Paralegal Time Management Tips if You’re a Procrastinator
Start the “Before I Leave Today” Plan
Maybe your goal is to finish an e-discovery project. You estimate it’s going to take approximately 20 hours total. If you’re working in a law firm, that means a big chunk of your billable hours for the week will also be met. Instead of letting it go another day because it’s just too overwhelming to even get started, say to yourself “Before I leave today, I am going to complete the review of at least 100 records.” It doesn’t mean you have to stop at 100. It just means you’re going to do a minimum of that much before you leave.
What does that do to help with procrastination and time management?
It’s a mindset. You get through 100 records and you leave for the day. You can check that off your list. You accomplished it. And it makes you feel better when you leave for work knowing that you accomplished that one task and you’re even closer to finishing that project. Pretty soon, your mind removes that “I’m a procrastinator” label.
Litigation Paralegal Boot Camp
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Ditch the To-Do List for the Action Items List
Something to keep in mind with To-Do Lists is that To-Do Lists won’t work if they are just partial reminders of stuff we need to do that encompass more than one task in order to check it off the list. Here’s an example:
TO-DO LIST FOR TOMORROW
1. Smith case
2. Depo prep Axelrod case
3. Trial Exhibit List – Dorsey
Instead, think of those things as projects that require more than one action to complete. With that mindset, you know that you’re never going to be able to check them off your list until the entire project is done. Instead, make an Action Items List associated with all of those projects as these things come to your mind each day.
Replacing your To-Do List with an ACTION ITEMS LIST might look like this:
1. Call Smith client re: draft interrogatory responses
2. Review client documents to get other answers to interrogatory questions
3. Review production files for Sam’s depo in Alexrod Case
4. Review other depo transcripts for mention of Sam in other’s testimony
5. Run report in Summation for key docs to include in trial exhibit list
6. Run depo exhibit report for starting draft of trial exhibit list
Then at the end of the day, when you’ve completed 4 of those action items (and it increased your billable hours for the day!), you can remove them from the list (or check them off the list if you’re the type who likes to see lots of checkmarks) and get that feeling of accomplishment.
If you want some more tips on organization, check out our article on Organization Tips for Paralegals.
If you’d like to look at other ways to manage your time, check out our 60-minute course on paralegal productivity: Get a Better Work/Life Balance.
Here’s to your most productive year ever!
Meet the Author
Ann Pearson is the Founder of the Paralegal Boot Camp, and host of the Paralegals on Fire! Podcast Show, and passionate about promoting the paralegal profession.
Ann spent 20 years working as a paralegal manager and a litigation paralegal before opening the Paralegal Boot Camp in 2010.
Ann’s training programs focus on adding immediate value to a paralegal’s career and bridging the gap between what a paralegal learns in school and what they actually do on the job.
Visit the About Us Page to learn more about why Ann started the Paralegal Boot Camp.
