Trial Magazine
Question of the Month
What’s your secret to productivity?
June 2021“Pick a field of law that you love, that you have passion for, and that gives you a sense of purpose. Then work will never be a chore.”
Kimberly Valentine, Valentine Law Group, Mission Viejo, CA
“Learn your and your staff’s strengths and weakness, and make the most of the strengths. Outsource weaknesses rather than forcing yourself and your staff to perform tasks that are not within these strengths. This relieves stress and anxiety while improving morale and job performance.”
Laura J. Mullins, Pintas & Mullins, Chicago, IL
“Set your goals for personal, professional, and financial improvement every year. Make a list of things you can do that will advance those goals every week, and make a daily to-do list that includes your three most important tasks. Delegate things that do not require your personal attention, and trust but verify everything you have delegated.”
Ted Sherwood, Sherwood, McCormick & Robert, Tulsa, OK
“Time-blocking is key. I break my day up based on tasks I want to accomplish and always put the most difficult task at the beginning of the day. I also have set days for calls with defense counsel, cocounsel, and clients. This helps me to not only accomplish my harder tasks before aimlessly checking my email or voicemail but also to be the most productive version of myself.”
Matthew Haynie, Forester Haynie, Dallas, TX
“My secret to productivity is self-imposed stress—deadlines make me work more productively. So while I’d be better off in theory starting my day in the office rather than going for a bike ride, I wouldn’t be happy or ramped up enough to work hard. Coming back from a ride to 50–75 new emails and a few phone calls forces me to spend the next few hours furiously focused. Then, I take another break and walk the dog or eat lunch. When my time is limited, I work more efficiently, I’m more focused, and often I do better quality work.”
Stephen L. Hoffman, Law Office of Stephen L. Hoffman, Chicago, IL
