Shutdown Rituals, Martini Flights and Double Features

Winter is here, and for some reason, the drinks just get colder.

Jun 21, 2023

Editor – Phoebe Tully

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Gretchen Rubin wrote in Better Than Before that a ‘“routine” is a string of habits, and a “ritual” is a habit charged with transcendent meaning.’

I love this separation of ritual and routine – words often used interchangeably. If you’ve been here for a while, you’ll know that rituals are a major part of The Small Things.

I’ve been thinking over the past couple of weeks about the transition from work time to home time. I think having a shutdown ritual is the WFH equivalent of having a third space, but I hope it can ritualise the end of your work day even when you don’t. This is what I’ve found anyway, and I’m sharing a few ideas below of creating your own.

And then in this week’s curriculum, I’m talking easy desserts, double movie features, soundtracks and more. I hope this midweek inbox spike fills you with a bit of inspiration. Thanks, as always, for being here, and I’ll see you again next week!

Why I love having a shutdown ritual.

Because I work from home, I’ve been thinking about the concept of third spaces recently – namely the fact that it’s easy to not have one.

The third place refers to the social surroundings that are separate from the two usual social environments of home ("first place") and the workplace ("second place"). (Source.)

The importance of having a third space in your life has been well-documented and promoted, but I’ve been reflecting on my feeling that it’s really about having a shutdown ritual to transition between work and home. The physical change of leaving work and going home may be enough, but in lieu of this, properly “shutting down” my work day has made a huge difference to me – especially as work so easily leaks into life.

I like to end my workday with a final run through my inbox, planning out tomorrow in Asana, and then putting on some jazz as I light the 20 million tealights I have scattered throughout my apartment. It signals to my brain that this is a different “space” now – it will be used differently to my work day.

Here are some ideas for your own shutdown ritual, whether or not you work from home too:

Light an incense stick for the 30 minutes it will take you to shutdown
Answer as many emails as you can to get them out of your inbox
Identify your top three tasks for tomorrow
Review a list of things that you are waiting on from other people
Choose a podcast for your walk or commute home
Take any mugs to the kitchen for washing and wipe down your desk

DO | keep dessert simple with a bunch of frozen grapes, some squares of top-quality chocolate and splashes of grappa.

MAKE | a martini flight to help you decide your favourite way – dirty, dry or wet. Obviously served in Nick & Noras, or things will get messy fast.

READ | The Price of Salt – Patricia Highsmith

WATCH | a double feature of Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)

LISTEN | Spotify’s Easy Jazz playlist