Add These 2 Routines to Your Workday in 2026, Says Focus and Productivity Expert

As 2026 approaches, many people are looking for tips and tricks to apply in the new year at home and at work.

And while many are considering a new morning or evening routineThere are two other routines you may want to incorporate into your schedule, especially at work, to help you focus better when you need to and unplug at the end of the day, says Cal Newport, a professor of computer science at Georgetown University and author of several books on focus and productivity.

Newport supports the use time blocking set aside time in your day for deep work, that is, the most cognitively demanding tasks.

The first routine Newport recommends involves preparing an in-depth block of work.

“Our brains are not wired for sustained focus on an abstract or symbolic subject,” says Newport. “Give your brain some time, help it go into deep work mode, because that’s not a very natural thing that you’re asking your brain to do.”

Many workers are constantly bombarded with notifications throughout their day. A Microsoft report from April found that employees are interrupted every 2 minutes by emails, meetings or pings. The brain is in a very different state to deal with all this digital noise than when you’re focusing on deep work, so you have to switch between these modes.

Before a deep block of work on your calendar, you might take a quick walk around the block, make some tea, or clean your desk—something you can repeat and use as a signal to your brain that it’s time to change modes. Think of it like stretching before you go for a run.

“You can’t just close your inbox, open Microsoft Word and think, ‘Now I’m focused,'” Newport says.

At the end of your workday, you also need a shutdown routine.

“It’s a way to clear your brain after work so that it isn’t partially hijacked by your work thoughts during your time outside of work,” says Newport.

His shutdown routine when he finishes his workday involves doing one last check of his inbox, anticipating his work schedule and note all reminders.

By the end, you should feel, “We’re in a good place, I don’t have to figure out anything else tonight, we’re on track for the things we need to accomplish.” Then you should have “some sort of visible stop instruction or routine to indicate that you’re done.” Newport, for example, checks a box that says “Shutdown Completed” as its final step.

A shutdown routine won’t magically end your anxiety at workbut it can “help teach your brain to slow down ruminations at work.”

“Instead of engaging in the ruminations, you say I checked that box and I wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t gone through everything and convinced myself we were in a good position to call it quits for the day,” Newport said.

“It saves you the temptation of maybe I should just go check my inbox,” he adds. “It helps you leave work in a way that your brain eventually learns so you can get the most out of your life outside of work.”

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