and "done for the day."
The result: your brain keeps working even when your laptop is closed.
The fix is a shutdown ritual. Not a vague intention to "unplug," but a literal 3-minute checklist you complete before logging off.
Here's a version that works:
- Write tomorrow's top three priorities
- Check calendar for any prep needed
- Clear or snooze every notification
- Say (out loud): "Shutdown complete"
That last step sounds silly. It's not. The verbal cue tells your brain the workday has an endpoint. Research on psychological detachment shows this kind of boundary ritual reduces evening rumination by up to 40%.
The nudge: Try it for five days. Same steps, same order, same closing phrase. Notice if your evenings feel different.
