One of the most surprising things I have found since I left my in-house role and started to develop my consultancy practice is the challenge of effective time management. You would have thought that removing the rigour of a busy eight plus hours a day job would lead to a life to some extent of leisure with no fixed timetable concerns. Sure I am doing a bit more tennis and Tai Chi but these just then need to be built into a days programme. At the same time I am networking in London and online and developing a product (a training session on the interface between private practice and in house lawyers) I can provide through my consultancy business. If anything, and rather bizarrely, having a full-time job makes things easier. Your day is to a degree dictated to you by the demands of your role and in the legal profession of your in house or private practice clients. Yes, you have to make judgement calls about priorities and find time for professional and practice development, but generally these fit around the core role you are carrying out as a professional. There are even slots for leisure and family time at agreed times in the evening and weekends. Don’t get me wrong: managing a full-time professional job while creating personal time will always be difficult. Working from home for some days a week can both alleviate and aggravate this because of the challenge of establishing boundaries between work and private life.
We will all I suspect have been on time management courses and I have blogged on this topic before – see for example my article about a year ago Walk the Week - Slow Down, You Move Too Fast. However, it is such a key subject I wanted to visit it again especially with my new perspective and its more varied and less regulated demands. That perennial source of current wisdom AI proposes that “Effective time management for professionals is about maximizing productivity while minimizing stress and burnout. The most effective strategies are those that combine planning, prioritization, focus, and boundaries”.
Here are some generally recognised time management techniques.
1 Prioritize ruthlessly (use Eisenhower Matrix or ABCDE Method)
2 Time blocking (calendar based planning)
3 Eat the Frog (do the hardest or most important task first thing in the day)
4 Use the Pomodoro Technique (focus sprints followed by short breaks)
5 Say no more often
6 Weekly planning and daily reviews
7 Minimize distractions
8 Track your time (use tools like Toggl, Rescue Time, or a manual log).
Some helpful time management tools which complement these approaches are:
See this short but to the point article Mastering Time Management for Lawyers which suggests that “Effective time management isn't just a skill – it's a crucial asset that can mean the difference between thriving and merely surviving in the legal profession”. It identifies the time management challenges for lawyers that I consider in principle apply across all the professional disciplines. “…you face unique time management challenges, often juggling multiple cases with varying deadlines, client demands, and unexpected complications. The pressure to bill hours while managing administrative tasks, conducting research, and maintaining client communications can easily lead to a chaotic workday if not properly managed.” Its recommendations include:
Time Management Gives an Illusion of Control - as traditionally practiced, [it] is an outdated concept that fails to address the complexities of the modern world.
Overscheduling Is a Chronic Trap - When every minute is accounted for, there’s no room for creative thinking or problem-solving.
Busy Does Not Equal Productive - Focusing solely on checking off items from a to-do list may lead to neglecting more meaningful, high-impact work that requires deeper thought and creativity.
Instead, it proposes that “the ability to focus on what truly matters is what sets the productive apart from the busy. Attention management acknowledges that time is a limited resource, but how we direct our focus within that time is where true productivity lies.” This means we should for example:
Prioritize quality over quantity: focus on doing the right things that add value.
Embrace downtime: breaks are a necessary part of high-level cognitive functioning.
Cultivate mindfulness: be fully engaged in the current task.
There is an interesting book on this approach by Maura Thomas called Attention Management: How to Create Success and Gain Productivity - Every Day which also proposes that time management is out of date. She suggests “Attention management is the most essential skill you need to live a life of choice rather than a life of reaction and distraction. It's a collection of behaviors, including focus, mindfulness, control, presence, flow, and other skills, that will support your success.” She also observes “We seem to have forgotten we purchase our technology for our convenience, not so anyone in the world has the convenience of interrupting us at any time!”
“It’s not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.” Bruce Lee.
“I must govern the clock, not be governed by it.” Golda Meir.
"What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important." Dwight D Eisenhower - who recognised that great time management means being effective as well as efficient.
We will all I suspect have been on time management courses and I have blogged on this topic before – see for example my article about a year ago Walk the Week - Slow Down, You Move Too Fast. However, it is such a key subject I wanted to visit it again especially with my new perspective and its more varied and less regulated demands. That perennial source of current wisdom AI proposes that “Effective time management for professionals is about maximizing productivity while minimizing stress and burnout. The most effective strategies are those that combine planning, prioritization, focus, and boundaries”.
Here are some generally recognised time management techniques.
1 Prioritize ruthlessly (use Eisenhower Matrix or ABCDE Method)
2 Time blocking (calendar based planning)
3 Eat the Frog (do the hardest or most important task first thing in the day)
4 Use the Pomodoro Technique (focus sprints followed by short breaks)
5 Say no more often
6 Weekly planning and daily reviews
7 Minimize distractions
8 Track your time (use tools like Toggl, Rescue Time, or a manual log).
Some helpful time management tools which complement these approaches are:
- Task Management: Todoist, Trello, Asana, Notion
- Calendar: Google Calendar with time blocks
- Focus: Focus@Will (music to help you focus), Pomofocus
- Automation: Zapier, email filters, calendar rules
See this short but to the point article Mastering Time Management for Lawyers which suggests that “Effective time management isn't just a skill – it's a crucial asset that can mean the difference between thriving and merely surviving in the legal profession”. It identifies the time management challenges for lawyers that I consider in principle apply across all the professional disciplines. “…you face unique time management challenges, often juggling multiple cases with varying deadlines, client demands, and unexpected complications. The pressure to bill hours while managing administrative tasks, conducting research, and maintaining client communications can easily lead to a chaotic workday if not properly managed.” Its recommendations include:
- Prioritise and plan
- Embrace technology
- Setting boundaries and limiting interruptions
- Mastering the art of delegation
- Reviewing, reflecting and planning ahead
Time Management Gives an Illusion of Control - as traditionally practiced, [it] is an outdated concept that fails to address the complexities of the modern world.
Overscheduling Is a Chronic Trap - When every minute is accounted for, there’s no room for creative thinking or problem-solving.
Busy Does Not Equal Productive - Focusing solely on checking off items from a to-do list may lead to neglecting more meaningful, high-impact work that requires deeper thought and creativity.
Instead, it proposes that “the ability to focus on what truly matters is what sets the productive apart from the busy. Attention management acknowledges that time is a limited resource, but how we direct our focus within that time is where true productivity lies.” This means we should for example:
Prioritize quality over quantity: focus on doing the right things that add value.
Embrace downtime: breaks are a necessary part of high-level cognitive functioning.
Cultivate mindfulness: be fully engaged in the current task.
There is an interesting book on this approach by Maura Thomas called Attention Management: How to Create Success and Gain Productivity - Every Day which also proposes that time management is out of date. She suggests “Attention management is the most essential skill you need to live a life of choice rather than a life of reaction and distraction. It's a collection of behaviors, including focus, mindfulness, control, presence, flow, and other skills, that will support your success.” She also observes “We seem to have forgotten we purchase our technology for our convenience, not so anyone in the world has the convenience of interrupting us at any time!”
“It’s not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.” Bruce Lee.
“I must govern the clock, not be governed by it.” Golda Meir.
"What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important." Dwight D Eisenhower - who recognised that great time management means being effective as well as efficient.
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