Imagine finding an extra 5 hours of time in your pocket every Friday afternoon.  Or finding 10 hours there at the end of every month?  What would you do with it?

That’s crazy, you say.  How could I find time at the end of the month?  Well, ok, so you probably won’t at the end of the month, but you can start finding extra time in your month if you know where yours tends to go.

Time is money, especially a lawyer’s, and like money, you should occasionally track how you spend ALL of it.  This is common financial advice for people trying to establish or stick to a budget.  Why not do the same with your time?

Two easy ways to track all of your time:

  1. Write it in the notes function on your phone or on a small notepad as you proceed through the day
  2. Create a miscellaneous nonbillable file # in your time tracking app and record it there contemporaneously

For one month record it all.  Personal phone calls, the black spiraling hole of the internet, online shopping, colleagues who overuse your office as a safe space or a venting venue….

Where does it go?  What is your biggest time waster?  Naming and facing your worst one is the first step.  Setting do-able rules for yourself is the second.  Follow them and then course correct as needed. 

Consider the lawyers who have rules that they can only surf the internet while on their iPad, and when they aren’t on it, the iPad has to remain out of sight, out of arm’s reach.  Or the lawyers who only read the news online before they get to their office.  Or the attorneys who designate a specific time during the day for taking care of personal matters.

Track all of your time for a month and see what you learn.  It could be even better than finding a twenty dollar bill in last year’s winter coat.  At $250/hour, finding an extra 10 hours/month equals an extra $30,000/year.  Not exactly pocket change.

If you want to increase your productivity and bill more without spending more time at the office, please contact me.