Create the life you deserve

June 14, 2018 by
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I saw an ad for a book with the title, “Create the life you deserve”. I thought, “we always do”.

We get what we deserve, not necessarily what we want. Our actions determine our outcomes. If we want more, we have to do more.

Cause and effect.

Some people get windfalls, it’s true. More than they (appear to ) deserve. We call them lucky. But maybe they deserved more and we just couldn’t see it. Karma? Law of attraction? God’s will?

Some people think they are entitled to more just because they exist. Last time I checked, in this country at least, we have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and a few others. Anything else, we have to earn.

How much is in your bank account right now? That’s what you deserve, down to the decimal point. If you want to increase the number, you have to get to work.

And yet, there are shortcuts. Ways to use leverage to get more results with less effort. Getting paid for the work of your employees is an obvious example.

You’re not cheating the universe when you do this. The universe doesn’t demand that we trade our time for dollars. It simply promises to deliver value commensurate with the value you create.

So, how much value will you create today?

Leverage is the key to earning more without working more

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Filed Under: Leverage

My current productivity set-up

June 13, 2018 by
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I have a lot of lists in my productivity arsenal but two are most important. The first is “today” (@today)–tasks I plan to accomplish (or begin) before the day ends.

This is the most important list because today is when “doing” gets done. We can plan something for tomorrow or next week or next month but we can’t do anything until that day arrives and it becomes today.

If I have due dates, I put them on my calendar. I also calendar tickler dates for deferred tasks. When the tickler date arrives, I either move the task to @today and do it or review it and decide its fate.

If I’m doing something today, it goes on my today list. However, when it has become a habit, e.g., writing a daily blog post, walking, etc., I no longer keep it on a list or calendar.

My other most important list is my list of top priorities for the week (@week). These are the three or four high priority projects I’m focusing on this week.

I have other lists:

  • “Work in progress” (@wip) includes current and recurring projects that aren’t (yet) a top priority
  • “Soon” (@soon) refers to tasks and projects I want to do soon, e.g., next
  • “Ready” (@ready) are projects and tasks I plan to do after I’ve cleared higher priorities
  • “Backlog” (@backlog) are tasks I don’t need to get to for the next few weeks
  • “Someday/maybe (@sm), are things I may or may not want to do someday

I spend most of my day in the @today and @week lists. I also look at the @wip list. If I get caught up, or I feel like doing something different, I look @soon and/or @ready.

I don’t do a lot of long-term planning because by the time long-term gets here, my priorities have often changed.

That’s my current set-up. But it’s a @wip.

Have you read my Evernote for Lawyers? 

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Filed Under: Productivity

No, you don’t have to do everything

June 12, 2018 by
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Marketing. Not your cup of tea. And yet you know you have to do something to bring in business.

If you’re holding back because you think there’s too much to do, you can relax. You don’t have to do it all.

In fact, you just need to do one thing.

Pick something you’re not terrible at and focus on it. Do it regularly. Invest time and resources in it. Study it and get better at it. Make it your thing.

Because if you’re good enough at it, it may be all you need. For now, anyway. Later, you may add something to the mix.

So, what shall it be?

Writing a newsletter? Speaking at luncheons? Networking with prospective clients? Networking with other professionals?

How about webinars? Youtube videos? Pay-per-click ads?

Maybe you’d like to write a book and use that to build your reputation and get more traffic to your website.

Maybe you’re good at working with clients and earning their trust and loyalty. Great. Do more of that. Be the best lawyer in town at making clients fall in love with you.

Yep, that’s marketing.

Because marketing is everything we do to get and keep good clients.

Short and sweet attorney marketing plan

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services

Do clients hire ugly lawyers?

June 11, 2018 by
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Apparently, eyebrow toupees are a thing. Who knew?

It looks like Canada’s Justin Trudeau wears them. Over the weekend he had what appeared to be an eyebrow malfunction when one of those puppies started to come off.

Embarrassing.

Why would someone glue artificial caterpillars over their real brows and take the risk of being discovered?

Vanity.

We all want to be more attractive. It’s in our DNA. Experts say that fit, attractive people attract more mates and produce more children.

Or something like that.

Studies show that good looking (and taller) people tend to be more successful in life, at least financially.

Fortunately, clients hire lawyers for our beautiful brains. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do everything we can to make ourselves as physically attractive as possible.

Most of us do that by eating well, exercising, getting plenty of sleep and bathing regularly. But there’s nothing wrong with getting a little extra help.

Men, if you’re losing your hair, shaving your head is a viable option. Some studies show that many women find bald men more attractive. Have you seen Jason Statham’s wife?

Some guys wear makeup. Some have shoe lifts. Some get plastic surgery. It’s all good.

But, here’s a thought. If your eyebrows aren’t as lush and sexy as you’d like, get a friggin eyebrow pencil. Because eyebrow toupees shouldn’t be a thing.

Marketing legal services: here’s the formula

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Filed Under: Image

Are you bludgeoning prospective clients?

June 8, 2018 by
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I saw this headline yesterday: “5 Privacy Apps You Need to Install IMMEDIATELY”. I wondered what would happen if I didn’t install all 5 apps immediately. Or ever.

I didn’t install any of them. I didn’t even read the article.

What I can say, I like living dangerously.

Actually, I get “imperative fatigue” with all the articles and posts and emails mandating what I need to buy, do, or read.

32 must-have extensions, 27 must-see websites, 21 essential books to read right now. . .

Enough. I can’t keep up. I don’t want to keep up.

If this kinda thing annoys you like it does me, if your eyes glaze over when everyone tells you all the bad things that will happen if you don’t fall into lockstep with everyone else, if you find yourself avoiding articles like these, well, guess what? Your clients do, too.

So don’t do this to them.

In your marketing, presentations, and conversations, don’t smother them with too many problems, too many options, or too many things they MUST do (immediately), OR ELSE.

They’ll shut down. Stop listening to anything you say.

Slow your roll. Be different. Instead of clubbing them over the head, seduce them.

When everyone else tries to force-feed them a complete meal, give them a tasty appetizer. Instead of showing them your entire menu, talk to them about one of your signature dishes.

Invite them to take a bite and see what they think. If they like it, you can show them the rest of your menu.

In marketing, your number one task is getting the prospective client’s attention. Because if they don’t read what you wrote or listen to what you said, they’ll never become a regular at your restaurant.

Marketing made simple

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Filed Under: Communication, Marketing legal services

Where will you be in six months?

June 7, 2018 by
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It’s six months from today and things are little slow. (Or, things are fine and you want to take your practice to the next level.)

Either way, you want more business.

No problem. You have a list of lawyers and other professionals who have clients that are a good match for you. They can send you referrals.

Most of these professionals have colleagues who are similarly situated. They can introduce you to them.

Most of these professionals know your name and what you do. They know you’re good at your job.

Some of them have met you, either in person or online. Some could be considered friends.

So, you make some calls.

You re-introduce yourself or tell them you’re checking in to see how they’re doing. You ask what they need or want and how you can help.

Do they need clients or customers? Introductions, recommendations or advice?

You do what you can to help them.

They ask how you’re doing. They ask what they can do to help you.

They send you referrals. They introduce you to their colleagues. They give you advice and recommendations. Your practice grows.

You want that list, don’t you? It sounds like just what you need.

There’s just one thing. That list isn’t going to make itself. You need to do that.

Better get started. It will be six months from now before you know it.

Step-by-step instructions on how to do this: click here

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Filed Under: Referral sources, Referrals

The todo list that never was

June 6, 2018 by
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When I was practicing. I didn’t use a todo list. My calendar and the stack of files and mail on my desk told me what I needed to do.

Sometimes, I’d jot down a few items on a piece of scratch paper or on the paper blotter/calendar on my desk. A reminder to call someone, a list of things to pick up on my way home. But mostly, my list was stacked up in front of me.

Each morning, my secretary put files on my desk pertaining to clients who had appointments that day and other work. I’d go through the files, look at my notes (and hers) and review new letters and documents. I dictated letters and pleadings and instructions and gave the files back to my secretary. She’d type and/or make calls, make notes, and return the files to me for my review, signature, and further instructions.

Back and forth we went. It was simple. Primitive by today’s standards. But it worked.

Today we seem obsessed with apps and systems for managing lists. So many lists.

Lists of things we need to do now, lists of things we should do next, lists of things we might do someday. Are we really any more productive this way? Are our lives so much more complicated that we need to manage things at such a granular level?

It seems like we spend as much time managing our lists as we do doing the work.

I’m not suggesting we go back to an all-analog world. I like my apps. I like having my business in my pocket. And without staff today, I do have to manage both ends.

But perhaps we would be better off finding ways to simplifying things. A calendar, a simple list of work to do today, and not that much else.

I’ll put that on my @someday/maybe list and @review it later.

Earn more. Work less: The Attorney Marketing Formula

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Filed Under: Productivity Tagged With:

Don’t show all your cards to prospective clients

June 5, 2018 by
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You have an appointment with a prospective client. You plan to tell them everything you will do to help them with their problem. You’ll describe all of your services and give them a list of the many deliverables they can expect.

Before you tell them everything, you might want to hold something back.

Instead of telling them about A, B, and C, maybe only tell them about A and B. Because if you spill your guts the first time you speak with prospective clients, you won’t have anything left to offer them later.

  • To offer as a bonus for signing up TODAY (e.g., at your seminar, this week only, etc.) instead of waiting
  • To get them off the fence when they want to think about it, talk to someone, or otherwise put it off
  • As an incentive: buy A and B, get C, at no additional cost
  • As an upsell (an optional service they can also “buy”)
  • As an unannounced bonus, to surprise them with after they sign up

You hold things back when you negotiate on behalf of clients, right? Same concept.

If you don’t have anything you can hold back, create something. A voucher they can use on another matter or a service provided by another professional.

Hold something back. You never know when you might need it.

Marketing is easier when you know the formula

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Filed Under: Closing the sale, Marketing legal services

Ripping the bandage off slowly

June 4, 2018 by
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What do you do when you have to do something you don’t want to do?

We’ve been taught to rip the bandage off quickly and get it over with. The pain will only last for a moment. Pulling it off slowly is worse.

That’s usually good advice. But not always.

I’ve started a project I’ve been putting off for years. I’m getting rid of books in my home office, closet, garage, and at our storage facility. I hate it. I love my books. But it has to be done.

Thinking about carting off my prized possessions to the library bookstore in one fell swoop has caused me to avoid doing it. But I’ve kept that particular bandage on my finger for too long.

But, rather than doing it all at once (and getting it over with), I’m doing it slowly. In stages.

The first pass was easy. I removed books that are outdated–old software manuals, for example, books related to business ventures I’m no longer involved with, and books I’ve never read and know I’m never going to.

Second pass (which I haven’t started yet) will be to pare down what’s left. This won’t be too difficult because I will know I don’t yet have to make the hard decisions.

The third pass will be tougher. I plan to remind myself that, “If I ever need or want this book, I can buy it again.”

How many books will I keep? That will depend on how much room I have left on my shelves. I’m committed: No more boxes, no more garage, no more storage.

I’ll get it done. I have to. Tripping over books, dusting books I haven’t looked at in years, storing books I used for projects 20 years ago, just doesn’t cut it anymore.

Anyway, I thought I’d pass this along to you in case you’re a book lover and need to make room somewhere (maybe for new books!), or in case you have anything else you need to do but don’t want to.

Instead of waiting for referrals to happen, make them happen

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Filed Under: Personal development Tagged With: ,

Maybe you need a babysitter

June 1, 2018 by
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After yesterday’s post about scheduling time to do things you’re not getting done, (in this case, reading time), a subscriber wrote: “I’ve TRIED something like this many times, but I always just ignore the scheduled thing. Any tips for getting my ass to stick to the schedule? It’s quite frustrating.”

My advice: “Don’t ignore the scheduled thing.”

I’m serious. Annoying, but serious.

We all make choices about what we will and won’t do. If we choose not to do something, even though it’s good for us and we say we want to do it, even though we put it on our calendar, the truth is we really DON’T want to do it.

Because if you wanted to do it, you would.

So, remove it from your calendar or agenda until you want to do it. Or until you decide you must do it.

Here’s what I mean.

If we consider all of our tasks and projects, ideas and someday/maybes, read/reviews, we can break them down into three categories: Must-do, Should-do, and Could-do.

We do a good job of getting our must-dos done because penalties ensue if we don’t. So how about creating a new list or tag for “must-read/review” and scheduling time just for this?

Everything else? I say, don’t worry about it.

If it’s not something you must read or review, read it if you want to and don’t if you don’t. And don’t beat yourself up about what you don’t read.

What about “should-read/review”? I think it’s overkill for discretionary reading, but it’s up to you.

Okay, a couple more ideas for “forcing” yourself to stick to your schedule. Here are two taken from the Kanban world:

  1. Limit your work in process (WIP). In the case of reading, limit yourself to three articles (for example). If you finish those and have room for more, you can go get more. If you don’t, move on. If three is too many, start with one or two.
  2. Make it visible. Put your reading list/folder on your desktop or as a top-level bullet or tag in your master list or a column (or swim lane) in your Kanban. By keeping your list in front of you, you’ll continually be reminded that this is something you’ve decided to do and you’ll be one click away from doing it.

Okay, one more: Get a babysitter.

Still serious.

Designate someone to hold you accountable for whatever it is you’re resisting. It could be your spouse, your secretary, your partner, a colleague, or anyone else. Have them check in with you to find out if you did or didn’t do what you said you would. Implement some kind of penalty if you don’t and maybe a reward if you do.

If you designate your secretary for this role, for example, and you don’t do your daily reading or marketing or whatever, they get to take the rest of the day off.

Something tells me stuff is gonna get done.

Update your website

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Filed Under: Personal development, Productivity
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