Posts Tagged ‘productivity’

Lee’s Keys to Organizing© #1

Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

1) Design your Waterfront Property © for maximum use.

Your “Waterfront Property” is the most valuable space in your office and your home. It’s where you get your work done, whether it’s your desk at the office or the kitchen table at home. It’s the space where you accomplish your work. Are you right handed or left handed? Set up your Waterfront Property accordingly. For example, if you use a desk handset, place it on the opposite side of the desk or table as your dominant writing hand. When it rings, your writing hand will be available to take notes.

Think through the tasks you work on in this space and set it up properly for the things you are trying to accomplish. The job will be much easier. Be sure you have the tools and the equipment needed to do the task at hand. When you are finished, put things away so that you will be ready to do the next project on your list. You will thank yourself later.

Integrated Legal Office Systems Lead to Productivity, Part 5

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

 

Key #5 Listen Well, Communicate Effectively  

Good listening skills help us avoid miscommunication with co-workers, which reduces stress and improves individual and office productivity. One of the listening issues I’ve found in many practices is that there is not time set aside on a daily basis for the people in the office to communicate face to face. 

We all get busy and think that since there is not a fire to put out at this moment there is not an important issue to discuss.   When time is taken to discuss the issues at hand it keeps an office running smoothly because everyone knows what is important. 

Again, the most important part of effective listening is to summarize.  Be certain that you have clearly understood the message.  Also, when getting a point across to others be aware that the way you speak – your voice tone and facial expressions often have a more lasting impact than the actual words you use.

Integrated Legal Office Systems Lead to Productivity, Part 2

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

 

Lee’s Keys #2 Think Vertically and Visually!

 

This includes:

 

1)      Separating items according to categories

 

2)      Designing vertical storage spaces specifically for the items being stored in them, and also for the persons using them the most

 

3)      LABEL EVERYTHING – there are many different ways to label, including docket number, client matter, dates, or a combination of these.  I’ve seen firms use them all. 

 

4)      Design a plan for the desktop organization of the computers in your firm.  When everyone has the same programs in the same order on their desktop, it is much easier to locate information in their absence. 

 

Many law offices don’t realize how much it costs for even one person to be disorganized.  To calculate the COST of disorganization in your office, you can go to the website www.eldonsolutions.com.  As an example, I put in an average salary of $45,000 in a company with 6 employees.

 

The cost of disorganization in that company 

per year was $33,750 – that is a lot of wasted money.

 

Did you know that a 1% improvement in office productivity equals 10% of the operating cost? Thinking Vertically and Visually leads us to Lee’s Key #3.

 

 

 

 

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