Commonsense Time Management for Attorneys
Whenever I begin working with a new attorney or group of attorneys in a law firm one of the first things I hear is:
“I just don’t seem to have enough time to get everything done.”
Of course there is plenty of time in the day but attorneys are known for not efficiently managing the way they use that time.
Time management is a misnomer. Getting things done in an effective and efficient manner is not about managing time. It is about managing your activity.
Below are ten things you can do today to help improve the way you use the time you have. They may seem really basic but sometimes the basics are exactly what we need to focus on in order to get back on track.
Make a List
This one is super simple but not always used to maximum advantage. Most attorneys hate to use a “to-do” list at first. This is because they have a difficult time designating one client’s matter as more important than another. As a result they often leave things off the list and that is a mistake.
In creating the list you should write down everything that must be done —down to the last detail. Get it all down on paper. You will be amazed at how helpful the act of listing the items will be in getting you organized.
Simply having a list where you check off completed items will provide you with significant motivation and a good deal of personal satisfaction.
Prioritize
Obviously, a list loaded with nonessential tasks can easily be completed giving the attorney a nice feeling but still he gets little done as the list lacks real work.
Prioritize your list into four categories. These include: Urgent, Important, Significant and Secondary. You can easily do this by assigning numbers to each category. Urgent tasks get a number “1”. Important tasks get a number “2”. Significant tasks get a number “3” and Secondary tasks get a number “4”.
The most important factor in assigning numbers to these items is to realize that you are assigning these tasks to a category based upon the task themselves and not based upon your own frame of reference. Too often attorneys will look at the list and say: “That’s urgent but I just don’t have time to get to it so I’m going to mark it as Secondary”.
That’s the wrong approach. You must be objective when assigning your tasks to a category.
Delegate Duties
Many attorneys feel that if they don’t do something themselves it won’t be done properly.
They need to get over that and pass the chore on to the person or people best qualified to handle it. Almost everything can, at least in part, be delegated.
Assigning even a portion of a task to someone else will help you make progress than if the task sits unaddressed while you work on something else.
Many attorneys say that if they assign a task to someone else and it is done incorrectly it will take more time to do it over. While this may be true, if you take a long term view of your law firm, you realize that assigning things to others (sometimes more junior attorneys or paralegals) and having them learn “on the job” is one of the ways your law firm grows and becomes stronger.
Never, ever do something yourself that someone else can do for you.
Handle A Document or File Only Once
This is an old tip that makes a lot of sense.
Every item (documents, email, phone message, etc.) that crosses your desk requires time to deal with. If you don’t manage to dispose of that item or piece of work when you first handle it, you will be required to do so at a later time.
Every time you handle a piece of information and put it down – only to pick it back up again and remember what it was or what you were going to do with it – you cost yourself valuable time. Get into the habit of reading these documents and then addressing them immediately. Either handle them immediately or assign them out.
Don’t deal with them more than once.
For more attorney time management tips click continue reading.
Chunk It Down
How do you eat an elephant?
A lot of elephant sandwiches.
Dividing daunting tasks into chunks or pieces makes overwhelming tasks seem manageable. It can be very disheartening to anticipate tackling tedious tasks but that doesn’t get them done sooner.
Decide that you’re going to devote a certain amount of time to a chore and then attack it.
Often you’ll find that once you get rolling you will want to actually get it finished. If that’s not the case, work on it for the allotted time and come back to it later. Getting an important task partially done is better than getting a secondary task completely done.
Set Achievable Goals
One way to get more done is to set a goal and simply stick to it.
It’s important to be realistic about the goal in the first place. Can it really be done in the time you have available? If not can you quickly get assistance in order to complete it in allotted time frame?
Once you have the goal in place, focus on moving closer to it each and every day.
Tasks that are linked to goals will always have an additional motivational “kick” to them. They give you a sense of purpose.
Learn To Say No
This can be difficult for some people but it is essential for good time management.
We are all responsible for our own work each day. And… from time to time it is absolutely okay to pitch in and help someone with a task other than your own. But that needs to be the exception rather than the rule. Otherwise, you are going to find that your co-worker is completing all of his assigned duties while you’re not. Just say no, politely.
Minimize Interruptions
Some tasks require solitude.
You’re going to need to retreat to a quite place to work on such items. Make it known that you are only to be disturbed during such sessions for emergencies. Of course, once you have sequestered yourself, you’re going to want to get down to business and get the job done.
No Personal Business During Work Hours
This is a critical and at the same time, a very touchy subject. Perhaps the biggest time-waster in the workplace in the Internet. That’s a shame because it is also one of our greatest resources.
Should we check personal email during work hours? Should we check out the sports scores and the photos our family loaded up on their website while we are at work?
Probably not if maximum efficiency is the goal.
While we also need to be practical—many folks are trying to juggle both work and family—we need to discipline ourselves to get things done during work hours.
Commonsense is Not Common
Most of these items were nothing more than commonsense.
Once you implement them you will be amazed at how your productivity improves. If you are in doubt about prioritizing an item or about whether or not you need to finish something before moving on, simply apply the commonsense approach.
If it makes sense, do it.
It seems like time management—much like life— is a series of commonsense choices.
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