Law Technology Today From the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center
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Never too late to make some resolutions (though we keep wanting to type r-e-v-o-l-u-t-i-o-n-s). New year, (almost) empty calendar, long list of tech gadgets from the Consumer Electronics Show. Where to start?
Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell offer some suggestions, like looking at what you currently use (or have) and starting small. For example, if you own an iPhone, turn on Find My iPhone. Resolution: done! Now, look at your desk. Are there sticky notes with user names and passwords on them? Is there a file on your desktop, or in a folder, that contains account user names and passwords? Next resolution: create some powerful passwords, and use a password manager. Another resolution: done! While looking at your desk, broaden your scope a bit and look at your office. Stacks of files, papers around? Perhaps going paperless is now on your list of resolutions.
Whatever your resolutions, Kennedy-Mighell suggest making them specific, measurable, actionable, and realistic. Or perhaps specific, measurable, actionable, and tangible. Just working on a paperless strategy will show results in the amount of clutter that is removed from your desk, floor, and office in general. You might find you like the cleaner look, the organization, and keep at it. From resolution to habit. Bonus.
Kennedy-Mighell have some resolutions of their own, too. Kennedy aspires to prune down his data intake from things such as podcasts and RSS feeds, look into automating as many repetitive tasks as possible, revisit old systems which might be improved by 2015 technologies including the cloud, broadband access, increased storage, or processing power, and to simply try something new. Mighell is looking to learn new Microsoft Office skills in Access, Excel, and Project, start creating more content for his blogs, try a new platform with Microsoft Surface Pro 3, and also automate repetitive tasks using If This Then That and other tools. Both hosts express that it is important for lawyers to increase their technology experience each year and resolutions are a useful way to structure and inspire new learning.
Oh, and in the second half of the podcast, Kennedy and Mighell review and analyze the legal technology resolutions they set for 2014, aka: accountability check. How did they do?