Five Things Every Lawyer Should Do to End the Day

We recently found inspiration from a series of posts in Forbes about 16 things a person should do at the start and end of each day. While some of the points applied to lawyers, many did not. We tried to give the posts a legal spin to tailor it to our readers.

After a long day, here are five things you should do to put a close to a productive day ...1. Clear the Clutter

Take a few minutes each day to file papers away, toss what you don't need and leave out what you need to reference the following day. Try to clear as much clutter as you can, it's no fun starting a day with a pile of papers on your disheveled desk.

2. Bill Your Hours

At the end of your day, input all of you hours billed with client codes and descriptions of the work you did. You'll want to do this at the end of each day while it's still fresh in your mind. The last thing you want to be foggy about is the amount of hours you put in and what clients' projects you were working on.

3. Catch up on Easy Correspondence

Try to take some time at the close of your day to clean up your email inbox. Get back to people that are waiting on you for responses, delete what you don't need, and file away what you need to reference later.

4. Review your Calendar

Take a look at your schedule for the next day, and the rest of the week, so you can get a feel for the kind of week you have ahead of you. With an understanding of your schedule, you'll be able to plan your work, for the days ahead, accordingly.

5. Make Your To-Do List

This is our favorite task of the day; it's the time when you get to cross off all the stuff you got done (the most amazing feel ever, especially if done with a red pen or Sharpie). After you're done with that, you get to create a new list for tomorrow. Try to keep the list to achievable tasks; there is only so much you could do in one day. If you have many task items, consider keeping a long-term to do list, separate from your daily list.

No matter how harrowing your day was, if you take these 5 easy steps at the end of your day, you are ensuring that you close the day efficiently with a soothing routine. And, you'll ensure that your next day won't be off to an awful start.

Related Resources:

• Five Things Every Lawyer Should Do to Start the Day (FindLaw's Strategist Blog)
• Five Things Every Lawyer Should do In the Middle of the Day (FindLaw's Strategist)
• Be a Better Attorney: 5 Tips to Optimize Your Nap Time (FindLaw's Strategist Blog)
• 4 Counter-Intuitive Ways to Increase Productivity (FindLaw's Strategist Blog)