You don’t have time to waste. Or if you do, you don’t want to waste it renumbering paragraphs in a document, or futzing with a malfunctioning printer.

Thankfully, many of the obnoxious time sucks we encounter can be avoided, making our days more productive and less annoying. How? Here are our five top law firm productivity tips, from the FindLaw archives.

You probably use Word every single day, for much of the day. But are you using it wisely? Word isn’t just a text-based word processor, it’s also publishing software. That means following some simple tips can make your Word work much easier. Start by setting up templates, end by creating an automated table of authorities.

2. Boost Productivity by Using Digital Documents

Paper will always have a place in the legal world (adult coloring books, anyone?), but if you want to be productive, you should be using digital documents. By some counts, professionals waste over eleven hours a week creating and managing documents. Creating digital, reusable docs can cut that time down dramatically. Here’s how.

3. Are Dual Monitors the Answer to Increased Office Productivity?

Save your eyes and your sanity by investing in dual monitors. An extra monitor is easy to get, easy to set up, and so much better than a single monitor that you’ll never want to go back. Who wouldn’t want a larger digital workspace? An extra bonus: when you work on dual monitors, you make fewer errors, work faster, and feel more comfortable.

4. New Plug-In Syncs MS Office to Google Drive, Makes Life Easier

Google Drive is simple, free cloud storage. Microsoft Office is everyone’s default word processor. Finally, the two can come together. With the new Google Drive plug-in, legal professionals can open Word, Excel, or PowerPoint documents stored on Drive, edit them on their computers, and save the changes back to Drive when they’re finished. (Now if only there was a version for Word Perfect…)

5. What Should You Look For in an Office Printer? Here’s a Wish List

We’ve come a long way since Guttenberg. Today, a good printer should be able to make copies, send faxes, and conserve ink. And those are just the basics. A great printer will have these features, from auto-duplexing to a large duty cycle.

Related Resources:

  • How Bringing Your Dog to the Office Could Boost Productivity (Daily Mail)
  • This Is How I Got a Free Vanity Phone Line for My Law Firm (FindLaw’s Technologist)
  • 11 Ways to Start a Virtual Law Office Today (FindLaw’s Technologist)
  • Are You Ready for Amy, the Robot Secretary? (FindLaw’s Technologist)

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