Podcast Ep. 14: The Two Time-Management Systems Every Woman Lawyer Should Know About

I have to admit something that may surprise you.

I am often amazed at how poorly organised some of my clients are. And I am not talking about junior lawyers. I am talking about women who are juggling partnership in major law firms with small children at home.

What I often see are post it notes stuck to computer screens, to do lists rewritten every single day, inboxes used as task managers, and complex tracking systems that are so time consuming they quickly fall apart.

If that sounds familiar, you are not alone. But it is also not sustainable.

So in this episode, I want to take you into the detail of how I organise my own time. Not because my system is perfect, but because it has evolved over many years and it allows me to keep everything in one place so that my brain does not have to.

Before I share the practical side, there are three principles that underpin everything I do.

The first is that you only have one life, so you should only have one system.

Work and personal life are not separate in practice. You might need to book a medical appointment during the work day or take a work call in the evening. If your system does not capture everything, things will fall through the cracks.

The second principle is simple: if it is not in your diary, it is not in your life.

And the third is that when you feel overwhelmed, focus only on the very next thing. Not the entire list. Just the next step.

With those principles in mind, let me show you what this looks like in practice.

I use a very simple spreadsheet with three tabs.

The first tab is my daily and weekly dashboard. The second is for my quarterly goals. And the third is for my longer term goals.

This means everything is connected. My day to day actions link directly to my quarterly priorities, which in turn support my longer term direction.

In my daily dashboard, I divide tasks into two categories: shorts and longs.

Shorts are the small tasks that do not take much time but take up a surprising amount of mental space. Things like making a phone call, booking tickets, or sending a quick email. If I do not write them down, I find myself trying to remember them all day.

Longs are the tasks that require real focus and concentration. These are the ones that move things forward in a meaningful way. I try to limit myself to a maximum of three per day, and ideally just one.

Tasks come into this system from two directions. They come from everything that lands in my world, emails, conversations, requests. And they also come from my quarterly goals. This is what ensures that even during busy periods, I am still making progress on what really matters.

I also schedule time in my diary to deal with my shorts. Otherwise they simply do not get done. When I block an hour to clear them, it is incredibly satisfying to empty that list and free up mental space.

Alongside this system, I have been experimenting with something that has been a real game changer for me: calendar blocking.

Every Friday afternoon, I spend about an hour to an hour and a half planning the week ahead.

During that time, I review what is on my mind, I look at my goals, I check my projects, and I make sure I am creating space not just for work, but also for family, rest, and enjoyment.

And then I schedule everything.

This is where the real shift happens.

Instead of constantly deciding what to do next, I make those decisions in advance. By the time Monday arrives, I already know what I am focusing on and when.

This is particularly important as you become more senior.

Early in your career, you are rewarded for being reactive. You respond to emails, complete tasks, and follow instructions. But as you progress, you are expected to think, to strategise, and to lead. That requires uninterrupted time. And that time does not appear by accident. You have to create it.

Calendar blocking also makes it much easier to say no.

When you can see your week clearly, you can make informed decisions about whether you have the capacity to take on something new. You can also have more honest conversations about priorities and trade offs.

So if something urgent comes in, you can see exactly what needs to move in order to accommodate it.

That level of clarity is incredibly powerful.

Now, you do not need to copy my system exactly. The goal is not perfection. The goal is to have a system that works for you and that you actually use.

So here is a simple way to get started.

Choose one place where everything will live for the next week. It could be a notebook, a spreadsheet, or an app. Then write down everything you need to do and commit to using only that system for seven days.

See how it feels to get everything out of your head and into one place.

Most people find that it brings an immediate sense of calm and control.

Because ultimately, being organised is not about doing more. It is about creating the structure that allows you to focus on what matters and to build a career and a life that feels manageable and meaningful.