Paralegals wear many hats and are often pulled in many directions. You begin your day thinking you will get 10 “to do” items checked off your list and your day ends with an additional 20 and nothing completed. It can get frustrating. At some point, this becomes unsustainable and a decision will need to be made. Do you want to continue feeling burnt out or do you want to regain control of your day? If your response is the latter, read on as we give you some practical tips on how to regain control of your day.

Set a Strategy and Stick to It: Okay, what is one of the main things a coach will do to get his or her team to an end result? They will create a strategy that is best suited to get the team optimal results. In this case, you are your own coach. Think about your vision for the day. Define the path you will take to realize this vision. I know what you are thinking, “Wow that’s a lot to do on such a micro level” It’s not. Setting a daily plan will help in the grand scheme.   

Get In Alignment: Create a system of processes. This will help you be consistent. Paralegals get so caught up in getting things done that we often go off script and end up feeling frazzled and overwhelmed. Managing you day begins with defining your daily functions. Take the time to understand your daily procedures.

Delegate: Now, I understand this can be a very hard thing to do. We like to hold onto our tasks as if they were our babies….but they’re not. Delegate things where and when you can. Plus, delegating a task helps in prove team performance and the work culture. Delegating tasks when your plate is full helps your team learn how to perform as a unit.

Prioritize: A crucial aspect of being a paralegal is learning how to prioritize. I know we are expected to be able to handle everything but it’s not a reality. Learning to manage your day starts with learning how to prioritize. Maybe you have a trial coming up in 72 hours and have to still get exhibits together, maybe you look on the calendar and notice you also have a deposition coming up. This situation calls for the practice of prioritizing and likely delegating a few tasks to someone else to assist.