1. Organize the papers you're going to be reading today for your project. Organized papers are much easier to read.
2. Aren't your nails a little too long? You should trim them now.
3. And file them.
4. Arrange the first paper you need to read in the manner in which you plan to read and take notes on it. Something like this:
5. Good. You need coffee.
6. For Heaven's sake, check your email. This is a law office! (Or wherever you work....)
7. Obviously, you need to respond to at least one of these emails, probably lots of them.
8. Oh, look!, an interesting news article related to your field of employ (or not). You should email your two good work buddies about that article. It's important to be engaged in the discourse of the profession.
9. Once you have read about half of that first paper you arranged earlier, you should probably start a blog post, if you haven't done so already.
10. And it's probably time for a potty break too. (You should get more coffee on your way back.)
11. Are you a trial lawyer? Have you checked the docket today to make sure you haven't accidentally forgotten about a hearing you need to handle? Don't you think you'd better had?
(Approximately one and a half hours of productive reading and thinking later.....)
12. Hey, lunch!
13. Back at the desk after a refreshing lunch break, it's time to stare at the computer screen until it tells you what to write.
14. Hey what's up on your Facebook feed?
15. And Instagram....
16. You need to play a word in all seven of your Words With Friends games. You can't let your friends down. They might be procrastinating too. Don't be selfish.
17. You should probably add something to that blog post, now.
18. Um, potty?
19. If you haven't done so already, text your spouse/friend/significant other/child about dinner. Or at least plan it out in your head.
20. Better write it down.
Okay, time to get serious:
21. How about a snack?
22. You should stretch your legs.
23. And get some water.
24. Do you need to go visit your friend up on the 14th floor?
25. Gawd! Look at the size of your in-box. You'd better archive and delete some of those emails before you run out of space and all of your emails bounce back to their senders.
And, now, with nearly two-thirds of the work day gone, your mind should be well aimed on the task at hand. Now, you can think like you've never thought before; you can think like it is impossible to think when you have hours and hours of time on your hands (like this morning). Now, your brain is so keenly and sharply focused by adrenaline that, were you not working furiously on your project until the end of the day, you could surely shoot laser beams from your eyes. And, hooray for you!, you've managed to write about five good pages of your (let's be honest) pretty dry work product that will nevertheless (we hope) please and impress your boss (once the entire thing is completed...because you still have loads to do).
You're Welcome. (But, let's do a little bit less of this tomorrow, okay?)
