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Bar News - March 3, 2006 Law Practice Management - Working Smarter, Not Harder: Tips on Organization By: By Sue West
Look at what you’ve finished that day and what you have planned for the next. Clean up your work area, putting away files and papers used that day and laying out materials for the next; when you walk in the next morning, you’ll be ready to go. Keep your calendar up-to-date and make a “to do” list (whether electronic or paper) to track work done and meetings met—and list the next step for each item. Without a consolidated list, you’ll be less efficient and your brain will get cluttered with the little stuff instead of having time to be creative. Tracking Your Ideas For strategic ideas, marketing ideas, or other ideas you just don’t want to lose, make an “ideas” file or list. Use a folder you can drop notes into or use a Word or Excel document if you’re electronically inclined. However you do it, keep track of those ideas. For long term or large projects, make “appointments” with yourself which you keep at all costs. Consider working on the project outside your regular office environment. Always set priorities: for the year, in the form of long-term goals; for the quarter to break down your annual goals; for the week—and even for the day if you need to. Many people now work a weekly list instead of a daily one, making it easier to stay focused on the bigger picture. Keeping Up with Mail—Both Kinds Block a certain period of the day to read and take action on both regular mail and e-mail. Quickly decide what to do with each piece of paper—and do it, if possible. If you can get through the mail, but don’t have time to act on your decisions, either change the time allotted or write on each page what your decision is. When you pick up the pile again, you won’t have to spend time remembering your good ideas. Answer e-mail two to three times a day at regular intervals instead of getting distracted all day. If you dedicate a day to work on marketing and other long-term projects, try checking your e-mail just twice that day—or turn it off. For trade publications, plan a time of day or week and skim the table of contents to decide which articles to read; mark or tear out only those that interest you. Use the Internet to your advantage for archived articles as well. Take reading materials with you for spare moments. Saying ‘NO’ to Interruptions Fifteen minutes before a client meeting or appointment, stop answering phone calls to prepare for your meeting, calming your mind and gathering materials. Taking a phone call at this time will usually make you late, and will distract you. While multi-tasking sometimes has its advantages, it is often less productive overall. Be careful of how many tasks you have going on at once.
As for interruptions: if you work out of your home and find other family members are not treating your office time seriously, sit down and discuss ways you can minimize interruptions. Realize that you will have some and schedule as many of the “regular” interruptions as you can. Taking frequent breaks will leave you refreshed. Use the local library as a place to get 100 percent uninterrupted time when needed. Tackle the Tasks You Dread First For every task, think before you act: what’s your deadline; what smaller tasks have to be completed before you can meet the deadline. Write them down so you don’t lose what you’ve done, repeat work, or forget steps. If you have a task you’re dreading, it’s better for you and for the quality of your work if you tackle it first. Get it out of the way so you won’t be distracted by the thought, “I should work on it,” as you’re working on your other projects. When using the Internet for research, set aside a block of uninterrupted time. Write down or bookmark the sites you want to visit and rename your bookmarks to make them more useful to you. In your office space, imagine “zones” of activity and assemble the supplies you need in each—such as, a regular workspace and perhaps a client meeting space. You need a computer area and a place for supplies. Set each zone up for its specific activity. All of these tips can help you toward a smarter and more productive work experience.
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Sue West is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and the National Study Group for Chronic Disorganization. Contact her at |
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