Waging war against late nights and law firm burn-out - www.amicusattorney.com/sites/default/files/articles/5-secrets-to-leaving-office-early.pdf?goback=%2Egde_1738237_member_152066814

www.amicusattorney.com/sites/default/files/articles/5-secrets-to-leaving-office-early.pdf?goback=%2Egde_1738237_member_152066814

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Waging war against late nights and law firm burn-out “Sorry, I have to work late again tonight.”  This dreaded eight-word phrase is associated with more hard-feelings, regret and health problems than almost any other.  How many family events, sports games, recitals and gettogethers have been missed as a result of work creeping over into leisure time?

12 hour days may be the enemy, but let’s be realistic here…You and I know very well that there will always be times, especially in the business of law, when you need to put in the extra time to get things done.  In fact, going that extra mile can often yield great returns and is probably the reason you are where you are today.  

But generally speaking, leading a life that allows space for more than just work is the key to good relationships, good health and even recharging your professional batteries.

Here are 5 tips to accomplish more, while creating balance:

1. Don’t start the day until it is written – In the evening, create a list of tasks you must get done the next day - add additional tasks that you’d want to complete if you had the time. It will keep things organized and allow you to continue moving forward.

2. Eat the frog – Do the most important task (or most dreaded task) first. Stealing from Mark Twain, “If you have to eat a frog, don’t look at it for too long.” The task will seem more difficult the longer it’s left undone.

3. Use Parkinson’s Law – “The time we have to perform a task is the amount of time it will take to complete it.” With this in mind, schedule 45-50 minutes of uninterrupted focus time devoted solely to a particular task - legal case research, returning phone calls, etc. (Advanced Mind Trick:  Set a
downward counting timer to help create the illusion of time-pressure/deadline.)

4. Set leisure in stone – Something magical happens when we put things in writing. If you want to go to the gym, watch your daughter’s soccer game or simply sit down with your spouse for dinner, adding that activity into your calendar instantly makes it more ‘real’, keeps it on your radar and increases your commitment to accomplishing it.

5. Leverage technology – If you need to cut down a tree and all you have is a dull pocket knife, the job might take 4 or 5 days.  But with the proper tools, the task will only take 4 or 5 minutes. Legal practice management software is to a law firm, what a chainsaw is to a lumberjack. Taking advantage of effective business tools and technologies can easily multiply efforts and assist in creating a better work-life balance.

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