---
title: "Where a lawyer's week goes: a two-week self-audit"
url: https://thematteros.com/resources/where-a-lawyers-week-goes
updated: 2026-10-17
author: Raghav Handa
---

# Where a lawyer's week goes: a two-week self-audit

To find out where your week goes, log your working time in broad categories for two weeks, fill in the totals in a table, then compare what you did with what you intended. We offer no average figures because every practice differs; your own numbers are the only ones that matter.

## Key takeaways

- Measure your own week; averages from other practices will not describe yours.
- Use six to eight broad categories, not dozens.
- Two weeks smooths out a one-off busy day.
- The point is a decision: stop, delegate, batch or price differently.

## How do you run the audit?

1. Pick categories: For example: client work, business development, admin, finance and billing, learning, supervision and team, interruptions, other.
2. Log in blocks: Note the start and category each time you switch tasks. A time log in Notion or a notebook both work.
3. Total each day: Add up minutes per category at day end.
4. Repeat for two weeks: Include a normal week and a messy one if you can.


## The table to fill in

Copy this into Notion or paper. Enter your hours, then your intended hours, then the difference.

| Category | Week 1 hours | Week 2 hours | Intended hours | Gap | Decision |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Client work (billable) |  |  |  |  |  |
| Client work (non-billable) |  |  |  |  |  |
| Business development |  |  |  |  |  |
| Admin and files |  |  |  |  |  |
| Finance and billing |  |  |  |  |  |
| Supervision and team |  |  |  |  |  |
| Interruptions and context switching |  |  |  |  |  |
| Learning and thinking time |  |  |  |  |  |


## How do you read the result?

- Largest gap between intended and actual hours: start there.
- Admin you repeat weekly: turn it into a checklist or delegate it.
- Non-billable client work: is it priced into your fee?
- Interruptions: can you batch email and calls into set times?

For each category pick one decision: stop, delegate, batch, price differently or keep. Re-run the audit after a quarter.

- Legal time tracking guide: https://thematteros.com/resources/legal-time-tracking-guide
- Law firm KPIs in Notion: https://thematteros.com/blog/law-firm-kpis-in-notion
- Flat fees in the AI era: https://thematteros.com/resources/flat-fees-in-the-ai-era
- Law firm maturity model: https://thematteros.com/blog/law-firm-maturity-model


## FAQ

### How long should the audit run?

Two weeks is enough to see patterns without becoming a burden.

### How many categories should I use?

Six to eight. More than that makes logging slow and the result hard to read.

### What is a normal split of a lawyer's week?

There is no reliable universal figure; practices differ. Compare your actual week with your own intentions.

### Can MatterOS help?

Its time log can record entries by matter and you can add non-matter categories. It is a log, not an automatic tracker.