Evenings
Setting a stop mark for your evenings
Evenings are where most side work happens, and they're easy to overspend. A stop mark, decided in advance, keeps side work from taking more than you meant to give it.
Choose the evenings
Pick which evenings of the week are for side work, and which are not. Three on, four off is a common starting point for people with a full-time job.
Choose the hours
Decide a start time and a stop time for each working evening. Leave at least an hour between the stop mark and the time you want to be asleep.
Make the stop visible
- Set an alarm for the stop mark, not just a reminder
- Write tomorrow's first task before you stop, so it's easy to put down
- Close the laptop and leave it in another room
Review weekly
Once a week, check how many evenings ran past the mark. If it's more than one, the plan is too full; lighten it rather than pushing harder.
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