Litigators

Tackling A Deadline

Helpful hints to combat deadline stress.

By Peter S. Garnett  
on

(Image via Getty)

Deadlines are part of being a lawyer. No matter what practice field you are in, you’re going to come up against a deadline imposed by your supervisor, the court, clients, or for countless other reasons. Often lawyers, like myself, have multiple matters or cases. Then you’ll be up against numerous deadlines. So, in this article, I thought I would list some of the techniques I use to combat deadline stress.

A major way I tackle a deadline is by making a set plan. In the past, I used to set the due date in my calendar and that was it. And as a result of that being the only deadline on the project, I would not start the project soon enough, which inevitably resulted in late nights, scrambling to finish. But since I’ve started at a smaller firm and have many matters to attend to, I’ve started breaking down my deadlines into smaller, more attainable tasks. Now I will set reminders in my calendar that I should start working on the project earlier, or if I’m writing a brief, to start writing a certain section or to begin researching a specific point of law. By breaking down your assignment into smaller tasks, you avoid leaving everything to the last minute. That leads to my next bit of advice: don’t procrastinate.

Whether you’re a law student, a lawyer, or in almost any other field, procrastination is the enemy. Putting things off for another day may feel great at the moment, but you’ll definitely regret it when you’re sitting in the office scrambling to finish something that your boss wanted an hour ago. It may sound easy enough to say — do your work ahead of time — but we all know it’s not that easy. You have other responsibilities, some of which are more important than work. Family, friends, hobbies, and activities need time too. But the more you procrastinate, the more time you actually lose for those fun aspects of life.

To fight procrastination, I break down my larger tasks into smaller, more attainable tasks. I often make lists of three things to do. In place of making a calendar note that I have to finish that motion to dismiss, I make calendar entries for (1) complete the necessary research, (2) draft the table of contents, and (3) write the preliminary statement. I may not finish brief that day, but I’ve started it and I usually get a sense of accomplishment that drives me on to other tasks I need to complete.

Next, I think it’s important to remember that no lawyer has endless energy. If you are up against a major deadline and you don’t believe you can get it done, then ask for help. No one ever wants to admit that he or she needs assistance, but trust me, sometimes you do. Whether it requires going to your supervisor to get another person staffed on your case, or asking a friend at your firm to help you out on some research, most of the time you’re going to get the help you need. Again, this only works if you leave yourself enough time to get the assistance you need. Don’t wait until the last minute to realize that you’re up against an insurmountable deadline. Plan, don’t procrastinate, and have the guts to ask for help.

Finally, whether you’re dealing with multiple deadlines or one huge deadline, you still have to remember to take care of yourself. No one can pull all-nighters without messing something up. Plan accordingly and get your rest, eat healthy, and exercise. If you make time for those things, your work product will be much better. A healthy, rested mind and body are much more productive and effective than a mind that stayed up working until 3 a.m. to get something done.

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I know these points seem obvious, but they’re still important to remember. Make plans, don’t procrastinate, ask for help if you need it, and take care of yourself. If you do these things, then hopefully lawyering will be a bit less stressful for you; it certainly works for me.

Peter S. Garnett is an attorney at Balestriere Fariello who represents clients in trials, arbitrations, and appeals. He focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation and contract disputes from pre-filing investigations to trial and appeals. You can reach Peter at [email protected].

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