How to Handle Stress: 6 Tips for Court Reporters

By: Colleen Jilio-Ryan | Posted in: court reporter

A court reporter’s job is full of stress. It can be an extremely rewarding career, but along with the rewards come several responsibilities. The need for complete accuracy and confidentiality can be overwhelming at times. A court reporter must know how to perform their duties without allowing the job to take a toll on their mental and physical health.

1. Prioritize
   Look at your jobs and prioritize the things you need to do so you can make sure everything is done on time and to the best of your ability. Know which jobs are due and take the time to prioritize them so that each one is finished ahead of schedule. Certain jobs will require more work than others, so it is important to make sure enough time is allotted for every step of the process. Prioritizing your tasks means that you will remain on track. It also ensures that you will have the time you need to edit and finalize each transcript.

2. Plan Your Day
   Create a daily, weekly, and monthly schedule. This allows you to see at a glance what jobs you have coming up and where you have free time. Some days will be busier than others, so it is important to plan ahead and make sure you do not overwork yourself. By planning each day and week, it allows you to schedule down time so you can take breaks and rejuvenate yourself between jobs. On a day to day basis, it allows you to set aside the amount of time you need to finish each job, while still making time for small breaks that allow you to take a breath and walk away from the work for a short period of time.

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3. Take a Step Back
   The stress of the job can be overwhelming at times. To prevent burn out and maintain your ability to fully focus on the task at hand, you need to be able to take a step back and let go of the job for a short period of time. Taking small breaks throughout the day will help you take your mind off the job long enough to refocus when you go back to work. It’s also important to take a few days off now and again. A short vacation allows you to leave your work at the office and focus on other things.

4. Leave Your Work at the Office
   While vacations are nice, the ability to leave your work at the office can help to relieve some of the stress and strain associated with the job. There may be days where the work load requires over-time. Learning how to leave the work behind the office door allows you to focus on your family, as well as yourself. It gives you time to do the things you enjoy without worrying about what needs to be done at the office. Leaving the work behind for a few hours allows you to look at things with fresh eyes when you return to the office the next day.

5. Delegate What You Can
   Delegate a part of your workload to your staff. If you have the manpower, it is a wise idea to use it effectively. Trying to do everything yourself not only leads to burn out, it can eventually result in mistakes and errors that can affect your performance. Delegating work to other staff members is not a sign of weakness or laziness. It ensures that each job gets the attention it deserves and is handled correctly. It also eliminates small mistakes that may be overlooked if the same person goes over the transcript several times. Fresh eyes can pick up errors and mistakes much quicker than those that have read the same paper several times.

6. Be Selective
   Be selective about the jobs you choose. You do not have to take every job that is offered to you. If you have the manpower and know how to delegate accordingly, by all means take what jobs your staff can easily finish. If you are working on your own, however, taking too many jobs within a short period of time can lead to burn out and high levels of stress that can affect your job performance.