Legal Brief for January, 2023

Some Productivity Ideas for the New Year

There are days when I fondly recall how it was when I started in the legal world way back in 1983.  Those were the days when you could say "well I mailed you a letter, give me a call when you get it" or "my assistant will be typing (yes, typing, not keyboarding) that up and we will get it to you next week".  No fax machines, no e-mail, no cell phones.  It certainly was a simpler age!

Nowadays we all face constant demands on our time.  The push to get more done in less time comes at us from all quarters.  Now more than ever we are called upon to use our time both efficiently and effectively (yes, there is a difference).  We all want to be as productive as possible in whatever we do, whether its in our work time duties or in our private time.  Here are a few ideas and concepts that I have come across in readings I have done.  Some are sage advice from many years ago, and others come from recent experience.

1. Smart task management is not just "checking off the boxes", it is checking off the right boxes.

2. Develop a daily task list, but keep it realistic.  Nothing feels better than to cross an item off your list and move onto the next task, but if you overload your list with 20 items to do you are likely to go home depressed and frustrated, feeling that you didn't get enough done.

3. Try to be proactive in your work and planning.  It takes much more effort and stress to be putting out fires rather than to calmly work through a plan you developed earlier.

4. Don't be a prisoner of the past.  We all make mistakes, but they are not a life sentence.  Accept that you have done something wrong, apologize for it as necessary, then learn from it and move on.

5. Don't wait for the "right time" to start making changes in your work or personal routines - it will never come.  Try spending 5 minutes on something new when you are between tasks and need a mental break.

6. Start somewhere, anywhere on a project that you have been procrastinating about.  Start in the middle or the end, and magically you will find out that you are making progress and you will have the energy to dig in deeper on the parts that have been bothering you.

7. Give yourself permission to work on a "rough draft" of your project.  That will give you a starting point and you can polish up in the days ahead.  Don't aim for perfection on your first go at it.

8. Unpleasant tasks don’t get any easier over time.  Delaying just adds to the stress associated with the project.

9. "Worst first".  This is what my electrician used to say when he came to the house to do work.  He would pick what looked like the toughest task and start on it first, rather than leaving it to the end.  The emotional energy spent avoiding getting your hands dirty on that task you have been dreading leaves you feeling exhausted by the end of the day.

10. "Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant."  (Robert Louis Stevenson)

Best wishes to you on your journey of work productivity in 2023!