Cal Newport

Cal Newport's shutdown ritual Newport ends each workday by bringing his task lists up to date and then saying a fixed phrase, "schedule shutdown, complete," so he can switch off fully afterward. For anyone studying after a day job, this is the hinge of the evening. Five minutes to note tomorrow's work tasks and close the inbox means the office is not sitting in the back of your mind during your reading. What matters is the clean break rather than the phrase itself, and a short walk or a change of room straight afterward helps the switch stick. It suits people whose study time is crowded out by thoughts about work rather than by tiredness.