So Much Work, So Little Time- What To Do?
So many of us struggle with this problem. Our partner keeps giving us more work to do. The court schedules unexpected hearings. Our clients call, asking us to help resolve a crisis. We have so much work to do, and seemingly so little time, that we feel overwhelmed and stressed. What to do?
In this edition of The Free Lawyer newsletter, I will give you 12 tips to help efficiently manage your work in so much less time, creating more freedom for you to enjoy your life and to be fulfilled.
THE PROBLEM
It is so hard to complete our work efficiently. We feel so stressed by all we have to do. We cut corners to get our work done. We lose our focus and get distracted. We move from one task to the other and try to do several things at the same time. We are spinning our wheels. We never feel we are getting caught up. We "take our work" home with us, frustrated with all we have to do. What are some of the problems this overload can cause?
Missed deadlines.
Substandard work
Unhappiness at work
Impaired relationships
No boundaries
More stress and anxiety
Lack of fulfillment
Burnout
This is not what we signed up for. We all deserve something better!
THE SOLUTION
Would you like to have better control over your daily activities? To be more productive at work? To feel much less stress and much more fulfilled? To enjoy a better work life balance?
You can. Here are a dozen tools to help you have a more satisfying and productive professional experience:
New attitude towards time. Do not look at time as your enemy. Drop these familiar refrains: "I do not have enough time." "There is not enough time in the day." Stop being a victim of time and using it as an excuse. Instead, take ownership of the 24 hours a day you have, and make time your friend instead of your enemy. Those 24 hours are a tool to be used by you. How you use your time is a choice. When you stop making yourself a victim, and instead take ownership of your day, you will become freer and more productive.
Analyze how you presently use your time. Before you can figure out how to use your time more effectively, you need to understand how you currently spend your time. For a week, each day, track your activities and how long they took. It will help you to identify how much you can truly accomplish in a day, and where your time might be wasted. It will become clear what time is wasted on unnecessary distractions or unproductive conversations or activities. You also will learn how long your projects actually take you.
Prioritize. Prepare a list of what you have to do, and prioritize it. What is most important to get done first? What can wait? All too often, we spend too much time doing the simple, unnecessary, not urgent tasks first and put aside the higher priority, more challenging projects. We "get ready to get ready" to tackle the more important assignments. Eliminate those tasks that someone else could do for you or that you do not need to perform yourself. What are the most important, essential items for you to do first?
Delegate and obtain support. What tasks do you presently do that could be assigned to someone else? What can be done by your paralegal or your administrative assistant? Can you utilize support personnel at a much lower hourly rate to free you to handle the more important items? If there are items you are doing that can be done by someone else, delegate them!
Schedule your daily activities. Plan your day before it unfolds. Make a daily schedule of exactly what you have to do when and stick to it. Put everything on your schedule, including breaks and lunch. Before you go to work, already have prepared which priority tasks you will do first. Your task is to stick to your schedule as best you can. Scheduling your projects on paper will free your mind to focus on your most important functions.
Group similar tasks together. Instead of answering each and every email as it comes in, set a time today to respond to all of them at once. Likewise, if your calls do not have to be handled right then, schedule a time to make all the calls you need to make. You will save a lot of time and effort by organizing similar tasks together.
Stop multitasking. When we try to do too many things at once, we do not do any of them efficiently. You lose time and productivity when you are constantly switching from one task to another. Multitasking is actually a waste of time and lessens our productivity. Instead, focus on one project exclusively, and complete it efficiently.
Assign time limits to your projects. Instead of just working on a project until it is fully completed, set a specific amount of time you will exclusively work on it. Spend your designated time working on that task, before you go on to the next project. Your productivity will actually skyrocket when you have a focused amount of time that you will work on each project.
Take a break. It is so important to take mini breaks to recharge our batteries. It may be surprising, but breaks are one of our most effective time management scenarios. Little breaks after working for an hour or so will actually improve your productivity. Schedule them as part of your day. For example, work hard for 2 hours, and then take a 10 minute break. These breaks should actually be part of your daily schedule. Whether it a short walk, a break to chat with a friend, reflection time, or a snack, building these buffers in your day will help you to be less stressed and more efficient
Just say no! Of course are many things we "have" to do, but all too often we say we will do something for someone else that we do not really have to do. We will never learn how to efficiently manage our time if we are always saying yes to things we simply cannot handle. Focus on the projects that require your level of talent and expertise and that really will create more value for the firm. There are times we simply have to decline some task so we can focus on more important, more productive projects that are more important to our firm.
Organize yourself. Those piles of papers on your desk do nothing except make us feel overwhelmed and confused. Have your work space organized. Know how to rapidly find that file you need. Unclog your email box; eliminate junk emails and decline subscriptions that you no longer need.
Block distractions. Emails, phone calls, web browsing, and social media messages can constantly distract us in our office. It is amazing how much time we waste on such distractions. If you are working on a high priority project, put your phone on silent mode, and minimize your email, so you can truly focus. Close your door to limit interruptions.
Taking ownership of your time and utilizing these tools will help you simplify your work to do more projects faster and better. You will find more time to do what you love. You will feel more relaxed and fulfilled. The maxim "work smarter, not harder" could not be more true!
If you were to utilize one of these tools, what would you start doing more of to improve your productivity?
I am now providing a service of helping lawyers to feel more fulfilled and to be more successful in their practice. I would love to learn how you are doing and to connect with you. Would you like to schedule a courtesy call with me? If so, please use this link: https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call