AI-Powered Shutdown Ritual: Automating Cal Newport's End-of-Day Routine

Every weekday at 4:00 PM, my computer interrupts me with a simple Apple Note that has transformed how I end my workday. It's not glamorous, but this AI-powered solution solved a problem I couldn’t beat on my own.

The Pattern I Couldn't Break

I struggle to maintain new routines, even when I know they'll make me more productive. In 2024 alone, I've started four different review systems: Monday morning calendar blocks, Todo list collection apps, a weekly planner notebook, and a custom Notion template (which has only been opened once). The longest I maintained any system was twelve days.

This start-strong, fade-fast pattern is frustratingly common. Without fail, I'll commit to a new productivity routine, do it once or twice with genuine enthusiasm, then completely forget about it and return to what I call my "magpie management style”. I am constantly distracted by whatever shiny problem demands immediate attention.

The routine I most wanted to build was Cal Newport's shutdown sequence: a deliberate end-of-workday ritual that clears your mind and prepares you for tomorrow.

This made sense to me for couple of reasons:

1. Small and daily tends to be more sustainable for me. I do better going the gym 5 days a week than 3 days a week.
2. Creating a plan at the end of the day to fuel my next day means I don’t have to think about it when I am most focused (in the morning).

The Shutdown Sequence

Newport's approach includes five key steps:

• Update Master Task Lists: Capture all outstanding tasks and ideas in a trusted system so nothing floats forgotten in your mind
• Review Task Lists: Read through everything to confirm you haven't missed important follow-ups and reinforce awareness of tomorrow's priorities
• Check Calendar: Scan ahead two weeks to mentally prepare for deadlines, meetings, and competing priorities
• Review Progress: Quickly assess what you accomplished today and how it aligns with weekly goals
• Verbal Confirmation: Say a set phrase ("schedule shutdown, complete") to mark the ritual's end and signal your mind that work is truly over

This type of review forces you to slow down and ensure you're headed in the right direction. Without it, I get pulled away from my real priorities by whatever fire needs putting out.

I Needed an Interruption

Because this was a new habit, I needed something invasive, something I couldn't ignore. Since I spend most of my workday on a computer, I thought: what if AI could interrupt me with a note at the of the day, forcing me to stop what I was currently work on and transition into planning mode?

I turned to Claude with what I now realize was a charmingly naive question about creating an automated shutdown ritual using Apple Notes.

The AI-Powered Solution Process​

Here's where my beginner's mind became an asset rather than a liability. I had no idea what was possible with AppleScript and Apple Notes, so I asked Claude everything:

One of AI's biggest benefits is that it takes your beginner's mind and guides you efficiently toward your goal, without the social pressure that normally prevents us from asking "stupid" questions.

After several iterations with Claude, here's what we built:

Every weekday at 4:00 PM, my Mac runs an AppleScript that creates and displays a new Apple Note with:

• Today's date and time
• Space for today's priorities review
• Tomorrow's calendar meetings
• Notes section for planning

The note pops up automatically, looking like this:

Why This Actually Works

Apple Notes can’t have a custom formatted template, so I have to manually organize my thoughts and fill in my priorities. But this manual work is exactly what makes it effective. Taking time to format and complete the note slows me down enough that it becomes a genuine review.

Unlike habit-tracking apps that require daily input (which I forget) or calendar blocking that I could ignore, this system interrupts me whether I want it or not. And because it requires active participation to be readable, I can't just dismiss it.

The Unexpected Results

After three weeks of using it I end my workdays with significantly less mental clutter. More importantly, I have a plan each morning instead of letting my email dictate my direction.

The system isn't perfect. Sometimes I'm in meetings at 4 PM. But it works consistently enough.

The Bigger Picture: AI as a Personal Problem Solver

This project embodies how I think AI is reshaping how we work. Rather than slapping AI onto everything, what AI has actually done is democratize computer science and database management. Two disciplines that traditionally required significant expertise for mediocre results.

As someone who works in higher education admissions, I've watched coders manipulate complex software to solve seemingly impossible problems. It's like magic when you see true expertise in action. Thanks to AI, these problem-solving skills are becoming more accessible.

I'm not suggesting that coders are becoming obsolete. Instead, AI now helps me solve my weird little problems that only I have, making me more efficient at whatever my work happens to be. I wasn’t willing to pay for a custom app to get me to focus.

This represents a fundamental shift: instead of waiting for IT departments or hiring developers, knowledge workers can now solve their own workflow problems in real-time. We can build exactly what we need, when we need it, without requiring formal technical training.

My shutdown sequence is a small example, but it demonstrates something larger. When AI helps you move from "I wish I could..." to "Here's how I did it," it gives you greater problem solving capabilities.

It's not perfect, but it works. And I would never have been able to build it without AI.