Working at a law firm is an exciting and fruitful career but it’s inevitable you’ll have to manage a heavy workload. For this reason, it’s important to stay on top of your daily tasks and correspondence to be as productive and efficient as possible. Fortunately, nowadays lawyers can rely on technology and outsourcing to take on some of the work for them so that they can focus on the job at hand. Here are five ways to be a more productive lawyer.
Split Your Working Day into Tasks
If you would like to improve efficiency at work, one of the best ways is to manage your tasks better. Divide up your work into more manageable chunks and set a timeframe for each task. This will help you to feel more productive as you tick things off your daily schedule and you’re less likely to get overwhelmed. By being as organized as possible you should be able to manage your daily workload more easily.
Use Digital Tools
Luckily there are plenty of innovative tech tools for lawyers. You could invest in a digital case management system or organizational tools that are designed specifically for lawyers. Upgrade your software to the latest in cloud-based programs to facilitate the sharing of information between colleagues and clients. If you work remotely, you can rely on the latest video-conferencing tools and VoIP phone systems to help you communicate.
Outsource Certain Services
In order to save time, you could outsource certain services. If you need medical records for a particular case, for example, you could hire attorney medical record retrieval services to get hold of these for you. This way you and your coworkers can focus on more urgent tasks. Many law firms also outsource legal process or legal support which allows them to cut costs and improve productivity. This is becoming more of a trend in law firms of various sizes.
Set Aside Time to Respond to Correspondence
If you’re dealing with a lot of written correspondence as well as phone inquiries then you could set aside specific times of the day to deal with these. It’s also important to set realistic response time expectations with your clients, boss, and employees. This way you can focus on providing a better service and improve communications at work, rather than getting overwhelmed by a high influx of correspondence.
Ensure Your Work StationIs Ergonomic
This is especially important if you work from home. You need to ensure your workspace complies with office ergonomics. This means your furniture needs to be supporting and any electronic equipment also needs to be set up in the correct position. Other things like lighting and ventilation are also essential to create a healthy working environment.
If you feel more comfortable at work you’ll be more likely to improve productivity. It’s also vital to take regular breaks and to focus on self-care in order to deal with stress. Your wellbeing at work is the most important thing and will also affect your productivity.
