Research into how U.S. workers spend millions of hours of their work time clearly shows that many of us are overworked. The startling data is not occupation specific, so it applies across nearly every employment sector in the country. That means attorneys are included. And the numbers are alarming.
For example, 26% of all work performed by U.S. workers is done outside of normal working hours. The average U.S. worker performs at least one hour of work outside of normal hours for every 89 days, and half the time that hour is put in on the weekend.
Things may be a bit more pronounced in the legal profession due to the nature of practicing law. But still, it doesn’t have to be that way. With a bit of discipline and the right technology, it is possible for attorneys to improve the work-life balance.
Put Down the Phone
The technology we’re talking about has nothing to do with mobile devices. In fact, we echo others in encouraging attorneys to put their phones down. The previously mentioned research shows that workers averaged just under three hours of productive time per day on their devices. The rest of their device time is wasted.
No, the technology we are referring to is cloud-based legal case management software. A legal case management app that brings together all of the operations of a typical law firm increases efficiency, reduces workload, and helps attorneys get more done in the same amount of time. This is the key to work-life balance in the modern era.
More Efficient Matter Management
How much time does an attorney spend on matter management issues that really have little bearing on active cases? How much time is spent handling administrative tasks, marketing, business intelligence, and so forth? Working within a software environment that maximizes efficiency in matter management frees attorneys to spend more time on case management. That means less time working on those cases after regular business hours.
More Efficient Calendaring
Calendaring is a ball and chain that consistently puts a drag on attorney performance. In a typical legal case, completing one task initiates a cascade of events that all have to be addressed on a particular schedule. Calendaring all of these tasks can become a nightmare if no one pays attention.
Once again, efficiency is the answer. NuLaw’s case management application includes state-of-the-art calendaring that utilizes artificial intelligence, automation, and rules to make calendaring more efficient. Attorneys spend less time scheduling and more time working.
Take Your Life Back
There are a lot of other features of the NuLaw platform we could discuss in this post. We won’t because that’s not the point. The point is that what we offer is more than just a Salesforce case management app. We offer technology that can help you improve your work-life balance. We offer a cloud-based system that can help you take your life back.
A rather interesting article posted by The Energy Project back in 2017 cited data that shows “the more hours people work beyond 40 — and the more continuously they work — the worse they feel, and the less engaged they become.”
That assessment is spot on in the legal profession. The more you work after hours, the less engaged you are likely to be. The longer your work week, the more likely you are to be unhappy with your work-life balance. What’s the solution? Finding ways to be more efficient in the office so you can leave your work there at the end of the day. NuLaw can be a part of that.
Sources:
- RescueTime – https://blog.rescuetime.com/work-life-balance-study-2019/
- The Energy Project – https://theenergyproject.com/why-you-hate-work-2/