Working from Home – How do I feel about it?

I’m not new at working from home.  A couple of years ago I worked from home for an entire year.  I loved and it was probably the most productive I’ve ever been.  I don’t have children (I have two poodles) so I never had to worry about getting interrupted and my time is my time.   During this time I set up a new process for regulatory monitoring for the entire consumer bank and the process is still going strong with some changes.  We developed a regulatory library with laws impacting the industry from every state in the United States and recently we’ve added some foreign jurisdictions.  This program is now the basis for our obligations.

Since the pandemic, I like many others in the country, have been working from home and again, this is probably the most productive I’ve been.  My job consists of reading lots of laws, summarizing them and letting the legal teams know about upcoming legislation and how it will impact the industry and the processes we currently in place.  I know, it sounds boring but I enjoy it.  I’ve always said that if I weren’t a paralegal I would probably be a librarian.  I love reading and enjoy the quiet.  I am also an introvert.  I don’t mind crowds.  I’m not opposed to having a social gathering (when able to) but I don’t do well if that’s the norm.

Since we are all talking about getting back to the office I’ve become more stressed.  I don’t enjoy the set up.  There are too many distractions.  Not necessarily people who want to come chat with me.  My cubicle is actually pretty out of the way so unless someone really needs to talk to me I can go days without seeing anyone.  The walls of the cubicles at the office are high enough that I don’t even see the person sitting in the cubicle immediately in front of me unless we both stand up.  The distractions I’m talking about are the other conversations.  They don’t have to be loud to be distracting.  Sometimes when they are mere whispers they are more distracting than if they were loud, I think.  I guess my brain want so figure out what is being said.  Call me nosy!!!!

Anyway, working from home allows me the opportunity to really focus on what I’m reading and when comes time to summarize the law it allows me the focus to get the job done much quicker and more concise.  Since we began working from home I have found that I don’t need as much time to get through the work I need to do in one day.  Normally, that entails going through each of the states legislative sites and finding introduced legislation and marking it to be tracked.  Once that is done I go through the legislation that I am tracking to see if there are any changes and what the chances are that a bill will become a law.  I enjoy having the time to actually think about patterns.  How many states are introducing the same type of bill?  Will it impact another area of the industry?  Have any states figured that out?  What should I let the attorney know to keep an eye on and to tell the client?  These are the things that I have had the time to think about since the distractions are at a minimum.  When I’m in the office I barely have time to get through the new legislation, let alone have time to see patterns.  Most of the time, when in the office, I’m in reaction mode.  Trying to stay above water.  It’s been nice having a bit of breathing room lately.  I’ve even taken a few classes in other things I’m interested in learning.

What about you?  Have you been working from home?  How is that going?

How I’m becoming paperless

The past couple of years I have tried and failed and tried and failed to become paperless at home and in the office.  I think I’ve posted a few times about my attempts and then eventually I give up because it becomes difficult to maintain.  I will admit that it is not the easiest thing to do and I find myself many times a day reaching for a pen and paper to jot down a quick note only to remember that I don’t keep pens or paper on my desk.  I do that on purpose because I know that if I keep either of those on my desk I will fail in my attempt again.

I’m still not 100% paper free around the house but I will say that most of the time I am conscious of when I do reach out for something paper because I still have not found a better method and when I’m just being lazy and don’t want to be bothered.  I think the trick is to make being paperless as easy or easier than not being paperless.

It’s been a month and so far so good.  How did I do it this time?  Why is it that so many other times I failed and this time it seems to have stuck?

Remove Temptation

Like I said above, I removed all the temptation from my desk.  I removed all little post it notes and little pads of paper from my reach in my home office.  I no longer have that post it sitting right to the side where I can just jot down a phone number, or a quick note to remember to do something later.  I have to say that doing that was 99% of the battle.  Not having it around me forced me to be creative and instill a habit I needed to have to find a solution digitally instead of physically 🙂

Find the Apps that Work for you

Reminders on my phone:  When I just need to take a quick note I usually speak it into my phone to remind me later of what I needed to do.  I do this when there is really no other way capture that thought or idea.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been outside with the dogs and I remember something I have to do.  I quickly pick up my phone and tell Siri to remind me to … blah, blah.  Whatever it may be.

Notion for all other stuff:  for office and life related things I no longer have a notebook where I keep notes and a planner when I keep my personal life organized.  I keep everything in one place.  I have on life and one body and things make more sense together in one place.  The things are together but I can filter by areas of my life:  Work, personal, health, family, etc.  It’s working for me and it’s keeping me on track.  Notion was a great find for me.  It allows me to organize my life the way I am able to make sense of my life and I’m not stuck to a pre-selected process created by someone who does not think like I do.  I create my own way of staying organized.  For me this was half the battle…. staying organized and on task.  The last few times I tried going paperless I gave up because I would get frustrated because I could not find things when I needed them.  Notion has a search option where I can search for things if I can’t remember what notebook or folder I’ve put them.  However, I will have to say that because I created the system to work with my brain I, very rarely, use the search feature and am able to find things when I need them just by going directly to the location that makes sense for me.  what’s best?  Notion has an app on my phone, my iPad and my computer.  I am connected to my to do list all the time.

I’m planning on doing a video or a blog post about notion in the future.  I’m still learning all the ins and outs of it and I’m sure I’m not using it to it’s fullest capacity yet.

Scanning and filing away:  I have to admit that this is very slow going.  I have so many papers stored in my office that I feel like this is going to take a while and if I’m going to be completely honest this is the area where I’m most afraid of getting frustrated with.  I have started scanning somethings and keeping them in folders in my computer.  There are things I will have to keep in paper form and those will be stored in the safe.  Things like my mortgage papers, mine and my husband’s licenses, you know the normal government stuff that will need to be available in paper form when the government needs them.  The rest of the stuff is ready to be scanned and filed away.  I’ve created folders on my computer where I’ll put things in and will be able to get to them wherever I am…..I am looking forward to that day.

The grocery list:  We have been using our reminders app on the phone where we add items we need when we remember or think about them.  We share that particular reminder folder with each other and it’s always available.  So no more of him calling me on his way home from work to ask what it is that I need, if anything.  All he has to do is go on the app and it’s right there for him.  Once the item is purchased we check it off on the app and the item goes away.  So no more of the two of us are out buying duplicate things or not having what we needed because we forgot the list at home.  Now if I could find a good coupon app and incentivize him to use it….. that would be amazing 🙂

So what is it like to be more paperless?

I don’t know about you guys but both my husband and I are very paper heavy.  Not to mention that we’re old and we are always taking notes on little pieces of paper and leaving those around only to see them a week later and not remember what that note was about.

No more being somewhere and remembering something but not having a pen and paper on hand and telling myself that I will remember it later when I get back in the house where I can write it down…. I never remembered!!!!!!

Less clutter is also good.  I no longer have a million little notes all over my desk where I wrote down that password, or someone’s number to remind myself I needed to call.  My desk is a lot cleaner and my brain is at peace because I know that a computer will remind me to make that call and will have the phone number right there in front of me when the time comes to make the call.

So far this paperless thing is working for me.  This has been the longest stretch of me not needing a pen and paper everywhere I go.  I just need my phone and I’m free roam and stay on track and organized.

Have you tried to go paperless?  How did it work?  any tips for me?

Weekend Reads

The best time of the day is always early in the morning with a cup of coffee while the dogs and the husband are still in bed. This is when I open up my planner, take one sip of my coffee and start planning my day. Then I move on to the news of the day. I’d like to share some of the news articles that caught my interest.

Unless we have all been living under a rock, we are all well aware of the opioid revolution (as I like to call it). I found this article very interesting. So it appears that the Massachusetts Supreme Court will be hearing a case about “Is a relapse a medical symptom?” How interesting! However, there is a lot of be concerned with in my opinion no matter where the court falls on this decision. What do you think?

Netneutrality…… What????? If you had asked me a few months ago I wouldn’t have had a clue what you were talking about. Is this word even in the dictionary? Now that I have had the chance to read a little about it I’m honestly not sure how I land on the issue. On the one hand I would imagine it’s the nature of our capitalist world, on the other hand, paying for services that are currently free is not making me happy. Maybe I need to read more about it. For now, here’s why Apple is not happy about it.

So, after reading this I’m wondering how many more of these would be entrepreneurs would be thwarted on their way up the ladder due to netneutrality……. Did you see this story? How great is this? Maybe he’s the one we should consult about work/life balance. He seems to be having a good time and making some awesome cash in the process.

Time to finish my cup of coffee and get ready to go on about my time. Manicure and pedicure are in my future and we all know how important those can be.

Have a great weekend all and I will see you all soon. Take a look at my other blog where I review all the books I’m reading. Ok……. haven’t done that in a little while but there will be a review of the book I’m currently reading coming soon….. Principles by Ray Dalio — no spoilers here.

XoXo

Ana

Finally Here

It’s been a very very very long time since I have posted here.  I am pretty sure it was something I did but for over a year I was not able to find the blog.  I’m not sure what I did but I most likely clicked when I should have kept myself from clicking ….. the blog went missing.  I kept seeing your comments and your questions but I was not able to interact.  I’m so sorry.

Again…. not sure what I did today but here I am.  I have regained access to the blog and I am ready to go.

So……… without dwelling in the past and trying to figure out what happened, I want to concentrate on the future and figure out where to go from here.  I know I want to post more about what it is that we, as paralegals do.  I want to help you navigate the career development maze and help you learn from my mistakes so that hopefully it won’t take you as long as it has taken me to get ahead.  Most of all, I want to work with you and be here for you.  Please continue to send me your emails and your thoughts and your requests.  I am sincerely happy to be back and I can’t wait to have a cup of coffee and a chat.

Ana

In The News – What has the Paralegal Been Reading

As most of you know reading is one of the ways I relax.  I’m not much into watching television so, after a long day, while the husband relaxes watching whatever shows he enjoys watching I am usually sitting or laying down next to him reading on my iPad.  These are some of the bits of the things which caught my interest.

After a Summer full of activities and sometimes spending more money than most of us budgeted for the fall is a great time to revisit our spreadsheets, or Mint or whatever method you use to make sure you are going to have enough to enjoy the holidays.  Mint published a great list of Money Moves for Fall.

Are you guilty of pointing fingers?  Do you sometimes get annoyed at how some people seem to have it so easy and seem to be struggling to get ahead?  Well, I know I am guilty of that, sometimes.  We’re all human and sometimes we can’t help but be a bit jealous or envious of those who seem to have it all.  This week I read a great article in brainpickings.org.  Sometimes what looks like privilege to us is actually the product of many years of struggle.  Take a moment to read this article and then take some time to actually assess if you agree.  Some Thoughts on “Privilege.”

Every morning and every evening when I’m commuting from New Jersey into New York for work I wonder if other people go through the same annoyance as I do.  For instance, last night, the subway was so crowded I couldn’t find a place to hold on to.  I’m short, so I can’t reach the top railing — you know the one that hangs above you head — so I need to rely on the poles. Well, unless I morphed into Gumbywoman I was not going to be able to hold on.  I tried to balance myself without holding on which makes for an interesting commute.  Good thing I was not wearing heels.  This morning I found some pictures Proof that Rush House is Kinda Terrible Everywhere which made me feel much better.  Misery does love company, after all.

While we’re on the subject of pictures….. What’s this about?  I do’t even know what to say to that.  Is it really necessary to post a notice like this?  What are we coming to?

You all know I really enjoy being a paralegal.  Maybe I’ve always been lucky and I have never been treated disrespectfully because I’m a paralegal.  Sure, I have been disrespected.  However, not because of my chosen profession but because some people are just jerks.  They can’t help that and honestly not something I can change.  It’s their problem and I can only feel sorry for them.  When I saw this article in Legal Cheek, I thought it best to write something here in case some of you are thinking about becoming paralegals.  It’s funny and some of them are probably going to wind up in my Pinterest but it’s not what the profession is about.  Remember you do have a choice in everything you do.

XoXo

Ana

In the News This Week

Hello, it’s me again. This week has been pretty slow reading week. Besides trying to get done with the book that I’ve been reading and getting my yard ready for the fall, I have barely had the time to read much else. There were, however, a few articles that caught my eye….

So, if you don’t know already, I have don’t watch much television. Actually throughout the day, if and when I’m home the television doesn’t even get turned on…. If it does it’s the news or some mindless home show. If I’m going to sit in front of the television, it’s normally to watch a documentary or my guilty pleasure (of which I don’t feel guilty at all), The Big Bang Theory. So on Monday, you better believe I was parked in front of the television to watch the double episode of the Big Bang Theory…. I love nerds. Which leads me to another show which I may start watching. New this season it’s called Scorpions and it comes on right after the Big Bang Theory….. why not. I’m in front of the television already.

Anyway, I much prefer reading, if I have time to kill (I don’t have much of that these days).

If you follow me on Twitter, and if you don’t you should, you probably saw when I tweeted the article from thelegalinteligencer.com, Why I Became a Paralegal in the Diverse Area of Corporate Law. Sometimes we need to take on things which may at first blush sound and look boring to us. You never know what can happen. I never thought I’d be so happy doing regulatory work at a bank but I am truly having a lot of “fun” at work….. don’t get me wrong, it’s still a job and I still get frustrated, but it is a great area to be in these days. Go ahead, take a look at the article and tell me what you think.

The Corporate Counsel also had a great article about titles. I don’t know about you, but I don’t get hung up on titles. As long as I’m doing what I like to do, I don’t really care what you call me. I know that the title usually dictates what is budgeted for raises and other compensation. However, I believe that if you are doing a good job and your manager is happy with you, he/she will find a way to circumvent the title thing. I would hate to have a title just for the sake of having one and be totally miserable every day. No thank you!!!!

I’m not really sure how I came upon this blog, A dude With a Blog, but one of the articles really caught my attention. Have you ever wondered if the people you meet on line are really what they claim to be? Apparently, in Amsterdam, this student found how how easy it is to “fool” everyone online. Sometimes the people we “know” are really not the people we know. We can be anything we want online. Zilla Van Dan Born, the student mentioned above, pretended to be traveling all through Asia and was able to lie to her entire family about it. She was not being mean at all, so don’t all start hating her. This was a project she was doing for school…… No harm was done to anyone and I’m sure they are now having a good laugh about it. Take a look at the article. I found it very interesting.

As you can see, I did not spend a lot of time reading this week. I have a lot of catching up to do. What have you been reading this week? Send it over, don’t just keep it to yourself.

Hope to see you soon and while you’re here, go check out my other blog The Paralegal At Home. See you there?

Today I Say Good Bye To Steve Jobs

From the Apple Website http://www.apple.com

For those of you who may not know me I am an Apple Geek.  I am proud to be an Apple Geek.  I started small, first came the iPod, then the iMac a few years later I got a Macbook and the husband got a Macbook Air, then the iPhones, there was the 1, 2 3, 3G, the husband got the 3GS and then both of us got the 4.  Then we both had to have the iPad and then instead of the iPhone 4S we decided to upgrade the iPads to the iPad2 (we’ll wait for the 5) and the most recent addition to the family was the Apple TV….. Yeah I am an Apple addict. No excuses, I love the product.  I love the way it looks, the way they work and how few problems we have.  Have there been problems? yes, sure.   The difference is, that with Apple, when we have had a problem, we go to the the nearest Apple Store and the problem gets resolved.  They have great customer service and if we can’t make it to the store we can even troubleshoot in chat with a representative (I’ve done that).

Today, I would like to take some time to dedicate a post to a man who has made a huge impact in the world.  At at time when there was so much “wrong” Apple did it all right.  The stock goes up the products are always reliable and the service is excellent.  Today, we lost a genius.  One in a million in our generation.

In a 2005 Steve Jobs was the commencement speaker at Stanford University and then he said “Your time is limited so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” He lived this saying.  He made his own path and lived it fully.  He believed in his dreams and he taught us all that believing in our dreams is ok.  Work hard, be true to who you are and dream high.

Today we say good bye to a man who made a difference.

Social Network and the Courts

Who has not heard of the movie Social Network? Social Network is the story behind Facebook and the rise to fame of Mark Zuckerberg.

In 2003, Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, students at Harvard and Olympic rowing twins, hired Mark Zuckerberg, another student at Harvard, to code a site they eventually ConnectU.   According to Tyler and Cameron, ConnectU was going to be the next big thing had Mark Zuckerberg not turned their idea into what is now known as Facebook and kept them out of the “loop.”

The Winkelvosses, or as Mark Zuckerberg referred to them in the movie “the Winkelvi,” (my second most favorite part in the movie, second to my favorite which is the deposition clip) sued Facebook and signed a settlement agreement for $65 million dollars in 2008 ($20 million in cash and $45 million worth of stock valued at $36.00 per share). Facebook agreed to the settlement to put an end to the litigation. However, it did not admit to any wrongdoing on the part of Mark Zuckerberg. It appears that earlier this year the Wilkelvoss twins appealed the settlement to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals after District Court denied such request.

Chief Judge Alex Kozinski wrote the opinion of the court  “At some point litigation must come to an end. That point has now been reached.”

I for one am glad.  To tell you the truth I never thought the original suit had any merit.  After seeing the movie, and yes, I do realize that a movie is not real life and that the director and the writers always take some liberties.  However, I choose to believe that what happened was not theft but competition.  Someone took someone’s idea and made it better.   Nothing wrong with that or is there?

Paralegals in New Jersey Taking Baby Steps

It’s no surprise that New Jersey rules for paralegal utilization are probably some of the most restrictives. On March 28, 2011, the New Jersey State Bar’s Advisory Committee on Professional Ethics (“ACPE”) and the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee (“CUPL”) issued an opinion which lifts the long standing restrictions of allowing paralegals to sign non-substantive correspondence. Opinion ACPE 720/CUPL 46. For now this opinion will stand, unless the court overturns it. The opinion modifies the long standing ACPE Opinion 611, which goes back to February 18, 1988, and restricted paralegals to “…sign only routine correspondence that is not directed to clients, opposing lawyers or courts.”.

Although it may sound like Opinion 720 is still restrictive and not such a great cause to celebrate, if you live and work in New Jersey, this is great news and a step, albeit a baby step, in the right direction.

Expectation of Privacy….

Let’s be honest.  Most of us have, from time to time, used our employers’ computers to send personal emails.  If you’re an employer I am sure you think you are covered by giving your employee that letter to sign stating that the email system is to be for “business use” and that you (the employer) reserve the right to review and retain all incoming and outgoing mail sent from that computer….. hmmmm think again.  You may have to re-write that policy.

The New Jersey Court found in Stengart v. Loving Care Agency, Inc ., 201 N.J. 300 (March 31, 2010) that  “employees may have a reasonable expectation of privacy when using employer-issued computers for sending electronic mail (e-mail) even if the e-mail is sent through a personal, password-protected, web-based e-mail account.”

The end of the article mentions a few things that you, as an employer, should consider relating to your email policy.