Done And Done: How To Get Stuff Completed At The Office

My workload is so crazy lately that I’ve literally been chewing faster at lunch to save time. As a small-firm co-owner, I know a lot of work is better than not enough work. But I still want to make sure I stay on top of my projects so my clients feel like they are getting prompt service and I can avoid those “um, when can I expect that legal analysis?” emails from clients whose patience has (probably understandably) run out.

Toward that end, I’ve tested out a number of methods to climb on top of my workload — or at least get to a false peak. Here’s what I’ve figured out has worked for me:

1. Go Old-School With A Paper To-Do List.
Sometimes it feels like there is so much going on at the office that it can be completely overwhelming. I don’t know where to start, and I worry that I am going to miss something. I’ve learned that if I sit down and write out a to-do list on a piece of legal paper that I keep next to my computer mouse, things suddenly seem far more manageable. I know there are electronic means of making lists, but something on my computer or phone is less likely to be front-and-center all day.

Now I almost always start the day by drafting a new to-do list: I start with the items that carry over from the day before, then add things when I check my voicemail and comb through my email. I write down the client name, and if there are multiple tasks for one client, I list those tasks separately underneath so I am sure to get to both tasks.

Then I put a star next to the items that I absolutely have to get to that day. (Some days there are more stars then others. Those are the “exciting” days.) If one of the tasks on the list is returning a call, I include the caller’s name and phone number.

As the day progresses, I mark things off the list and give myself a tiny mental fist-bump each time. If I’ve checked off a matter and it comes up again — say, a client responds to my revised letter and wants me to have staff mail it out — I add it back to the bottom of the list.

It sounds simple, and it is. But simple stuff works — just think about the wheel and the deliciousness of peanut butter and honey sandwiches.

2. Get The Quick Stuff Out Of The Way.
Some people avoid small tasks to focus on big projects, with the fear of getting wrapped up in the little things. But I find that if I check some quick items off my to-do list in the morning before I dive into a larger-scale task, I’m less likely to get distracted. The rationale for me is that I may have 10 clients waiting to hear from me, and if I can get to six of them in an hour, that gives me six clients who have gotten my input that day, and I (theoretically at least) have the rest of the day to focus on the other four.

This strategy doesn’t always work, say, when you have a big brief due and have concerns about your ability to meet your filing deadline. But I was just in a situation like that last week, and I did take some time every morning to attend to other matters — or even just to make sure I emailed all my clients who were waiting for my feedback to let them know I wouldn’t be available until the following week — and it made it much easier to jump back into my other matters after the brief was filed.

I use the “sweat the small stuff” approach later in the day as well: If I start feeling like I’m spinning my wheels or losing focus on a low-priority project, I’ll move along to something else. That also keeps daily billables for a given client lower and accordingly more palatable.

3. Pass It On.
A similar concept I employ to keep things moving is to do what I can to put the ball in someone else’s court. If I get a new project, I’ll quickly scan the legal issues posed and the materials provided and follow up with any questions I have or requests for additional required documents I need to complete the work product. The idea here is that not only are you the most recent person to contribute to the communication chain, which makes you look responsive, but now you have bought time waiting for your client to get back to you. And when they do, you will have what you need to finish the task. The same concept applies in the office: If it’s a task my staff can handle, like a recorded document search I need completed, I get it to them ASAP.

4. Create Deadlines.
We always hear “under-promise, over-deliver.” But when it comes to tasks that aren’t time sensitive, it is easy to let things slide in favor of getting to the high-priority stuff first. To combat this, I’ll tell clients that I’m hoping to get it to them in, say, the next day or two. (I try to leave a little wiggle room — I’m not a masochist.) Then I have an incentive to get the task checked off the list sooner.

A related tactic I sometimes use is to give myself a set amount of time to finish a project: I have to get this letter out before lunch; or, I have an hour to explain to this attorney why they should accept my crappy settlement offer. If I’m feeling really adventurous and have a true deadline, I’ll focus on other things until the end of the day so I knock a bunch of tasks off my to-do list, and then I frantically finish my mandatory item, which adds an element of excitement to a day that was probably dominated by reviewing a non-fascinating 20-page construction contract.

5. Weave In Non-Billable Tasks.
During the workday, it’s easy to get sucked into the vortex of billable work and set all the other life “to-dos” aside. Next thing you know, you haven’t seen your dentist in three years and your roots are longer than the rest of your hair.

To avoid that fate, I also list personal or administrative tasks on my to-do list, as they are the sorts of things that do not get addressed as the day gets busier. I notice as a firm owner that I’m always putting off getting to (or forgetting to get to) things like signing bank or insurance documents, which I guess is important but at the time seems less important than literally anything else remotely more interesting. Plus you still get the satisfaction of checking something off the to-do list, even if it is “sign up for cat yoga with Kelly.”

Then throughout the day I’ll take breaks from billable work to get to my non-billable commitments, so I can give my legal mind a rest and make sure that I fill out my waiver form for the rafting trip I’m taking with my dad that will prevent my family from recovering anything if I drown.

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Allison Peryea is a shareholder attorney at Leahy Fjelstad Peryea, a boutique law firm in downtown Seattle that primarily serves community association clients. Her practice focuses on covenant enforcement and dispute resolution. She is a longtime humor writer with a background in journalism and cat ownership. You can reach her by email at [email protected].