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I realized pretty soon into practice that I couldn’t do it all myself, told my assistant where I was struggling, and we developed a joint system that involved a lot of communication on both our parts. But now it sort of runs on auto pilot and it allows me to maximize my billable time - team work makes the dream work!
A2, of course. I’m split between litigation and admin, so she’s auto copied on anything that comes from the court or agency - and calendars the deadlines without me asking. And then as those come through, I review them and have her put a tickler in the calendar for 3-14 days ahead of time (sometimes more than one) so I know it’s coming up and I have to prep.
As things come in that aren’t court deadlines throughout the week, I forward those to her and have her put them on my calendar too. She has access to my email in case she’s got further questions, but she’s usually on top of it. And then at the end of the day, when I’m doing my time, I end up reviewing my to-do list that I wrote first thing that morning (which I sit down and create in my daily paper planner with my coffee before things get crazy) and I’ll drop an email to her if I need her to remind me on something that slipped through.
Additionally, when I’m physically in the office, when I swing by her desk I’ll chat really quickly about what I’m working on and brain dump anything that I need her to put in the calendar or follow up on. It probably sounds like a lot, but the combination of keeping a paper planner where I can organize tasks daily, getting my time in daily, and keeping her active with my calendar has cut down my stress levels tremendously.
My physical to do lists started getting out of control/unmanageable for same reasons (in same boat) and recently put them into the outlook task feature and organized categories by case/matter, which is a little more manageable. I’ve tried excel/word but can never keep up.
I like ToDoist (mobile app/Chrome extension). The free version only lets you have 5 projects but I just have my firm as one project and then all my matters as different Groups. Then I put my tasks and sub tasks for each matter, and can schedule deadlines with reminders, and easily move stuff around.
I use Excell of all my tasks and dates / when they're due. That list is constantly being updated everytime something new comes on my calendar
Pro
If you don’t have a case management software then consider pitching for one to the firm. I use MyCase and really like it. It’s simple and intuitive and if there is something I need that it doesn’t do then they will consider working that thing into the system. They have added several things I requested since I have been using it.
i use OneNote and make a tab for each open case with notes, deadlines and to do’s. also use like 2-3 different calendars haha
I use a white board nailed to my wall. The act of getting up, erasing, and writing again helps to create a habit. I’ve also tried to instill the 90/20 rule and have good eating and sleeping habits which then create predictability and make it easier to plan long term.
I feel your pain. I’m a year and half in and still struggle with this. It feels like I try a new organizational system every couple of months. Currently utilizing Microsoft To Do.
Rising Star
I’m 5 years in and still struggling with this. I just switched from a paper to do list to an electronic one, solely because my paper list was unmanageably long and difficult to update.
Also a brand new lawyer -- I just started to use excel and coded it so that the due date is a certain color depending on if it's this week; next week; next month. I start my day by looking for the red boxes. My excel is also divided into folders based on the overall subject matter of the case. I also have a very wide and varied caseload so compartamentalizing it like this is helpful for me (so far anyway)
I do this also, and work to keep ‘inbox zero’ by moving email requests and info into the spreadsheet.
I have a folder in outlook called “to do” that supplements my written to-do list. I go through it every night to make sure I did everything I needed to do that day, and create my written priority list for the next day. If I get a phone call or otherwise don’t have a “to do” in my inbox, I’ll email myself a summary of the request so I can pop it in there. When things are done they get filed in the appropriate folder.
Use outlook
A calendar for appearances and hard deadlines. A running to-do list for everything else. The calendar helps determine what the priorities are. At the beginning of the day, designate the top priorities, those go at the top of your list for the day. Check e-mails/mail/voicemails, add things to the calendar/to-do list as needed, and start working. One day at a time, you got this!
Asana tasks, integrates into outlook as well
I use Microsoft Planner/Microsoft To-Do for my tasks. Many tasks have multiple steps so I put all my deadlines in the “Notes” section of the task and set the task deadline as the deadline for the next “step.” I usually also put reminders to start looking at something as a “step.” That way the deadline or reminder is surfaced to me at the appropriate time. When I complete the step, I adjust the deadline forward to the next deadline and leave a note about the completion of the step. When I finally complete all steps I mark the task as complete.
Rising Star
I’m in this same boat. I have to oversee the partner and my assistant as well. If something falls through the cracks it’s my fault for not catching it. The case management stuff had been difficult to work out. But I few things I have found helpful:
I use software with a docket and put those docket entries in my calendar for the day. When they are done/dealt with the I alter the color of the entry to visually indicate what I need to touch and what had been touched. On Thursday evenings I click through the days of the week to look at what to-do things I haven’t addressed. I either handle them or I move them to a different date.
Print out a list of all your cases. Then create a list of those cases based on where they are in litigation (settled and waiting for wrap up, demand made but waiting for response, depositions stage, written discovery phase, pre litigation and waiting for records). This helps clump cases so you can look and say “ok here’s where things stand and right now I need to focus on X, Y, Z”
I use my evenings to do mindless follow-up emails and organizing. These things tend to be less of a pain while wearing sweatpants and having a background TV show on.
Pen and paper (daily to-do list), Google calendar for appointments, filing deadlines, calls, etc, and a paralegal to harass me into getting it mostly done and updating it for me.
Try using an excel spreadsheet with all your cases showing last steps taken, on what date, what's pending, etc. It's nice to have everything at a glance and it helps you not feel overwhelmed.
OneNote works well for managing tasks and keeping notes for various cases.
Maybe use some Sort of database which can be used for multiple project management. Kind of like giant charts, which I think are in excell.
Use Outlook and drag the applicable emails down to create automatic follow ups for dates and times. First thing in the morning go through through your list for that day and the next two days.