How do you force yourself to get off of work on time?

I find it so hard to get off on time. Especially on days when I am in back-to-back meetings, it’s so much easier to stay an extra hour or two to get caught up on work. I feel so cheesy saying this, but I also happen to really enjoy what I do, which makes it easy to lose track of time. 

I find, though, that I can’t put in more than 3 or 4 hours of overtime work for more than 2 days in a row without my wellbeing suffering. For me, putting in an extra 3 or 4 hours means: skipping dinner/eating at my desk, only having an hour to myself before going to bed, and not spending any quality time with Dave.

But there are weeks where I’ll start the week off by putting in the extra 3 or 4 hours, and I’ll feel SO accomplished the next day. It’s a weird endorphin hit to feel caught up and not have your inbox overflowing. So I’ll do it again. And again. But by the time I hit day 3, the exhaustion catches up to me and I end up in the red. The feeling of being “caught up” doesn’t beat the feeling of being tired and overworked. 

This is when I have to hit reset. 

Sometimes telling myself “you need to prioritize your wellbeing” is enough, but when that is not enough, here’s what I do: 

I tell myself that I need to pay myself first. I am paid on a salary. It’s simple math. The more hours I spend on work, the less my hourly rate is. This gives me a nice kick in the gut, because who likes losing money? 

There will always be long nights where I will put in the extra hours to get the job done. I’m an overachiever, and no one will ever have to force me to do that. I find it harder to do the reverse -- to get myself out of the habit of working late. 

When I need the reset, I think of my math problem. Besides, there will always be another email to answer.