It's Friday, you've had a busy week and you really want to be leave work on time but you still have a ton of work to do. It's too easy to get into the habit of working late. Keeping going until you've finished everything on your to-do list. But that's not a great habit to have. It's unsustainable.

If you keep taking on more and more work, you get busier and busier and you're going to end up working longer and longer hours.

Tips to help you leave work on time.

Whether you work in an office or work from home you can apply these tips to ensure you finish work on time. Start by telling your work colleagues and your boss that you intend to finish on time or need to leave early. This will reduce the risk of last minute questions or urgent work requests. Or it should.

If they're used to you working late, it may take a while for them to adjust. Stick to your guns. You'll need to be able to push back and say no if this gets ignored.

• Plan your day. Make a list of the tasks you absolutely must get done each day. Allocate a time in the day when you're going to do them. This will give you a more realistic of how much time you have and how much you can do on any given day.
• Set specific start and end times to your working day. Not only does this help you to stay focused but you'll be less distracted and more productive when you know you only have a fixed amount of time to get things done.

• Prioritise your list. What's important, what could wait until Monday or the following day? Can anyone else help or do the task for you? Be realistic about how much you can complete in the time available.

• Work backwards from the time you need to leave work. Manage your time and plan the tasks on your to-do list accordingly. Start wrapping things up half an hour or so before you need to leave.

• Stay focused - avoid any distractions or interruptions that stop you from getting on with your tasks or delay you e.g. lingering for a chat by the coffee machine, interruptions from colleagues etc. Work in short bursts - you'll stay focused and be more productive.

• Avoid end of day meetings. If you can't avoid Friday meetings altogether, keep them to the morning or early afternoon. If they run over you'll be under even more pressure to complete any follow ups or actions before you need to leave work, along with your now delayed tasks.

• Make phone calls or send emails that need a response in the morning to allow time for a reply. Leave yourself enough time to take action if needed. Remember to add this requirement in your original call or email.

• Stop work at least 10-15 minutes before you need to leave work. Leave enough time to clear your desk, put away any paperwork and shut down your computer. Those additional few minutes that end up making you late if you don't allow for them.

• Book an important personal appointment or non-negotiable meeting. This means you absolutely must leave on time. You're less likely to start 'just one more thing' if you know you have something else to go to you absolutely cannot miss.