To explore this question, we conducted an internal review of 2025 registration data from a group of Vocalmeet’s legal clients. Our aim was simple: identify which broad CLE categories and course topics attracted the most registrations in this sample, then translate those observations into practical planning ideas for the year ahead.

Note: This overview is based on aggregated data from a limited set of Vocalmeet clients and is intended for informational purposes only; it should not be relied on as legal advice or as a definitive market study.

Our Method

With Vocalmeet’s platform, clients can choose the names and number of taxonomies applied to a product (including online courses). As a result, each organization structures its catalogue differently, creating tags and categories tailored to its needs.

When it comes to broad analysis, however, we would need a consistent way to compare continuing legal education (CLE) topics across multiple clients.

Here’s the method we used to standardize and analyze the data:

1. Collected 2025 enrollment data

We reviewed CLE enrollment data from participating Vocalmeet legal clients for the 2025 calendar year.

2. Standardized course categories

We created a shared list of 20 broad categories to use across all participating clients (for example, Administrative Law, Family Law, Practice Management).

This step allowed us to compare “like with like” across organizations that use their own internal taxonomies. After all, you can’t compare apples to oranges!

3. Mapped client catalogues to the shared taxonomy

We reviewed course titles and descriptions and assigned each course to one primary category from the standardized list.

When a course could fit into more than one category, we used the primary learning objective to determine its place.

4. Ranked categories by enrollment

We calculated the total number of completed registrations for each standardized category and ranked them from highest to lowest within this sample.

5. Identified high-enrollment course themes

Separately, we looked at the individual courses with the highest total registrations.

We noted the main topic and standardized category for each to pinpoint which themes appeared most often among high-enrollment offerings; this allowed us to determine whether a popular topic did not match a top 10 category.

Please note: As this was an internal analysis, the results provide only a snapshot of a subset of clients and do not reflect a comprehensive view of the legal profession as a whole.

Our Top 10 CLE Categories of 2025

From most to least popular by registration:

1. Administrative Law
2. Professional Responsibility
3. Equity, Diversity & Well-Being
4. Litigation
5. Ethics & Professionalism
6. Bankruptcy/Insolvency Law
7. Technology & Innovation
8. Practice Management
9. Real Estate Law
10. Wills, Estates, and Trusts
11. Family Law
12. Criminal Law
13. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
14. Government Law
15. Elder Law
16. Constitutional Law
17. Business / Corporate Law
18. Employment / Labor Law
19. Immigration Law
20. Federal Practice

Our Top 10 CLE Topics of 2025*

From our list of most-enrolled courses, several recurring themes emerged. Below is a generalized snapshot of the kinds of topics that appeared most frequently, along with their standardized category:

1. Bankruptcy Law: Considerations – Bankruptcy/Insolvency Law
2. Social Security: Considerations – Administrative Law
3. Social Security: Managing Overpayments – Administrative Law
4. Social Security: An Introduction – Administrative Law
5. Legal Considerations that Arise from Disasters – Government Law
6. Social Security: Family Benefits – Administrative Law
7. Social Security: Disability – Administrative Law
8. Negotiation and Mediation Strategies in Family Disputes – Family Law
9. Legal Considerations Affecting Military Service Members and Veterans – Litigation
10. Time-Saving Techniques for Crafting Documents in Word – Practice Management

*Topics have been generalized for confidentiality.

What This Tells Us

1. Social security featured prominently

Five of our top ten courses focused on social security, from introduction to specifics. This suggests an interest in practical guides on this topic, whether in an introductory course or a deep dive into a specific section or issue.

This also highlights the value of practical, “how-to” CLE series that help practitioners navigate complex topics and regulatory frameworks. An added benefit of hosting themed CLEs is that they can be grouped into course bundles with a tidy discount to encourage members to buy.

2. Ethics, inclusion, and well-being were key considerations

At the category level, Professional Responsibility, Ethics & Professionalism, and Equity, Diversity & Well-Being all appeared in our top five.

For bar associations and regulators, this underscores the importance of keeping ethics, professionalism, bias, and wellness programming current and practical.

3. Practical technology and time-savers attracted steady interest

While many high-enrollment courses in our sample dealt with complex legal subjects, we also saw strong interest in practical “how-to” courses focused on:

• Effective use of everyday tools (such as word-processing software)
• Practice management efficiencies
• Broader Technology & Innovation topics

For bar associations, these indicate a desire for CLE that helps members leverage their existing tools, improve their hard skills, and stay up to date with technology advancements and trends.

4. Administrative Law sat at the top of our list

In our dataset, Administrative Law ranked first among the standardized categories.

While this is just one sample, it’s broadly consistent with commentary highlighting in-demand fields. For instance, Donna Campbell of The National Jurist noted that labour and employment law were highly popular fields in 2025, while compliance and risk management were hard to ignore (2025).

5. Specialized topics still mattered

Only ten categories can occupy the “top 10,” but that doesn’t mean the rest are unimportant. Areas like Family Law, Criminal Law, ADR, Government Law, Elder Law, and Immigration Law continued to attract registrations.

These topics support areas of practice that are often described as “evergreen” (Campbell, 2025) and offer variety for members who have already met the core requirements. The key is balance: a strong CLE portfolio often mixes broad, high-demand topics with more specialized, high-value offerings.

Key Technology Takeaways

Regardless of your specific course mix, how you organize and analyze your online catalogue has a significant impact on how members find content and how your team learns from the data.

1. Use Clear, Consistent Categories

A helpful rule of thumb: avoid having more categories than you have courses in a given area.

• Keep category labels clear, intuitive, and descriptive; the clearer your catalogue navigation, the easier it will be for members to find the courses that suit them best.
• Standardize your internal taxonomy as much as possible (especially if you manage multiple programs, sections, or jurisdictions).
• Review your categories periodically to remove duplicates and merge overlapping terms.

Best-practice guidance from content and taxonomy experts consistently emphasizes that well-designed taxonomies improve searchability, navigation, and reporting (Nav Thethi, 2024).

If your catalogue is cluttered with unclear or redundant categories, it becomes harder for both members and staff to see what’s working.

2. Tag Courses Thoughtfully

Categories are only one layer of wayfinding; tags help you add precision.

• Apply consistent tags for more specific themes (such as social security, attorney wellness, bias and inclusion, or artificial intelligence (AI)) as needed.
• You can then use these tags to cross-sell related programs and create niche store bundles.

This is also how you can reflect member search terms (e.g., by problem, audience, or scenario) without overexpanding your main category list.

3. Let Your LMS Reports Inform Your CLE Roadmap

You don’t need to wait for a yearly review to learn from your data. With a capable learning management system (LMS), you can:

• Generate reports by category, course, date range, and more.
• See which courses are gaining or losing traction.
• Spot patterns (such as high registration but low completion rates, which may signal a need to revise areas of course content).

Because every member base is different, your own data should guide your decisions. You can reuse our method of analysis to test which topics, formats, and series work best for your audience.

4. Turn Insights Into Action

Once you’ve identified your own high-interest areas, you might consider:

• Developing a short series around topics that attract sustained interest
• Creating course bundles that connect related themes (like wellness, professionalism, practice management, or technology)
• Featuring high-performing categories more prominently in your CLE storefront, newsletter, or social media
  • Some LMSs even allow you to promote “featured courses”; you can take advantage of this capability to further boost your most popular courses.

The goal here is to use the data you collect to make your upcoming catalogue more strategic, relevant, and easy to navigate.

Conclusion

While our top 10s of 2025 provide an interesting snapshot, the real story is written in your own data. Consider:

• Which categories and topics attracted the most enrollments last year?
  • Which had the most completions?
• Which formats (single course, series, bundle) performed best for your members?

By pairing these insights with clear categories, thoughtful tagging, and regular reporting, you can build a data-driven CLE roadmap that reflects the needs of your members.

So…what were your top 10 CLEs this year?

Works Cited

Campbell, D. (2025, June 9). Fastest-growing and most in-demand legal specialties in 2025. National Jurist. https://nationaljurist.com/fastest-growing-and-most-in-demand-legal-specialties-in-2025/

Nav Thethi. (2024, September 26). Master Taxonomy Management for Digital Success. CMSWire.com. https://www.cmswire.com/digital-experience/master-taxonomy-management-for-digital-success/

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It’s unbelievable that despite the hours you spend in the office, you’re still overwhelmed by tasks that never seem to end! With urgent responsibilities waiting for you on all sides, it’s easy to get lost in the sea of to-do lists where a typical workday just doesn’t feel like enough.

But what if the issue isn’t how much you work, but how you work? What gets done first comes down to approach, not just effort.

The internet is full of flashy productivity hacks, but a few classics stand the test of time. In this article, we’re exploring Time Chunking, Work Chunking, and the Pomodoro Technique, as well as how these can help you build a workflow that feels less like swimming against the current and more like actually getting things done.

Time Chunking: What Is It?

Time chunking (also called time blocking) is a time-management technique in which you divide your day into blocks of time, each reserved for a specific task or activity. It helps you manage your day more intentionally by deciding what you’ll focus on each hour.

The point of time chunking is that it prepares your brain to focus on uninterrupted work for a period you set.

Let’s say you’re preparing to launch a new continuing education webinar for members, and you’ve set aside a five-hour block to start it. Time chunking here means breaking that block into smaller, focused segments. You get to decide how long each block is and what task you assign to it!

You can chop up your time into, say, five one-hour chunks. Here’s what that can look like:

• Hour 1: Review member feedback to choose a relevant topic
• Hour 2: Define the goal and key takeaways for the session
• Hour 3: Draft a basic agenda and content outline
• Hour 4: Create a basic storyboard of your slides
• Hour 5: Begin fleshing out your outline to create a script

Notice how approaching your task this way creates a clear path for your brain to follow. This makes it easier for you to accomplish each time block while eliminating the overwhelming pressure of deciding which task to tackle next.

Time chunking doesn’t just come in handy for when you need to power through a hectic workday. As Waggoner (2025) further explains, “Time blocking relies on not just blocking off time to study or work, but proactively blocking off recurring time in advance of a due date and intentionally stating what you will be working on during that time block.”

In other words, while time chunking helps you organize the hours of a single productive day, it shines even more when you plan your time blocks over an extended period.

This strategy works best for large-scale, long-term projects that require repeated tasks. It allows you to establish a clear timeline for completing your goal (potentially even ahead of time!).

Time chunking provides the structure and clarity needed to move your tasks forward with consistency and confidence, no matter how big they are. By outlining your priorities in advance, you create a workflow that supports steady progress and ensures your work actually gets done.

Work Chunking: The Same Strategy From a Different Lens

Work chunking follows the same principle as time chunking, but shifts the attention to the workload rather than duration. Time chunking and working chunking are actually two sides of the same coin: when time is chunked, work is chunked, too!

Work chunking is breaking a large task into smaller ones to make it more manageable. In Agile, this is called deconstruction. 

Let’s go back to our earlier example. Notice how we took one big task like “launching a new webinar” and broke it down into actionable goals, divided by hours? Here, time chunking lets you manage your time by being intentional about when and for how long you work. Work chunking, on the other hand, helps you break one big task into small, specific, and actionable goals.

The Pomodoro Technique: Time Chunking’s Cooler Cousin

You’ve probably come across the Pomodoro Technique if you’ve spent any time in the productivity space. It was created by developer and entrepreneur Francesco Cirillo in the early 1900s, when he used to track his focused work time by 25-minute intervals. The word Pomodoro (the Italian word for tomato) was attributed to the fact that Cirillo would use a tomato-shaped kitchen timer to conduct these quick productivity sessions (Tan, 2025).

Now popular among students and workers, the Pomodoro Technique shines for those who struggle to focus for long periods. After all, concentrating on a task for hours on end can be daunting—especially for the easily distracted.

You don’t have to power through marathon work sessions, either; short 25-minute sessions offer just enough time to keep your attention engaged. Pair this with a 5-minute break at the end of each session, and you’ve got the perfect setup for productivity to flow (even when you don’t feel like working!).

The Pomodoro Technique, while originally designed in a 25-minute work/5-minute break schedule, can be tailored to your time-management needs. Play around with the time that works best for you. If a 25-minute work session is too short, feel free to extend it to 45 minutes or even an hour, then allow yourself longer breaks in between.​

During your pauses, reward yourself for completing a session. You get to decide how to use your rest period: take a coffee break, spend time with your pet, or do something else you enjoy. The world is your oyster, as long as you stay productive!

Why Time Chunking, Work Chunking, and the Pomodoro Technique Work

Just as eating in small spoonfuls makes food easier to digest, your brain processes information better when it’s broken into smaller pieces. When tasks are divided into little segments, they become less overwhelming and far more approachable! Both time chunking and work chunking rely on this fundamental principle.

Imagine you have a single, sprawling project that demands your attention all at once. The thought of it can easily trigger stress or decision paralysis. Smaller chunks, on the other hand, give your brain a defined entry point: one clear, doable step to complete before moving on to the next.

Each piece becomes an intentional moment of focus. Instead of wrestling with an entire project at once, you’re tackling it through a sequence of manageable wins. Over time, these steps compound, creating steady momentum and reducing the sense of overwhelm that often accompanies long-term or high-stakes tasks. Before you know it, you’ve reached the end of your to-do list!

​Multitasking: The Enemy of Time Chunking

Contrary to time chunking, where you dedicate a time block to a single task, multitasking involves handling several tasks simultaneously (as much as your attention and energy allow!). The goal of multitasking is to accomplish as much work as possible with as little time as you can afford.

As it turns out, multitasking (also known as thrashing in Agile, wherein you quickly move from one task to another without having time to adjust) does more harm than good. According to Nevin (2024), “The brain cannot effectively do different complex cognitive tasks at the exact same time. Instead, evidence overwhelmingly shows that when our brains ‘task-switch,’ we gain errors and lose time.” His reports even showed that multitasking reduces productivity by about 40%, taking about 15 minutes to reorient yourself after a distraction—yikes!

Based on these conclusions, it’s no wonder we’ve now gradually moved away from chaotic, all-over-the-place multitasking to focused, single-task strategies like time chunking. These strategies are not only more straightforward but are also far more effective, helping you confidently check off your task list one step at a time.

5 Ways to Implement Time Chunking Into Your Daily Operations

The results are clear: time chunking just works. Your team must define how long each chunk is and how it fits into the workday. This can vary, so it’s essential to communicate goals as they fit into your strategy.

To boost efficiency and keep your team productive, here are five ways to implement time chunking into your daily operations:

1. Create Organizational Focus Blocks

Establish shared quiet hours in the workplace where teams can work uninterrupted in chunks. During these windows, set a rule to minimize meetings, calls, and non-urgent messages. This helps entire departments focus simultaneously, reducing interruptions and creating a rhythm of deep focus throughout the day.

2. Practice a Task Deconstruction Process

Encourage your team to break down their responsibilities into smaller, manageable components before the day begins. For example, instead of writing a single to-do list like “Prepare continuing education course launch”, the task gets broken down:

1. Draft outline
2. Write and review script
3. Record voiceover
4. Create slides
5. Sync slides to voiceover
6. Upload video to Learning Management System (LMS)

Smaller chunks make it easier to get started, as well as allow you to track progress and maintain momentum across longer projects.

3. Track Chunk Usage

Have teams track the number of blocks a task or project requires. Over time, this generates valuable data to support future estimation and planning. If writing a course description consistently takes four chunks, for example, your team can forecast timelines more accurately and allocate resources more effectively.

4. Use Your Tools

Encourage the use of calendar blocking or project management tools to structure time chunks. These visual schedules help your team commit to their work blocks, avoid overbooking, and stay aligned with your organization’s expectations.

5. Experiment with Different Chunking Patterns

Each of your team members has a different rhythm of focus throughout the day. Encourage them to experiment with various chunk lengths and time windows to see what suits their work style best. Some tasks benefit from shorter, high-energy blocks, while others require longer, uninterrupted stretches of concentration.

Testing different combinations helps teams identify when they work most effectively and which chunking patterns support their workflow.

Conclusion

At the end of the (work) day, real productivity is about giving your mind the structure that it needs to focus, rather than trying to do everything at once. The goal is to get work done, not just keep yourself busy!

As you tackle increasingly complex and urgent projects, these chunking strategies become more than just productivity tools; they serve as the foundation for healthier, more consistent habits that help the entire office stay focused and energized.

So, the next time your to-do list looks too long, try chunking your time and breaking the work ahead into smaller pieces. You might be surprised by how much lighter everything feels—when Monday comes, your shoulders won’t be drooping first thing in the morning!

REFERENCES

Beaton, C. (2017, January 29). The Millennial Workforce: How multitasking is changing our brains. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinebeaton/2017/01/27/the-millennial-workforce-how-multitasking-is-changing-our-brains/

Elon Musk’s “Time Blocking” Method: How to Manage Time Effectively Even If Your Schedule Is Hectic. – Mayo Oshin. (2018, May 1). Mayo Oshin. https://www.mayooshin.com/time-blocking-elon-musk-manage-time

Here’s how you can optimize your productivity with time blocking techniques as an entrepreneur. (2024, June 22). https://www.linkedin.com/advice/1/heres-how-you-can-optimize-your-productivity-time-fuv0c

Nevin, A. (2024). Brainomics of Single-Tasking. In The BrainHealth Project. Brainomics Bulletin. Retrieved November 26, 2025, from https://centerforbrainhealth.org/article/single-tasking

Scroggs, L. (n.d.). The pomodoro technique — why it works & how to do it. Todoist. https://www.todoist.com/productivity-methods/pomodoro-technique

Tan, F. (2025). Stay on schedule with the Pomodoro technique. Doodle.com; Doodle. https://doodle.com/en/stay-on-schedule-with-the-pomodoro-technique/

The Pomodoro technique for time management. (2019, October 7). Colorado State University Global. Retrieved November 26, 2025, from https://csuglobal.edu/blog/pomodoro-technique-time-management

Waggoner, E. (2025, February 14). Struggling with time management? Try Time blocking! University of Colorado Denver. Retrieved November 24, 2025, from https://www.ucdenver.edu/student/stories/library/lynx-tales/struggling-with-time-management-try-time-blocking

George, S. (2025). Time blocking for cognitive control: Reclaiming mental space in the era of meeting overload. Partners Universal International Innovation Journal, 03(03). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/392978188_Time_Blocking_for_Cognitive_Control_Reclaiming_Mental_Space_in_the_Era_of_Meeting_Overload

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Then comes the tricky point–the challenge faced by many associations:  limited time and resources. What is an organization to do?

That’s where today’s article comes in! You see, producing quality content doesn’t have to be time-consuming and cost-prohibitive. With a few well-placed strategies, your association can create valuable content efficiently on a budget. Let’s look at how!

1. Leverage Member-Generated Content

Your members are a goldmine of insights and expertise. Instead of creating your content straight from scratch, tap into their knowledge and experiences. Here’s how:

• Encourage members to share case studies, success stories, and testimonials.
• Collect content through member forums, surveys, or brief interviews.
• Feature member contributions in newsletters, blogs, or social media posts.
• Establish a structured process where members can submit articles or ideas easily.
• Create a “Member Spotlight” series, showcasing members’ professional journeys and achievements.

By showcasing member voices, you not only generate content quickly and easily, but you also boost your association’s engagement and community involvement–creating a sense of belonging and loyalty within the association and leading to better retention rates and word-of-mouth recommendations overall!

2. Repurpose and Refresh Existing Content

Great content doesn’t always have to be new content. Repurposing existing materials can save time while keeping your current content fresh and relevant:

• Transform past blog articles into infographics, short videos, or social media snippets.
• Update your “evergreen” content with new data, trends, and examples.
• Create summary posts or highlights from previous webinars and events.
• Convert whitepapers and reports into engaging, easy-to-digest listicles or explainer videos.
• Bundle several related blog posts into a downloadable eBook or guide.

Repackaging content in different formats ensures maximum reach and impact with minimal effort. Furthermore, it allows associations to reach different audience preferences—some members may prefer reading in-depth reports, while others may engage more with bite-sized social media posts or visual content.

3. Use AI and Automation Tools

Technology can significantly speed up content creation. Consider the following:

• AI-powered writing assistants (like ChatGPT) can help you generate drafts and refine ideas.
• Automated scheduling tools can help you plan out (like Hootsuite) and distribute content efficiently.
• Graphic design and video editing platforms (such as Canva) can help you develop quick, professional visuals.
• AI transcription tools (such as Trint, Otter.ai, or Fireflies.ai) can quickly turn recorded meetings and interviews into text-based content.
• Chatbots and AI-driven customer support (like SAAS 1st) can provide content recommendations to members.

With the right tools, your team can streamline its workflows and place its focus on strategic content planning!

4. Implement a Content Calendar and Develop a Workflow

A structured content plan ensures consistency and prevents last-minute scrambles. Here’s how to set up an efficient workflow:

• Plan content around key association events, milestones, and initiatives.
• Assign content tasks to staff, volunteers, and/or committees.
• Use content templates for articles, newsletters, and social media posts to speed up production.
• Schedule periodic brainstorming sessions to generate fresh content ideas.
• Create a repository of approved topics and drafts that can be easily accessed by content creators.
• Set up an editorial review process to ensure content maintains quality and consistency.

Having a clear content calendar keeps your team organized and aligned with your association’s goals. Consistency in content production builds trust with your audience and ensures that your members receive regular updates and valuable information.

5. Optimize Content for Maximum Reach

Creating content is just the first step—getting it seen is equally important. Optimize your content with these strategies:

• Use SEO best practices to improve discoverability online.
• Share short-form content for quick engagement, such as LinkedIn posts or email snippets.
• Cross-post content across different platforms to maximize reach without the extra effort.
• Create engaging calls to action (CTAs) to encourage interaction and sharing.
• Optimize your email marketing to deliver personalized content directly to members.
• Analyze content performance using analytics tools (such as Hubspot or Google Analytics) and adjust your strategies accordingly.

Strategic distribution ensures that your content makes an impact without requiring additional work. By understanding where your members spend their time online, you can tailor content distribution for higher engagement and better results.

6. Engage Members with Interactive Content

Interactive content can significantly increase member engagement while also being relatively easy to create. Consider these options:

• Polls and quizzes related to industry trends
• Live Q&A sessions with industry experts
• User-generated content challenges with incentives for participation
• Webinars and online workshops with interactive elements like breakout rooms
• Gamified learning experiences that provide certificates or badges for completion

Interactive content not only captures attention but also fosters a sense of community by encouraging members to actively participate rather than passively consume information.

7. Develop Partnerships for Content Collaboration

Collaborating with other organizations, industry influencers, or even sponsors can help produce high-quality content faster. Here’s how:

• Invite guest bloggers or speakers from the industry to share insights on your platform.
• Co-host webinars or podcasts with industry leaders.
• Partner with educational institutions to offer exclusive research or studies.
• Work with sponsors to create valuable, non-promotional content that benefits members.

Content collaborations allow associations to expand their reach, enhance credibility, and provide fresh perspectives—all while reducing the burden of content creation on internal teams!

8. Track Performance and Adjust Strategies

Producing content efficiently is only half the battle; measuring its impact is equally crucial. Track your content’s performance by…

• Monitoring website traffic, engagement metrics, and conversion rates.
• Analyzing which content formats perform best and replicate their success.
• Collecting member feedback through surveys or direct interactions.
• Employing A/B testing for different headlines, email subjects, or social media captions.

By consistently evaluating content performance, your association can fine-tune its approach to ensure that your efforts lead to tangible outcomes–like increased member retention and engagement!

Conclusion

Producing high-quality content doesn’t have to be overwhelming for associations; by  repurposing content, leveraging member contributions, implementing automation tools, and optimizing your distribution, valuable content becomes fast and easy to create.

Take action today: Start with small steps—refresh an old blog, ask a member for their story, or schedule social media posts in advance. You’ll be happy you did!

References:

10 Steps for Creating an Effective Content Strategy. (2018). ASAE. https://www.asaecenter.org/resources/articles/an_plus/2018/april/10-steps-for-creating-an-effective-content-strategy

avae@ewald.com. (2019, July 6). 5 Must-Do Content Marketing Strategies for Associations Creating Awareness, Driving Value Proposition. Ewald Consulting. https://www.ewald.com/2019/07/06/5-must-do-content-marketing-strategies-for-associations-creating-awareness-driving-value-proposition/

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