Greenberg Traurig, LLP’s Philadelphia Office,

committed to the success and wellness of its lawyers, invited me to run a professional training focusing on wellness by way of time management. Many thanks to Alexander Scarola, Ana Montalban and Laura Bottaro Galier for making this happen so seamlessly and to the audience for adding their experience and questions to make this training invaluable – Adam Roseman Christiana Signs Nataliya Rymer.

Here are some takeaways:

1. Not all time slots are created equal because time management is really about attention management. It’s important to determine when you are at peak focus, be intentional and do harder, analytical tasks at that time. Save client and colleague meetings for other times of the day, when possible.

2. Knowing your personal circadian rhythm will inform you as to your peak attention/focus times. For larks, who rise early in the morning, peak focus is soon after they wake up.

For third birds, peak focus is mid-morning between 9 am and 12 noon.

Night owls, however, flip the script and are at peak focus in the late afternoons/early evenings.

Which bird are you?

3. Delegating is a critical time management technique. Build ten minutes into your schedule for a new matter to decide what to delegate and to whom and assign it immediately. Remember to designate a specific deadline, including both day and time, that includes enough time for you to review the assignment and meet your own external deadline.

4. Take short breaks – 10 to 20 minutes is all you need to get a refresh and return to your desk to be productive. Take a short walk, have a snack, or stop by a colleague’s office for a chat.

5. Figure out what breaks/stress-relieving activities work for you and plan ahead, e.g. bring sneakers to the office for walking; pack food for a snack break. What do you do during a short break to reenergize? What works best for you in terms of delegating?

#timemanagement #attorneys #wellbeing #delegate #lawyers #wellness 

I’m Gail, and I run CLEs, professional development, and talent training at law firms, corporations, bar associations, and trade associations on time management, relationship and business building, and work-life wellness practices. 

Gail

“I’m Gail Cummings, a business lawyer turned psychotherapist, coach, and speaker. I help lawyers be productive, develop business, advance their careers, and I work with law firms to develop their talent.”