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Scott Benton: Hey everyone, Scott Benton here. How are you? I am the host of the classroom 2 courtroom podcast where we help you easily transition from a law school student into your professional career as an actual attorney and where we like to make the practice of law fun. Now, today we’re going to take a look at maintaining a productive routine.
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Scott Benton: Today, in order to help assist your overall use of the success cycle, which is what we like to talk about on this podcast, to help you learn and perfect the actual practice of law, a subject, by the way, that’s not taught in law school, we’re going to take a look at maintaining a productive routine. So if we’re being honest with each other, then we know the practice of law is a demanding profession.
From client meetings, to drafting motions, or preparing for a trial, and then all the many little details that go on in between, it’s really easy to become overwhelmed. But if we’re still being honest with each other, then we also know that success in law isn’t just about working hard, it’s about working smart.
And one of the smartest things that you can do is develop a daily routine that you repeat every day that [00:02:00] maximizes your productivity and helps you remain consistent.
Okay, now your routine is important because it’s like the foundation of a building. If the foundation of a building is strong and solid, everything else stands tall and firm. But if the foundation is shallow and it’s shaky, then that thing’s falling over. In your legal practice, a productive routine is that strong foundation.
It provides structure to your day, it reduces decision fatigue, and it helps you manage your time and your energy better.
When you have a good routine in place, you’re not wasting any mental energy trying to figure out what to do next. You know exactly what needs to be done next and when it needs to be done, which frees up your mind to zero in on the work itself. And nothing is more important than the work. Maybe the client.
The client’s more important, but That’s tied into the work that you’re doing for that client. Now it’s not enough to have a great routine one day and then completely fall off the wagon the next. The goal is to create habits that you can [00:03:00] stick to day in and day out. So when you get in in the morning, start out by identifying your most important tasks.
Those are the ones that are going to contribute directly to your success. So for example, if you know you’re the most focused and alert in the morning, then use that time to tackle the most demanding tasks like drafting complex motions or reviewing key evidence, save the less mentally challenging tasks such as responding to just routine emails for later that day. Consistency is what turns a routine into a habit. It’s about showing up every day and sticking to your plan.
Even when it’s tough. One way to build consistency is by setting specific times for your tasks. So for instance, you might dedicate the first hour of your day to planning and prioritizing, followed by a block of uninterrupted work time where you focus specifically on your most critical tasks. This is also going to inform your to do list in as much as it’s going to help you prioritize the order [00:04:00] of the tasks that you need to complete with the most challenging tasks getting done first. And then get those items checked off your list as soon as possible.
Now the nice thing about getting good at prioritizing tasks is that once you’ve got one or two difficult tasks done, in theory the rest becomes easier to complete, which means you build momentum in checking items off your list faster and faster and faster. At the end of the day, you’ll have done an excellent job of managing your to do list, performing the legal services that you needed to complete, and then of course billing for your time and getting paid and starting all over again, which is the complete one revolution of the success cycle.
That should leave you enough time to plan out your to do list for the next day. And while you’re preparing your updated to do list, you also want to make sure to reflect upon everything you’ve accomplished and really ask yourself what worked well and what might still need to be adjusted. But keep in mind that no routine is perfect and you’re likely to encounter [00:05:00] obstacles that are going to throw you off.
So maybe a case takes an unexpected turn when new information shows up or when you’re hit with a sudden urgent request that knocks your schedule completely off kilter. The key is to remain flexible and not let disruptions derail your entire overall routine.
To do that, one tactic might be to build some extra buffer time into your schedule. Maybe an hour or so each day that’s left open for dealing with unexpected tasks that are going to materialize so you can respond without completely upending your own work schedule.
And remember, it’s okay to adjust your routine. So if a certain part of your day just isn’t working out as well as you’d like it to, then no big deal. Just tweak it.
The goal is to find a comfortable routine that works for you, and one that helps you stay productive, focused, and completely in control of your workload. So to button this up, when you arrive at work in the morning, you want to go directly to your to do list that you prepared the night before.
And you simply want to make sure that the tasks are still prioritized the way that [00:06:00] you want them to be. Now if you typically have a lot of energy in the morning, then tackle the most urgent and important and the most difficult tasks first. And the key here is consistency. So you want to use the same approach at the end of each day to update your to do list, and then in the morning, after making sure your to do list is still up to date, immediately start knocking tasks off your list by delivering legal services.
And do this consistently. Check the to do list, do the work, stay focused, and continue working until your tasks are all done correctly. Don’t let anyone else come in and knock you off track. And if they do, make sure that you’ve already built in some extra time buffer into your schedule for such unexpected events. And trust me, it’s going to happen. So please build in a little bit of extra time to accommodate those surprise.
Stay focused and continue working until your tasks are all done correctly. Don’t let anyone else come in and knock you off track. And if they do, make sure that you’ve [00:07:00] already built in a little bit of extra time buffer into your schedule for such unexpected events. And trust me, it’s going to happen. So build in a little extra time to accommodate those unexpected surprises that you simply couldn’t plan for.
I’m Scott Benton. I’m the host of the Classroom 2 Courtroom Podcast. Thanks so much for dropping by and not derailing my own to do list. You’re always welcome here. And for checking out our latest episodes. If you like this podcast and you’d like to get more information about us, you can always go to our website at classroom2courtroom. com. That’s classroom, the number two, courtroom.
com, where you can send us a message to keep in touch, or even inquire about our seasonal associate programs we have available for law school students. You can come and work with us. And as always, don’t forget to share, like, and subscribe to stay on top of all of our newest episodes. And until next time, we hope you’ll join us in making the world a better place, one client at a time.
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