You have left the workplace or closed your laptop, but part of your attention is still there. Perhaps you are replaying a conversation, wondering about tomorrow’s workload or reaching for your phone to check one more message.
The end of a working day does not have to become another task to get right. Rather than expecting yourself to feel relaxed immediately, you might try making the change from work to personal time a little clearer.
Here are a few ways to begin, whether you commute, work from home or finish a shift when other people are starting their day.
Leave yourself a clear place to return
Before finishing, consider writing a short note about where you have got to. This is a practical planning suggestion, not an invitation to extend the day until every task is complete.
The NHS guidance on stress recommends planning ahead and setting small, achievable targets rather than trying to do everything at once.
Your note could contain just three things:
- The task you stopped working on.
- The next action it needs.
- Anything you need to ask someone else.
For example: “The draft is saved in the shared folder. Next step: check the figures. Ask Sam which version is current.”
That is a place to restart, not a promise to finish everything tomorrow. Use your usual work system and keep confidential information where it belongs.
Make the end of work visible
If you work from home, the same table might hold your laptop, your evening meal and someone else’s homework. A separate office is not an option for everyone.
NHS advice on working from home encourages stopping work when the working day ends, shutting down the computer and setting boundaries between work and home life.
Choose a cue that fits your space
You might close your work tabs, put your notebook in a drawer or move your work bag away from where you plan to sit.
If you travel to work, the equivalent could be putting your pass away or changing out of work clothes when you get home. These are examples to adapt, not a prescribed routine with a guaranteed effect.
Choose something easy to repeat. You do not need a special room or a perfectly tidy desk to decide that work has finished for now.
Agree what needs your attention outside work
Turning off notifications is one of the boundaries suggested in the NHS guidance on work-related stress. What is realistic will depend on your role and any agreed responsibilities.
If you are on call, caring for someone or responsible for genuine emergencies, a blanket instruction to silence your phone may not fit.
Instead, clarify which messages need a response and how people should contact you for something urgent. That could mean agreeing an emergency route rather than repeatedly checking several inboxes.
You could ask: “When I am not working, which situations need a response before my next shift?”
A clear agreement is more useful than having to guess each evening. If expectations are unclear, raise them at work rather than assuming it is yours alone to solve.
Allow a little space before the next demand
Home may have its own responsibilities waiting. There may be children to collect, a meal to prepare or someone who needs support. An uninterrupted hour to unwind is not always realistic.
The NHS work-related stress advice suggests starting with one manageable change and includes a walk before, during or after work among its options.
Your first step might be a short walk where feasible, a change of clothes or a few minutes sitting with a familiar song. If you share a home, you could discuss a small arrangement that works for everyone.
There is no need to measure whether you feel calm enough afterwards. The pause is an option, not another standard you have failed to meet.
Notice when the problem needs a workplace response
A closing routine cannot resolve an unmanageable workload or difficult treatment at work.
The Health and Safety Executive advises workers experiencing stress to speak to someone, such as their manager. If the manager is part of the difficulty, other routes may include HR, a trade union representative or a workplace assistance service where available.
For a conversation, you might note what is happening, how often it occurs and what you need reviewed. For example: “I regularly finish with two urgent tasks still waiting. Can we agree what takes priority?”
If you are struggling to cope or self-help is not helping, speak to your GP, as the NHS stress guidance recommends. You do not need to perfect an evening routine before seeking support.
For more general wellbeing reading, visit our Wellbeing Hub.
