Most months, when you read my column, you get insight into one of my favorite productivity tools. I think the right tool at the right time is important. One of the most deceptively powerful productivity tools I’ve ever adopted isn’t about doing more. It’s about stopping — intentionally, confidently, and without the mental residue that follows so many of us into the evening.
It’s called End Your Day with Order (EWO) or the Friday 45. This is where you don’t work up until the last minute, but instead spend the last few moments of the day/week putting stuff away and preparing for your next productive session. In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear says, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems,” highlighting that consistent habits (systems) build long-term results, not just fleeting goals, making the process (system) more important than the outcome (goal) for real change.
Here’s my EWO system: