3 Biggest Time Wasters for Lawyers
Time. No one seems to have enough of it. If you continually find yourself with a list of unfinished tasks at the end of the day, it can be extremely stressful. Nobody likes the feeling of leaving things undone. Running out of hours in the day can also make you late with client’s work. This can leave them with a bad taste in their mouth. It is impossible to squeeze more than 24 hours out of a day, so you really need a way to get more done with the time that you have.
It’s easier than you think to find time in your day. The best thing that you can do is to identify the things that needlessly waste your time. We’ve helped lawyers from all around the country identify key time wasters and they tend to be for the same for many firms. My guess is you are guilty of at least one, if not all, of them.
Here are the 3 Biggest Time Wasters for Lawyers:
1. You take unscheduled phone calls
I understand that you want to provide great customer service, but taking unscheduled phone calls disrupts your work and breaks your concentration which can be an enormous drain on your personal productivity. Designate a few times each day to return phone calls and be sure to schedule calls in advance whenever possible. Your productivity will rise and an added bonus is that people will begin to respect your time.
2. You don’t have an agenda for client meetings
When you meet with a client, be sure to have a well thought-out agenda rather than just winging it. While you are at it, determine that outcome of that meeting before it even starts. Having a plan and an anticipated outcome will keep you and your client focused.
3. You don’t block your time
Time-blocking is one of the BEST ways of getting more out of your day. The process is simple, just identify the things you need to accomplish and go to your calendar and block your time accordingly. Haphazardly switching from one task to another, or worse , multi-tasking is a major time waster. Blocking your calendar will help you focus on one task at a time which allows you to use your time wisely and achieve greater productivity.
Are you guilty of one (or all!) of them? Trust me, the tips above will work. In fact, I do this myself. I love to work, but I also honor the time I need to take for myself. By using your work time more effectively, you’ll be able to schedule more “downtime” giving you a chance to rewind and refresh.
Have you identified any time wasters of your own? I’d love to hear about how you overcame them. And if you’d like to talk about how we can help you save time on your marketing, schedule a time on my calendar for a no strings virtual cup of coffee.