You know the saying “time is money”. Well, it’s true. Especially when you work in the legal field. Paralegals are expected to record their time just as efficient as an attorney and in some cases, we are expected to manage their time as well. Bottom line is, you must be profitable. When a paralegal possess extraordinary management skills, they can effectively document their productivity.

So how do we manage our time in such a way that keeps us profitable without having to work after hours and/or on the weekends? We create systems that work best for us. Maybe that means developing a system in which you check your calendar first thing in the morning and then move on to checking your attorneys. Depending on how you have structured your day or week or month, you will be able to prepare better and determine needs to be on the top of your to do list and what can wait. 

From there you can prioritize. Knowing what is due and when it is due will help you avoid having to do things in a rush or last minute. The worst feeling a paralegal can have is the feeling of being rushed and having to work on things that might not be profitable because they dropped the ball somewhere.  

Write things down. Sometimes our day is consumed with putting out fires, even on days you have blocked out to handle an important matter. On days like that, it is important to stay calm and remember to document everything in order to capture your time later. Remember, time is money and if you are not capturing your time because you are all other the place, you will be losing out. Documenting can also consist of simply sending an email. Sometimes, an email is more time efficient then a phone call or looking for your attorney to conduct a face to face.