

I loved that it was so customizable and that, if I missed a day or two, I wouldn’t have forever-blank pages staring accusingly at me. It’s also most helpful if you only have a few meetings or appointments each week. It’s great for visualizing short-term tasks and staying on top of an immediate to-do list. I found the bullet journal worked best for me when I had ten cases or fewer that I was working on. You can find some of my favorites here, here, and here. There is an active online community of BuJo fans and some beautiful Instagram accounts devoted to getting the most out of your journal. It allows you to track appointments and tasks for both work and personal purposes. You start with a blank notebook, spend about half an hour getting it set up, and then you’re ready to go. Ultimately, I needed something I could better customize.Ī bullet journal is a simple, streamlined way to track everything that needs doing. The task function does not allow for as much sorting and categorizing as many of us need. The calendar only shows so many events at once, and if you have a busy litigation caseload, those event slots fill up quickly. My assistant has access to my calendar, so I have help keeping it up to date.īut Outlook has limitations, too. It syncs effortlessly with my phone, iPad, and laptop. It is the second-to-last program I close every day. It is the second program I open every day, after our document management/timekeeping software. Outlook’s greatest strength is its convenience. It has changed relatively little over the years. The majority of lawyers still use Outlook to send and receive emails, as well as to do basic calendaring.

The simplest tool at your disposal is Outlook. In hopes of sparing others that same lengthy journey, I’ve compiled this list of various tools and techniques I’ve used, along with a discussion of their benefits and drawbacks. Over the last decade, I’ve been on a mission to find the organization system that works best for me.
WORKFLOWY BULLET JOURNAL HOW TO
Some of us are just not born with an innate sense of how to be organized. Lawyers are human, though, and they span the spectrum of strengths and weaknesses. Clients depend on their lawyers to monitor deadlines and make sure they’re met. The consequences of missing those deadlines can be severe, even catastrophic. She has a desk that is reasonably tidy and a good grasp of what’s coming up on her calendar.

What is her personality like? What is her workspace like? Most likely, the person you imagined is smart, thoughtful, thorough, and organized. Take a moment to pause and imagine your ideal lawyer or law student. Today, we’re delighted to bring you the #PracticeTuesday Blog’s very first guest post, courtesy of #AppellateTwitter mainstay Lauren Clark Rad, a litigator at Ferguson Case Orr Paterson LLP.
