The Definitive Guide to Increasing Productivity and Time Management for Lawyers and Their Teams

You cannot change if you don’t have awareness. Before you can begin managing your time and energy in a more efficient way, you’ve got to have a better understanding of how you’re spending your time and energy. This goes for all aspects of your life, all activities, and includes auditing your mental, emotional, and physical energy expenditures. 

For Example:

Overall Energy Audit

Watch your energy levels throughout the day. Take note of the following:

• When do you feel most energetic? 
• When and why do you lose energy? 
• Do specific interactions with others increase or decrease your energy? 

Mental Energy Audit

Notice the internal chatter that fills your mind throughout the day. 

• What are the themes you hear most? 
• What are the internal stories that seem to repeat themselves? 
• Notice the ratio of negative versus positive thoughts and the balance of thinking about the past or future versus being in the present. 
• When and how often do you have stretches of silence and mental quiet? 
• What thoughts increase or decrease your energy? 

Emotional Energy Audit

• What emotions do you feel throughout your day? 
• Do you fight and deny your emotions? If so, which ones? 
• Are you able to release emotions cleanly and move on? Or do they cycle? 
• Do you overreact to situations? (Remember, a reaction can be internal or external.)

Physical Energy Audit

• How does your body feel throughout the day? 
• Does your body feel healthier at certain times of the day? Why might this be so? 
• Do you listen to your body’s needs?

2. ESSENTIAL ACTIONS FOR SUCCESS

Overloading ourselves with a never-ending “to-do” list can leave us feeling anxious and drained of energy. It’s time to take control and manage our energy. By getting real about what needs to be done, we create a clear focus in our lives.

Start by identifying the MUSTs for this week; appointments, deadlines, returning phone calls, or court appearances. These are non-negotiable actions that must happen. Channel your energy towards these essential tasks and feel empowered by your daily accomplishments. 

Next, evaluate the time required for each must-do and conscientiously schedule your day. Allocate sufficient time to prepare and execute every action. Time block your calendar and focus on what needs to be accomplished today. Be resolute in your intentions and be the master of your time.

3. DRAIN or FUEL

Now, it’s time to look at the non-urgent items that swirl around in your mind. Those items become part of your Universe List to clear your head and get focused on what really matters. 

Here’s what you need to know. Write down everything that’s not due this week – all the tasks and projects that you’ve been thinking about but haven’t tackled yet. From a killer marketing campaign to organizing your home space, let your mind dump it all on the page. 

Now it’s time to sort through the list and designate which tasks fuel your energy and which ones drain you. 

Before deciding how to handle the tasks, you must ask yourself a very important question:

“Does this drain my energy or fuel my energy?”

If the answer is that the task drains your energy, then you need to focus on how to delegate or eliminate it. 

Your ultimate goal is to focus on your zone of genius – those tasks and experiences that ignite your passion and bring out your best work. 

If a task doesn’t fuel you, then you are ready to move from your list so that no longer an energy drain. It’s time to delegate, eliminate, or master.

4. DELEGATE or MASTER

Next, for every item on your Universe List, consider whether you should:

Automate: This item is done all the time so you need to create a system for automation. Example: Every week you need to meet with your team. To automate, set a time for the meeting each week. Example: Mondays at 9:00 a.m. for team meetings. 

Delegate: This item is something you need to give to someone else. Ask yourself, “Can someone else do this instead of me?”. For example – If I don’t have time to pick up dry cleaning – delegate to someone else. Should someone else do this besides me because this really drains my energy? If it is draining, it is time to delegate or eliminate.

Eliminate: This is the item you don’t need to do or just need to put off for an extended period of time.  Example – Clean out the garage. I do not need to do this year so eliminate it off my list. Ask yourself, “Does this drain my energy or fuel my energy?”

Schedule: If this item is not automated, eliminated, or delegated then you need to schedule a time to complete it. You will schedule the time for this item which could be this week or further out like next week or months away. Example – Prepare next month’s trial.

Consider your answers and take action to delegate or automate. 

Prioritize the importance of the “schedule” items.

For example:

• Must be done this week
• Must be done next week
• Must be done this month
• Next month
• Next 3 months 

For all to be “scheduled” items, block them on your calendar. 

This practice keeps you focused on actions that energize you and are within your zone of genius

5. RESET and RECHARGE

Sometimes life throws unexpected curveballs or opportunities that can test our abilities to the limit. 

Are you ready for it? 

Allow some time in your week to tackle the unexpected, be it a sudden meeting or a potential new client. 

And for those moments when the expected drains your energy, set aside time to recharge and revitalize your mind and body. 

You can create quick and easy practices to help you reset and recharge, so you can stay focused and on top of things.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to getting time back in your day, optimizing the way you operate as a leader, and accelerating your law firm’s growth.

As a law firm owner, if you’re still struggling with:

• Attracting great people
• Making poor hiring decisions
• Outgrowing your infrastructure
• Putting out fires at the office
• Dealing with constant drama
• Struggle with staying focused and productive
• Or anything else along these lines…

You’ll learn how to get real-time back in your day while staying on top of your business goals, your team, and your life. Don’t get bogged down. The solutions are waiting for you in Mind Over Law.

Ensure that 2023 is your best year yet with the happiest clients, a thriving culture, and high performing team. APPLY TODAY! 

CLICK HERE to schedule an introductory session to discover how we can help you, your law practice and your team be more successful.

Don’t miss this chance!

Take control of your time, and pave your own path to success.

The future is brimming with possibilities, and they’re all within reach.