New Year, New Habits: 5 Ways to Stay on Track with CLE This Year

If you found yourself under pressure at the end of 2023, watching continuing legal education (CLE) courses late into the night only to barely make your deadline, you might be thinking about doing things differently in 2024.

We often start a new year with the best intentions but can find ourselves quickly slipping into old habits with life's everyday stresses and demands.

Here are 5 common methods to manage your time that you can apply to your CLE habits as much as anything else.

This method involves breaking your work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length (a “Pomodoro”), separated by short breaks. After completing 4 Pomodoros, take a longer break. This method helps maintain focus and prevent burnout. Watching one of our on-demand courses works perfectly with this method. You can pause the course whenever you need and pick right back up where you left off.

Break down large tasks into smaller, more manageable parts. Tackling smaller components makes the overall task less daunting and more achievable. If you find yourself unable to commit to a full hour, you can break the task down into 15- or 30-minute intervals throughout the week. Quimbee keeps track of your place in a CLE course even if you log off.

Time blocking involves scheduling specific blocks of time for different tasks or activities. Dedicate set periods for focused work, meetings, emails, and breaks. This helps create a structured routine and ensures that essential tasks receive dedicated attention. Put an hour-long block on your calendar once a month with a link to Quimbee CLE, and plan to complete one course each time.

The "Eat That Frog!" technique encourages tackling the most challenging or important task first thing in the morning. Addressing the most significant task early in the day builds momentum and reduces procrastination. Completing a CLE course might not seem like the most crucial task of your day, but for most attorneys, completing CLE is required to keep practicing law. Committing to knocking out one course early in the day on a regular basis means less stress at the end of your reporting period and no risk of losing your license or paying fees.

Share your CLE goals with a colleague or mentor who can hold you accountable. Regular check-ins provide motivation and encouragement. Find a colleague in your practice area, choose a course you will both watch, and discuss what you’ve learned from it together.

Quimbee CLE Unlimited offers unrestricted access to more than 570 CLE courses and 146 videos in professional development. Whether you’re looking to stay current on developments in your practice area, complete specialty credits, or explore new fields of interest, Quimbee CLE has your back. Start your 7-day free trial today.