CBA Record March-April 2021

5. When Zoom is necessary, try to struc- ture things as best as possible. Use a collaborative document like a Google Doc to create and share an outline in advance of the meeting, then take notes that everyone can see. It will keep you and your collaborators on-task and focused, while treating everyone’s time with respect. 6. Reduce distractions.This can be a Sisyph- ean task for anyone working from home with family or roommates but try to keep this in mind and do what you can to minimize distractions around you. Noise- cancelling headphones or a privacy screen are simple solutions that might save you a lot of grief in the long run. 7. Build in breaks. Designated break times will make you use your work time more effectively. It is a tall order this time of year but try to get outside at least once a day. Even a short, heavily bundled-up walk can give your brain the mental refresh it needs to attack your workload with new clarity and focus. 8. If you have an unproductive day, don’t beat yourself up. This is a stressful time, and sometimes our brains need a day of indulgence. Just leave that day behind you when it’s done. Dwelling on it will only bring that energy with you into the next. Keep moving forward! Don’t forget, spring is around the corner. The days are getting longer, and chances of snow or single digit temperatures are get- ting smaller. Hang in there.

LPMT BITS & BYTES BY ANNE HAAG TimeManagement Skills

A s we pass the one-year anniversary of the start of Covid-19 shutdowns in Chicago, it is safe to say that this has been a very strange year. This strangeness is likely an understatement, and countless layers of our lives have been impacted by the pandemic in varying degrees. As these impacts are compounded by the normal drudgery of winter, I have recently taken note of how my perception of time has sometimes felt distorted. As we emerge from the winter dol- drums, what can you do to help keep yourself on track and manage your tasks while the world around you moves so much more quickly (or maybe more slowly – or both) than it used to? 1. Start the day off strong. Even working from home, try to shower, get dressed, and eat a good breakfast before you get started with your workday, as you would if you were still commuting. If you’re dreading a certain task, try tackling that first thing to get it off your plate and save yourself a day of dread. Tidy up your workspace when you end the day so that you start each day off with an organized environment, ready to dive into the tasks at hand. 2. Build in time for social media and make it a routine. During my LinkedIn profile review sessions, I always recommend people spend just five minutes a day on the platform. It helps you get on the better side of the algorithm, but it also might make you feel more comfortable on the platform. If posting and content generation don’t come naturally to you, Anne Haag is the CBA’s Law Practice Management Advisor, a certified crisis intervention counselor, and a volunteer withResilience as a trauma- informed ER advocate for sexual assault survivors.

you’ll start to get a better sense of what might be organic for you to post about on any given platform, not just LinkedIn. 3. Use project or task management plat- forms. Task management platforms (essentially virtual to-do lists) like ToDoist are great for personal task management. You can schedule tasks and organize them across various lists, priority levels, and dates. If you need to delegate or collaborate with others, proj- ect management platforms like Asana are the way to go. These also typically offer some kind of productivity analysis tools so that you can get a sense of the pain points in your practice’s workflows. 4. Use Zoom sparingly. “It could have been a phone call” (instead of a Zoom meeting) is the new “it could have been an email” (instead of a meeting). Zoom fatigue is real. Don’t subject yourself or others to it unnecessarily. Use phone calls when video isn’t necessary. Plat- forms like Teams or Slack offer video chat functionality but also provide a valuable space for communication that isn’t suited for an email but doesn’t need to be a full-blown video call either.

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