When does your workday end? How do you decide?

Historically, the clock hit five, and it was time to go home. What got done was done, and the cycle started over the next day. Work was time-bound and productivity was shift-based.

That model worked well during the industrial revolution. People were incentivized with an hourly wage and capped at forty hours per week (… heaven forbid, paying overtime).

Today, many industries and jobs still operate that way. It works just fine.

However, what about everyone else? What signals the end of the workday for the modern, salary-based employee? The business owners, executives, managers, consultants, designers, coaches, etc. When does their workday end?

When all the tasks are “done?” What about when your client logs off? Or, are you just hungry for dinner?

The workday has expanded beyond the clock. It has become elastic. I think there are two primary reasons among many; culture and technology.

The American economy is built on growth, and society is grounded in comparison. The individual is pushed to do more; therefore, the company can earn more. Meanwhile, tech continues to break down barriers rapidly. A laptop and Wi-Fi alone have enabled people to work anywhere, anytime.

These are not implied to be negative. Those two key points continue to push the world forward. However, my hunch is the expectations of a “standard” workday has not evolved with them.

Let’s take me as an example. I certainly haven’t figured it out. My day often looks like…

• Work  8-5 PM
• Break to walk the dog and have dinner with my wife
• Open the laptop back up at 7 PM for another couple hours of work
• Finally, wind down for a 10 PM bedtime (… which I usually blow past while my mind continues to formulate my to-do list for tomorrow)

Likely not ideal. Yet, those two hours between 7-9 PM are often my most productive. No meetings, no inbound messages. Just quiet time to think.

This raises another question; how might we create more quiet, non-disruptive time during the workday?

The productivity “hackers” shout tactics like “batching” work or turning off emails. Fair. Those can be can successful at an individual level. However, has your company created a culture to reinforce these “good” habits? Does the work stop for the team(s) post a specific time? Likely not, and once again, the individual falls victim to the macro-organization.

So, when does your workday end each day? How do we focus on outcomes, not just hours? How to be satisfied with a “good days” work versus more-more-more? It’s a question to continually ask oneself in a modern world where the clock may no longer be the trigger.

NH.