Are you finished for the day?
Or are you still sitting there,
Telling yourself you'll do just one more thing?
I'm Leigh Aubert.
And this short meditation is for the moment your workday ends.
Whenever you decide that is.
Stay exactly where you are.
Don't move away from your desk just yet.
This is the place you're about to leave,
And it's worth leaving on purpose.
Let your eyes close,
If that feels comfortable.
Or let your gaze soften and fall away from your screen.
Notice what your body has been holding all day.
Your shoulders have probably lifted a little,
So let them drop.
And your jaw.
Can you loosen it a little?
What about your hands,
Which have been typing and gripping and clicking for hours?
Open them up and let them rest.
Now,
Your eyes.
They've been looking at something close for a very long time.
Let them rest behind closed eyelids.
Or with a soft gaze at middle distance.
Take one slow breath all the way down.
And then let it out completely.
Now think of one thing you got done today.
Just one.
It doesn't have to be big or impressive.
Just something that you started and made progress on.
Name that to yourself.
That happened.
You did that.
It's easy to reach the end of a workday and see only what's still not done.
And now.
Think of a thing that isn't finished.
There's almost always one.
Picture it clearly.
And then make a note of it somewhere that you'll find it tomorrow,
Whether that's your to-do list,
Your calendar,
A note beside your keyboard,
Wherever you keep track of the things you'll come back to.
I'll wait while you do that.
That undone task will be waiting for you when you begin your work tomorrow.
You do not have to carry it through your time of rest.
Because here's what's true.
Your work isn't finished.
It's rarely finished.
But that isn't why you stop.
You stop because you decided to.
You stop because rest is important and necessary.
You stop because your health matters,
At least as much as your career does.
Take another breath now,
Slow and deep.
And when you're ready.
I want you to do two things.
Close your laptop,
Or turn off your computer.
And second.
Push your chair back from your desk just a little.
Whatever else marks the end of your working day,
Do it now,
Deliberately,
While you're paying attention.
You are not going to sacrifice your wellness for your productivity.
Not today.
Wiggle your fingers.
Roll your shoulders.
Your day's work is done.
May you be well.
