Whether you’re preparing for a contracts exam or billing clients in six-minute increments, time management can be the bane of any legal practitioner’s life. While the challenges posed by the legal profession can evolve as you progress through your career, the struggle to stay ahead of the clock remains relevant from your first semester of law school to the last case you ever argue.
Fortunately, The College of Law has compiled a series of tips to help you make the most of your hours.
1. Impose an “Email Hour”
Bestselling author Neil Gaiman once observed that if he were to respond to every email in his inbox, his job description would quickly change from “author” to “professional emailer”. Similarly, research conducted by writer Daniel Pink has revealed that the average white collar professional spends more time reading and responding to emails than they do on any other professional task. For anyone who works in the legal profession today, these are no doubt familiar feelings. However, while emails can often steal our work days from under us, a simple tactic exists which can ensure they don’t consume too many hours: designate an “Email Hour” each day.
By setting a Designated “Email Hour”, you will serve two purposes:
a) focus your energies on the one task instead of diverting it across a number of different fields
b) free up the rest of your day to pursue work.
Depending on your workload, you might find it easier to separate your “Email Hour” into two half-hour blocks – one in the morning and one in the afternoon. This ensures you can attend to any pressing issues at the beginning of the day, and resolve any lingering queries before you leave the office.
2. Create a “To Do” List at the Start of Every Work Day
This may seem like an obvious suggestion, but it’s astounding how many people forget to do it. Write a comprehensive list of everything required of you at the beginning of the day, and add to it as the day progresses. As you work through the list, make a note of how long it took you to complete each task, as this will give you an idea of how much time will be required to complete a similar task in the future.
3. Find Your “Magic Hours”
“Magic Hours” refer to a consecutive period of time each day during which we are at our productive peak. Somewhere between two and four hours in length, they often occur when your mind is feeling at its sharpest and you are least likely to be disturbed. Poet Sylvia Path was reputed to have written her best work between 5am and 7am each day. Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright completed her PhD by working between 3am and 6am before making her children’s breakfast and heading to the office. Magic Hours differ from person to person, so experiment by working at different times until you have found yours.
4. Manage Expectations with Your Meetings
For many lawyers, meetings can be the wild card of the work day – one of those pesky events which can sprawl for hours longer than expected and wreck their best laid plans for time management. While the time we spend in meetings can be difficult to control, we can mitigate their impact on our days by managing expectations. By simply telling your co-workers or clients “I need to be done by X o’clock” when organising a meeting, you can limit your time commitment and ensure your afternoon isn’t swallowed by PowerPoint slideshows.
5. Allow for “Recharge Time”
There has been an encyclopaedia’s worth of studies written on the positive link between productivity and leisure time. No matter how demanding your work schedule, always ensure you allow yourself some time every day to unwind. Whether it’s going for a run during your lunch break, attending a yoga class before you arrive at the office, or taking a quick break to walk around the block, that nourishing time away from your desk will give you the refreshment and focus you need to stay at your best.