Many of us can look up from this newsletter and see dozens of files that need tending and an assortment of telephone messages that we must return. Not to mention the client awaiting us in the reception area, the secretary and paralegal who have questions, and the associate down the hall needing our advice.
Attorneys are notorious for putting everyone else's needs before their own.
Of course, stress goes hand in hand with the practice of law. Unfortunately, that means giving up time to relax and, when that still is not enough, we look for shortcuts in our work as a way to accomplish all of it. One of the first things we stop doing as attorneys is organizing our work. Instead, we let others rule our day, whether it is the phone calls that interrupt our work or the open-door policy we have with the other attorneys in our office. By taking just 5 minutes each day to organize the priorities for the day, the week, and the month, you can save yourself an unlimited amount of time.