SPECIAL EDITION FOR NEW BAR MEMBERS

Get A Life
Time Management Tips For New Attorneys

As a new lawyer, it may seem like you are living the old Yiddish saying, "Sleep fast. We need more pillows." The following time management tips will help you navigate the murky waters of your first years as an attorney.

Michael Woronoff, Hiring Partner at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom in Los Angeles, suggests these four strategies to ease the transition between law school and a professional environment.

• Plan ahead, prioritize, and arrange your workload. Do not simply jump into your work-take a few minutes to look at the big picture, digest the pieces, and see how they fit. For example, you accomplish more in less time if you return calls while your secretary makes changes to a document you have reviewed rather than returning the calls prior to your document review.
  
  
• Be realistic about what you can do, and manage the expectations of the people you are working for.
  
  
• Seek input from a senior colleague or supervisor when you have time demands that conflict and you cannot accomplish everything. Do not try to resolve the conflict yourself. Sometimes deadlines are not as unmovable as they initially appear.
  
  
• Take time to recharge. An important part of time management is working at peak efficiency with a fresh mind. Eat properly and rest effectively. Schedule regular time to relax, sleep, exercise, and spend time with the important people in your life.

Here are a few additional time management hints to enhance the efficacy of your work product, and improve all areas of your life:

• Put off the urge to put it off. Set deadlines and corresponding intermediate goals to avoid the deadline adrenaline rush. (The majority of time management experts also strongly recommend eliminating perfectionism, but we know better than to suggest this to a lawyer.)
  
  
• Learn to say no; over-commitment can lead to more stress. It is much harder to get out of something later than it is to turn it down now. Accept that no one can do ten hours of work in two hours of time.
  
  
• Go for the goal. Dale Carnegie once said, "The person who starts out going nowhere, generally gets there." Set short- and long-term goals to set the path for your dreams.
  
  
• Identify things you can control and things you cannot control; then accept the latter and let them go.
  
  
• Make the "to-do" list your friend. Avoid overloading the list; build in flexibility; break large projects into smaller, manageable tasks; and schedule break time.