Want to be more productive? Delegate routine tasks and stop checking email constantly, expert says
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Want to get more out of your work day?
Then minimize interruptions, a time-management expert says.
Find a way to work behind a closed door, delegate routine tasks to an assistant and stop checking email as it arrives in your in-box, writes Robin Henlsey in the Daily Report (sub req.). She is the founder and president of Raising the Bar, an Atlanta-based consulting company that advises lawyers.
She also suggests planning the next day’s work before leaving the office, starting with the most difficult task. Similarly, when you are in charge of a meeting, set an end time–and stick to it. Begin the meeting with the most important item on the agenda.
While lawyers have to pay attention to email, they should check their in-boxes every hour or at 15-minute intervals, and turn off the auto-notification feature, Hensley advises.
If law firm culture stands in the way of these suggestions, a creative solution may be available.
For those who feel they can’t close the door at work, it may be more productive to go sit with a laptop inside Starbucks, she says.
And, if a lawyer feels he or she can’t ask office staff to go pick up dry cleaning or perform other personal tasks, the attorney should pay a personal assistant to do so.
Related coverage:
ABA Journal: “5 Tips for Time and Technology Management”
ABAJournal.com: “Procrastination Can Be Managed, with Right Attitude and Skills, Experts Say”