Resolve to Get Organized

By Debra Bruce

Resolve to Get Organized

Did you set a New Year’s resolution to get organized? Getting organized and losing weight seem to be the most common resolutions I hear people make, whether lawyers or not. What does “getting organized” look like for the law office? And how do you do it?

Paper comprises the biggest organizing challenge in most law offices. Lawyers still wade through paper every day, and some drown in it. This article has a few tips that may help you actually move into action on this year’s resolution to get organized. You don’t have to turn your office upside down. Just take a few baby steps.

1. One project at a time. As much as possible, keep only the one file you are currently using on your desktop. When folders and papers pile up on your desk, you waste time digging through them to find the document you need. Additionally, stray papers distract you. A page floats into your field of vision, and suddenly you switch gears to deal with it. Maybe you were keeping that document in sight to remind you to handle it, but that’s like having a snooze alarm ring every five minutes for something you want to do three hours later.

2. Reasons for desk junk. Junk piling up on your desk indicates that (i) you have a decision to make that you’re postponing, (ii) you don’t have an obvious place to store the item, or (iii) you are afraid you’ll forget to do something if the item is out of sight. Once something else gets piled on top, it’s out of sight anyway. Instead of piling it, file it, and put a reminder on your to-do list. Create a proper place for your things. The most frequently used items should be most conveniently at hand. That commemorative gavel you received for speaking can go on a shelf, or in your “commemorative trinkets” box. The paper that represents an unmade decision may belong in the hanging folder rack described in #4 below.

3. A compromise for the “piler.” If you are an incorrigible “piler” or just have to have several files visible on your desktop, use a graduated file holder that will allow you to see the label of six to eight folders standing up. Rotate folders out of the graduated file holder to the file cabinet as soon as possible.

4. Organizing pending matters. As an alternative to the graduated file holder, you can use a hanging folder rack with labels on the hanging folders like “read,” “take home,” “urgent,” “pending,” “bills,” “decide,” or whatever categories apply to those things you tend to keep on top of your desk. (Of course, the same hanging folders could go in a desk drawer.) An “upcoming events” category can hold the brochures for those seminars that you haven’t decided whether to register for, invitations to judicial candidate receptions, directions to holiday parties, etc. Use a “discuss” folder to hold the associate’s draft that you revised and sent to the client, but which you want for feedback to the associate. The folder might also hold a staff person’s vacation request that you want to discuss with a partner before approving.

5. In and out trays. Put 2 stacking trays on the corner of your desk. Tray 1 is the inbox where your assistant puts incoming mail, documents that need your signature, phone messages, etc. You should empty that box several times per day. Tray 2 is the outbox. Your assistant empties that box every time he comes into your office. It will contain folders and papers ready to be filed, documents you have signed or marked with instructions or revisions, and notes to your assistant about non-urgent tasks to be done, like “make a copy of this article and send it to Joe.”

6. The “read” box. You may want a third tray to hold papers you intend to read later, but which are not urgent. Don’t let those items pile up in your inbox, because they will camouflage the important and urgent arriving items. Stuff a few “read” items in your briefcase as you leave the office. They are great to pull out while waiting for a hearing, sitting in a waiting room, or even standing in line. The time goes by faster, and you get something done.

7. Hot projects file cabinet. Keep a file cabinet in your office for currently active projects and frequently used items. (Many lawyers may be surprised to learn that the floor is not a file cabinet.) During trial preparation or in the middle of a big deal, attorneys need frequent access to the same large files. A lateral desk-height file cabinet can be reached without getting up, by just rolling your chair a few inches. You are much more likely to put away frequently used items if it doesn’t require much physical exertion.

8. Schedule a de-clutter day. Sometimes, despite your best intentions, your office just gets out of control. Enlist your assistant for help and use the first day back after you close a big deal or complete a trial as an office organizing day. Your brain is probably too fried to accomplish much real legal work then anyway. Alternatively, just block off a day on your calendar for you and your assistant to spend organizing. You will be surprised at the energy boost you feel when you walk into a clean office the next day. Those stacks of paper and other clutter had invisible strings tied to you that siphoned off your energy and concentration.

9. Delegate more organizing. If you have outdated materials piled up in your office, that’s a sign that you don’t do a good job of delegating. Let your assistant calendar events and sort through papers periodically to trash items representing expired opportunities. Let him gather up and file documents you don’t currently need. They won’t be lost or destroyed, they’ll just be easier to find.

10. Dedicate 15 minutes per day to planning. Just 10 to 15 minutes of planning and organizing at the end of the day can keep your office manageable. You’ll know where things are, and be better prepared to hit the ground running the next day, with a clearer idea of your priorities.

11. Location of file cabinets. Ideally, the cabinet containing your current files will be located not far from your assistant’s desk, just outside your office. That will make it easy for you to find the file you need and for your assistant to refile it every day, if necessary. It’s better for him to repeatedly replace that file than to have it get buried in your office. Closed files or infrequently used files can be stored down the hall or on those hard to reach high shelves.

12. Brad down papers. Hole punch and brad down documents in the folder in chronological order, with the most recent date on top. This may seem obvious, but I have been surprised to learn how many lawyers have loose papers tossed into files. That increases the risk that something will get lost because it falls out of the folder, or someone pulls it out and fails to replace it, or accidentally stuffs it back into the wrong folder. It also requires more time to sort through those documents to identify the most recent one. If the file has more than 10 documents in it, separate them into appropriate folders labeled “pleadings,” “correspondence,” “drafts,” “executed documents,” etc.

13. Create checklists. Checklists save time and reduce errors, while making delegation easier. For any task or project that you do repeatedly, create a checklist. You may have one for new client interviews, forming a new business entity, opening a new case, filing a lawsuit, setting up an estate plan, etc. A thorough checklist can guide a new associate or legal assistant to take the necessary steps without requiring much of your time. It will help you avoid forgetting some small, but essential aspect of the process. Put the checked-off list in the file. When you can’t remember whether you completed that one detail, you can just review the checklist to rest easy. If you travel frequently, a briefcase packing list can save time and frustration at the airport, as well as allow your assistant to take care of more details for you. A binder or computer file of checklists comes in handy and keeps them accessible.

14. Electronic organization. Today email clutter causes some of the most common disorganization woes. That subject merits its own forum. For tips on managing your email, read my article called “10 Tips for Surviving the Email Avalanche.” To cut down on paper altogether, establish a “paperless” or “less-paper” office. You can find great tips in various articles by Gerry Morris about the paperless office in The Practice Manager. The most recent one was published November 27, 2007.

Don’t get discouraged by this long list. You probably don’t need all these tips. If you only implement one suggestion on this list, but do it consistently, you’ll notice a difference.

Debra Bruce (www.lawyer-coach.com) practiced law for 18 years before becoming a professionally trained Executive Coach for lawyers. She is Vice Chair of the Law Practice Management Committee of the State Bar of Texas, and board member and past leader of Houston Coaches Network, the Houston Chapter of the International Coach Federation. She welcomes your questions and comments at debra@lawyercoach.com or in the comments section of this newsletter.