Most of us are anxious to make a break for it at the end of a long work day, but career blog Work Awesome reminds us that taking a few minutes before you leave to focus on the following day pays off.

Image by Flowery *L*u*z*a*

Blogger Andre Kibbe says before you rush out the door, spend a bit of time prepping for tomorrow so you can hit the ground running in the morning. Like a chef that lays out their ingredients and utensils before making a souffle, setting up your workspace for maximum productivity will (hopefully) keep you from procrastinating when it’s time to buckle down.

The more setup time you eliminate, the less inertia you’ll have to overcome, and the more flow you’ll experience. If you need to edit images in Photoshop tomorrow morning, boot it up before you leave work this evening. If you know the first image file you need to edit, open it now. When you turn on your monitor in the morning, you won’t have to ask yourself, “What should I do first?” The file right in front of you is your one-item to do list.

Note: After you boot up your ready-to-work computer, we’d also then recommend putting it to sleep or hibernating until you get back in the morning. Kibbe also suggests you pay attention to how much time you spend on important tasks each day so you can get an accurate feel for just how much time you need to budget for them to get everything done. He’s got a few more tips worth checking out, so make sure you head over to the post to see what it has to say.

How much work-prep time do you invest before calling it a day, or do you fly by the seat of your pants when you walk in the office door? Share your thoughts and tips in the comments.

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