Time Management Tips for Busy Law Firms
For many lawyers and owners of busy law firms, it’s not unusual to have to work long, 12-hour days, and with continuing demands from both clients and partners, the workload can become pretty intense, to say the least. However, just because you have a lot of work, doesn’t mean that you should have to compromise on your work/life balance, and managing your time is something you should never lose sight of. Fortunately, there are a few ways that busy law firms can manage their time better, and below are a few simple tips:
Understand and practice basic time management How productive you are as an individual can depend upon a lot of factors, and what can help one lawyer manage their time better and get more done, may not work for another. With this in mind, it’s important to think about the techniques that work for you, and which complement the way you work as an individual. Whatever style of work you have, and however your productivity levels may vary, understanding the basics of time management is essential if you’re not getting the most out of your time in the office, and struggle to find enough hours in the day to fulfil all your tasks with time left over for personal/social pursuits, or relaxation time.
Begin by carefully and honestly assessing how you spend each day, and see if there are any patterns you can observe and use as a benchmark to improve upon your time management skills. Once you’ve done this, create some to-do lists and stick to them, organize your calendar and schedule work during periods of the day when you’re typically at your most productive. It’s also vital that you learn to say ‘no’ to requests that you simply don’t have the time to respond to, especially if they’re not in the interests of you or your law firm.
Use apps With literally millions of apps currently in existence to help professionals like you better manage your entire day, there’s really no excuse for losing client lists, missing appointments or losing track of what time of the day it is. While there are many apps that are designed specifically for lawyers, there are plenty of others outside of that realm that may be just as useful. Explore them, and use them to your advantage.
Outsource your back-office requirements Many more lawyers and CPAs are turning to outsourced agencies to help them cope with their intense workloads, and to prevent them from spending their valuable time on back-office tasks that could be completed by someone else. With teams of experts within each agency, you get the expertise of many professionals who can help you with every aspect of running your law firm, as opposed to having to employ several salaried individuals to take care of everything.
Managing your time effectively is essential if you’re to enjoy your career as a lawyer, and be able to run a successful law firm that doesn’t involve you giving up those other aspects of your life you previously used to enjoy, such as spending time with your family, playing sports and socializing. To stay happy, healthy and fulfilled as a lawyer, outsource; it’s the single most effective solution to your time management woes!
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