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19 Pass It On: Newsl. Gov't & Pub. Sector Law. Div. 1 (2009-2010)

handle is hein.journals/passit19 and id is 1 raw text is: By Anne Dewey-Balzhiser n the current economic climate, employers are downsizing and expecting the remain- ing staff to pick up the slack. The resulting job insecurity and larger workloads usually mean increased stress and decreased efficiency for the remaining workforce. Even under normal condi- tions, productivity is not always optimal. Most of us have had days when all we can do is stare at a pile of assignments or other times when we multi-task our day away without accom- plishing anything significant. Lawyers, whose work requires intellectual heft and the exercise of judgment, are more prone to be influenced by obstacles to productivity. It's important to examine these obstacles and find strategies to overcome them. What are some of the factors that get in the way of completing assignments? ED Communication technology that creates a continual focus on voice/email/text messages; Lots of insignificant tasks that are distracting; and Challenging projects that seem overwhelming. Technnlo& Ovedoad Technology has introduced many new ways to waste time. Reviewing email, text and voice mail messages can become our job. We can choose to let these tasks fill so much time in our daily schedule that the real work we've been hired to do is pushed aside. A city attorney who requested anonymity states that sometimes he has to stop reading email and get away from his desktop to get anything done. Sometimes the best thing you can do is unplug and work the old-fashioned way, with your head. Discipline is the key. Choose specific time periods in the day when you're going to review your messages and do so only at those times. Irma Robins, University Counsel for the Univer- sity of Maryland, Baltimore, advises turning off the automatic email message alert. It's almost impossible to ignore the reminders and it prompts you to interrupt the task at hand and check your email, which is much less efficient than checking email periodically during the day, says Robins. When you do check your messages, emails and texts, try to handle as many of these once and only once. If possible, deal with email requests on the day of receipt so that your inbox does not build up. If necessary, file messages in an electronic folder where they can be retrieved. Immediately delete the spam or the ones that need no response. The point is to handle the time wasters as quickly as possible in order to get back to the substantive work you were hired to perform. The increased use of technology has blurred the boundaries between the office and home. Working overtime hours at home robs us of the opportunity to reconnect with family and friends and to rejuvenate. We remain in work mode continuously. The solution is to turn off technology at home so that you are not tempted to check your messages. Unless you have an unusually high level position, messages sent to you in the evening can be answered the follow- ing business day. For those who bring work home every night and then routinely bring it back in the morning, uncompleted, stop! This is a popular crutch for procrastinators-it gives them an excuse for fail- ing to complete their work at the office because they convince themselves they'll do it at home. It's a serious time waster habit that may be difficult to break. To do so, it's important to exert discipline on yourself by going cold turkey-don't let yourself take any work home. This will force you to be more productive during work hours. With practice, this bad habit can be broken.

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