Distractions. Interruptions. Time stealers. Let’s face it, whether or not we realize it, we all experience these pesky diversions to productivity. Look around you – you’ll likely be met with stacks of papers, ringing phones, incoming emails, chatty co-workers and more. Indeed, distractions abound.
So how do you improve your productivity in the industrious law firm or legal department environment?
In this blog article series, we offer 5 foolproof ways to get started:
1. Focus on the right things.
2. Introduce structure – and eat the frogs first.
3. Minimize distractions.
4. Curtail multitasking.
5. Leverage technology.
Which leads us to…
Focus on the right things.
Learning to become really efficient at completing a task doesn’t matter much if that task doesn’t help you meet your goals or drive results. In other words, any tip here is virtually useless if you’re not focusing on the right things. Does internally filing documents throughout the day or responding to emails as soon as they hit your inbox help to move your law firm practice forward, help you meet your goals or really make a substantial impact? Probably not. That’s why this step – to focus on the right things – is so critical.
Consider this sage advice: perhaps the most productive thing you can do, if nothing else, is to eliminate non-value add “filler” tasks that don’t contribute to driving results. Audit your to-do list or take an inventory of your daily habits and routine to discern whether or not you’re focused on the right things. If you’re saying, “but it’s my job to do some of these things” then your goal might be to reduce them or better manage them by scheduling these tasks during a time that you typically experience a productivity lull, say 3 o’clock in the afternoon…
Interested in reading more tips on productivity? Download our eBook: 5 Ways for Legal Professionals to Boost Productivity.
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