How do you get things moving smoothly again within your legal team? Try some of these key strategies.

Step One: Reorganise

During off weeks, especially weeks with multiple public holidays, your usual organisation strategies may fall by the wayside. You may lose track of your inbox, forget your To Do list, or find your entire team just doing enough to get by. Before you dive back in after a holiday, spend some time getting organised again.

Decide what tasks need to be taken care of immediately. Do you have any days in court coming up? Specific tasks that need to be taken care of on a timeline? Take a few minutes to get organised and make a new To Do list. Assign specific individuals to complete important tasks, especially tasks that may have fallen by the wayside while you were on holiday.

Step Two: Check Your Schedules

Many times, holiday weeks lead to over-filled schedules when you return as you may push back important meetings and tasks until 'after the holiday' so that you don't have to worry about them before. Unfortunately, you may find that you inadvertently over-scheduled your team for the first few days after the holiday. Check your schedules. If needed, push off a few meetings until you've had a little more time to regroup. Not only can this help give you some breathing room immediately after a holiday, it can leave you more time to deal with the other tasks that piled up in the office.

Step Three: Have a Team Meeting

Before you dive into work after a holiday, sit down together and hold a team meeting. Focus on any upcoming goals or your priorities as a team. By sitting down together, you can refocus your team and better prepare everyone to dive back in and give their work their full attention as they return from a break. During your meeting, call attention to your firm's overall goals and plans as well as immediate projects that need your attention.

Step Four: Allow Some Grace

During this transition time, you may discover tasks that went undone or To Do lists that were just a little too stacked. Instead of stressing over the details, offer a little grace as team members transition back to work. Accept that it may take a day or two, for everything to get back to normal, and allow room for that in your schedule. Issue reminders about important tasks pending for each member of the team so that they do not lose track of key deadlines.

Step Five: Work Some Breaks Into the Schedule

As you're diving back into your routine, it can be difficult to handle the long, often seemingly endless stretches of work. To help alleviate some of the strain, work some breaks into your schedule. Give the members of your team a chance to relax a little together, whether you go out together for a meal or allow yourselves a mid-day break for a walk. These little steps can help break up the schedule and help everyone approach their regular work tasks with more energy.

Diving in after time off can present unique challenges to all of your staff members. By refocusing on your priorities and allowing some room for error as you work back into your normal schedule, you'll find that your law firm can quickly return to full productivity. Contact us today.