Lawyers often find themselves so swamped with tasks that they wonder why they became lawyers in the first place. The salary may be lucrative, but the work is hard. Many attorneys think they could use an extra set of hands and eyes just to get through the day. If you need help improving your productivity on your path to becoming the best lawyer you can be, you are not alone. You don’t need a miracle, you just need a little restructuring Law Tutor.
1. Treat everything like a mandatory appearance
You show up to meetings and court exactly when you are supposed to. You are prepared and you achieve exactly what you set out to achieve. Treat each of the tasks you need to do the same way. Sure, there’s no one to hold you accountable if you don’t respond to all your emails at the same time, but that doesn’t mean you should give yourself a free pass. Structure your time as if everything you REALLY have to do is equally important.
2. Have assistants and co-workers
Interns, assistants, secretaries and other members of your law firm are working on the same things. You must know when to delegate tasks to them. Smaller things, particularly tasks that involve routine organization or sending prepared answers to common queries, can be handed off to an assistant. If you don’t have a helper, pass them to the person who has the least to do. If everyone feels equally overwhelmed, change the unimportant tasks; Doing routine things is a bit boring, but that person has an easy day.
3. Use productivity tools
Productivity tools will allow you to prioritize and track the many issues at hand. Tools like Nozbe Teams are great for lawyers and other busy professionals who need to solve a lot of problems for a lot of people. With everything condensed into a single interface, you can easily review all your tasks without forgetting the peripheral things that are also necessary for your success. There’s no need to worry about sticky notes or memos getting lost in the back of a drawer. Simply plug the information into your tool the moment you receive it.
4. Let someone else proofread your writing
Lawyers write a lot and their writings are important. It is necessary to review and correct these writings again to ensure that they are clear, concise and accurate. There is little room for ambiguity in legal writings. Letting someone else review them will save you time and, more importantly, improve the quality of your writing. Someone else is more likely to notice things you forgot – if you didn’t know or remember something in your first draft, you’re more likely to forget it again in your second draft.
5. Get your brain going
It’s hard to get hooked on a movie about twenty minutes before it ends. You feel immersed in the middle and you have no idea how you got there. Instead of diving into the middle of a complicated issue, consider the smaller things first. Focus on the facts you are sure of and the possible solutions you have already established. Your brain will start working while you are focused on matters of secondary importance or things you already know. Once you are centered and focused, it will be much easier for you to proceed with the difficult parts of a case or document.
6. Keep a task count running
You may not finish your entire to-do list, but that’s okay. Keep your to-do list clear of unfinished items and set your to-do list for tomorrow. Start that list with the things you haven’t been able to do today. By making them your first priority in the morning, you’re preventing procrastination and dismissal of the little things from slipping through the cracks.
7. Move even more
Lawyers spend a lot of time sitting or standing in one place. When the body stagnates, so does the brain. Move to get the blood flowing. Go for a quick walk. Get on the elliptical. Endorphins will flood your body and improve your mood and dissolve stress, giving you a clearer mind and the ability to take on your next big task.
Productivity occurs in different ways for different people. If you think you’ve tried everything and still can’t do everything you’d like, just ask other lawyers how they manage. You might receive some advice that you would never have considered.