Are you usually punctual or late? Are you able to complete all your assignments by the end of the workday, or are you staying late? Do you meet all your deadlines?
If the answer to these questions is “no”, then this could mean you are not managing your time as best as you could.
With multiple projects to work on, clients to serve, documents to read, phone calls to make, lawyers are no strangers to staying late and working after hours.
That’s why we’ve talked to Emilija Apostolska Temov, partner at Apostolska Aleksandrovski & Partners, to help us with this topic.
As a successful lawyer with over 15 years of experience, she knows all the struggles of juggling several projects at once, working with tight deadlines, and balancing work and personal life.
Here are some of her tips on how to better manage your time as a lawyer.
1. I’ve been working on several projects, and I find it hard to work on them at the same time. How should I approach this?
First, make an assessment which of them are easier to finish and then start eliminating them by ending with the most complicated one. By doing this you will feel encouraged and motivated, hence find it easier to finish the projects left for the end.
2. How do you ensure that everyone on your team has enough time to finish the delegated task?
This can be ensured by delegating the tasks to the team member with relevant experience and knowledge.
3. How to make sure delegated tasks are completed on time?
I personally use calendar reminders, both for me and for the assigned team member. Also, another thing that helps me with this issue is my email reminder. I snooze the emails with delegated tasks at least 1 day before the deadline.
4. How do you manage team members who always miss the deadline?
For a lawyer who is always missing deadlines, there is no place in our team. Time management and self-organization are the two most essential skills every lawyer should have or at least develop. However, if one keeps missing the deadlines, she/he is in the wrong profession.
5. Lawyers are no strangers to working extra hours and staying after work. How does one balance his work and personal life?
As a lawyer and a mother of two, I can say that there is no balance. There is only our aspiration to make the balance and that is a constant personal battle. However, the grandmothers’ service is highly appreciated.