David M. Ward, Author at The Attorney Marketing Center

Prioritizing your task list

September 27, 2022 by David M. Ward

You have a list. On that list are things you must do, things you should do, and things you want to do.

You want to do your most important tasks—the ones that put food on the table and help you achieve your personal and professional goals. And you want to have some time to do the things you enjoy. Because all work and no play isn’t good for your health.

How do you choose? How do you prioritize your list?

Start by dividing the list into three parts:

Things that provide you with the most value. The “20% activities that produce 80% of your results”. Activities that have the largest impact on your goals and overall happiness. Your “most important tasks (MITs).”
Tasks you just need to get done. They might not contribute much to the mix, but they keep the wheels greased and the machine running. These are your routines and recurring tasks; the boring stuff.
Everything else.

You want to spend more time on the first list and less time on the other two.

If you can, do the tasks on the first list before you do the others. Do them early in the day, when you have the most energy.

To give you even more time and energy to do them, cut down on the tasks on the second and third lists.

Delegate, automate, eliminate, or postpone.

Because your most important tasks are more important.

On my list, each workday I usually have 1 to 3 MITs. These are my top priority for the day and I almost always get them done.

I have 3-5 other tasks I want to do today but it’s okay if I do them tomorrow or later this week or next.

And I have 5 or 6 routine tasks, usually small and easy to do, and I usually do all of them.

If I get everything done early enough, I look at my list for tomorrow or later in the week and pick something else to do.

But only if I want to.

But I rarely want to because all work and no play isn’t good for my health.

Filed Under: Productivity

Are you sitting on a nail?

September 26, 2022 by David M. Ward

There’s a dog on the porch and he’s sitting on a nail. It’s painful, but he doesn’t move. He likes his spot on the porch and the pain isn’t that bad. It’s more annoying than anything else. And he’s used to it. And thinks it’s too much effort to get up and find another spot.

So he stays put.

Old joke but reality for many people.

Sometimes, there’s something going on in our life that’s painful, but not painful enough to do anything about it.

I’ve been there. I’m sure you have, too. You might be their right now. A problem, a situation, an unfulfilled dream. We might not like our current situation, but we put up with it because it’s not that bad.

And we don’t. Until we’re in enough pain.

One day, we wake up and admit to ourselves that this can’t continue. We’re fed up and finally going to do something.

That day even has a name. It’s called our “day of disgust.”

I had that day a long time ago, early in my practice. I was in pain, unhappy with my situation, and myself, disgusted actually, and that disgust lit a fuse under me and I finally took action.

Don’t fear a day of disgust. Welcome it. It’s a day of clarity and a day of change. The first step towards a better future.

You might wake up and say to yourself, “I’m mad as hell and not going to take it anymore”. And you don’t.

Unfortunately, for many people, things have to get worse before they have their day of disgust. A lot worse. They have a nail in their butt, but it’s not that bad.

But nobody has to wait until things get worse. They can decide to change any day of the week.

If things aren’t where you want them right now, why not make today that day?

Filed Under: Inspiration, success

Time blocking for thee and me

September 23, 2022 by David M. Ward

I’ve struggled with time blocking, aka time boxing or calendar blocking, at least the way I’ve seen others do it. I don’t want to schedule my entire day down to the minute, as some studs do, but even when I mentally block out time for writing or other projects, I still resist putting this on my calendar.

I informally dedicate my mornings (after doing email, some admin stuff and waking up my brain) to “deep work” — writing and other things that require focus and concentration. But I don’t schedule it.

When I’m ready, I go to work. When I’m not, I don’t.

This works for me, but there’s something appealing about the idea of looking at the calendar and seeing my day organized and tidy.

So I will try again.

In my quest to learn how others do it, I’ve watched some videos and picked up some suggestions. I thought I’d pass along a few of the best.

Time block email and admin so you can stay on top of it, and not be distracted when you’re doing other things and remember you forgot to reply to your email.
For “deep work”—anything that requires concentration—be specific about what you will work on (the case, file, project), and for how long, so you know exactly what to do during your time block. Specifics create clarity, clarity creates focus, and focus is how you get things done.
If you’re trying to block your entire day, for each block, (a) give yourself enough time to do the work; (most of us grossly underestimate how long things will take), and, (b) build in buffer time between blocks for breaks, travel, interruptions, and things that need more time than you have allowed.

If you have other suggestions, or would like to share how time blocking works for you, please let me know.

Filed Under: Productivity, Time Management, Writing

What do you do for fun?

September 22, 2022 by David M. Ward

We’ve all been asked this, haven’t we? What are our hobbies, outside interests, things we do when we’re not working?

We often minimize these while we’re building our practice because they take time away from our demanding career.

What if you didn’t have to do that? What if you could do both?

Even better, what if you could use your outside interests to help you build your practice?

You can. And you should.

Pick something that interests you. Something you would like to do more of.

Let’s say you like horses. Riding, showing, watching them race, reading Dick Francis novels, painting them, or anything else.

How on earth could any of that help you build your practice?

That’s simple.

A lot of other people like what you like and some of them need your services or know someone who do.

They might share your interest or they might be in a business or profession that works with, sells to, or advises people in that niche.

If you handle personal injury cases, wouldn’t it be great to represent horse lovers? You have something in common, and that commonality gives you a way to connect and possibly dominate that market.

If you handle business transactions, wouldn’t it be great to represent businesses related to the horse world? Trainers, breeders, feed companies, track owners, and so on?

And, don’t forget the professionals and influencers—the lawyers and accountants and brokers and bankers, the bloggers and authors, podcasters, and event organizers who target the horse world.

No matter what the niche, there are people in it who might hire you, refer you, or promote you. People who might interview on their podcast or book you as a speaker at their event. People who want to hear your story and introduce you to people they work with.

You speak their language. Understand them. And can (eventually) cite examples of things you’ve done and clients you’ve helped in that niche, giving you an advantage over lawyers who can’t.

Point taken?

Choose a niche that interests you. Get to know the people in it. And have fun while you build your practice.

This will help you choose your niche

Filed Under: Marketing legal services

When your task management system isn’t working for you

September 21, 2022 by David M. Ward

It’s not the app, it’s the system. If you have the right system, you can make it work in just about any app.

Or so we’re told.

I don’t think that’s literally true but there’s enough to it that if your system isn’t working, changing apps, as I did recently, might be the solution. At the very least, it gives you a chance to re-examine your system.

A few thoughts about apps and systems.

First, your system (and app) should serve you and make your life easier. It shouldn’t make you do a dance to keep up with it. It should sit by your side and tell you what to do next (because you decided that earlier) and give you the satisfaction of checking things off as you do them.

If it doesn’t, before you switch apps or radically change your system, consider looking for ways to simplify that system.

If possible, see if you can consolidate all of your task management functions into one tool.

You can have multiple lists or tags or labels but put all your work and personal stuff in one app.

In keeping with that, you should have one inbox. One place for all of your incoming tasks and ideas.

Because it’s simpler.

If one app/one inbox isn’t possible, because of partners or staff or whatever reasons, consider using two iterations of the same app, one for you and one for the team.
Less to learn and update.

Be realistic about the number of tasks and projects you can do each day, or at one time. Most of us take on too much, which leads to overwhelm and falling behind.

Keyword: a few at a time.

Then, make sure every task has a next action and a date when you’re going to do it, review it, or start it. Add a due date if there is one, but having a start date allows you to forget about the task until the start date, which allows you to give your full attention to what’s important today.

Then, update your lists “in the moment” rather than once a week or on some other schedule. When you complete something, tick it off. When you think of something, add it in. You can also do a weekly review, but that will be a lot easier to do if you’ve kept up with your lists in real time.

Finally, if you switch to another app, don’t get bogged down learning and using a bunch of new features. Instead, consider turning off or not using most of the functions initially, and start with just an inbox and a place for today’s tasks.

This gives you time to think about what you’re doing and if there’s something you should change.

As you get more comfortable with the app and your new system, add back some of the other functions and see how it feels. If those work, you can add more.

That’s my take, and I’m sticking to it. Time to tick this off my list and see what’s next.

Filed Under: Productivity, Time Management Tagged With: Task management app

This post might not be right for you

September 20, 2022 by David M. Ward

There’s a phrase you should use in your marketing that might make your services more desirable. It’s based on the concept of exclusivity, that what you offer isn’t for everyone.

And that’s the phrase.

Tell people that “it” (your services, offers, seminars, etc.) isn’t for everyone.

First, because that’s true. And your candidness is refreshing.

Second, because it makes what you’re offering more specialized, valuable, and desirable.

It’s a type of takeaway which is powerful in marketing because people want what they can’t have, especially when they had it but it was taken away. That might happen when they see your offer, think it’s for everyone, and then learn it might not be for them.

It makes people wonder if “it” is right for them and then take steps to find out.

If it isn’t for them, they don’t need to waste their time (which is good for you as well as them). If it is right for them, they often feel the need to act immediately, to get what they need and not miss out. And if they’re not sure, they realize they need to get more information or ask questions, which is also good for both of you.

So when you say “it’s not for everyone” you might also suggest they read something or contact you to find out.

Telling folks it’s not for everyone or “it might be right for you” makes you more credible, especially compared to those who make it look like what they do is for anyone.

It can also make you more in demand because people want what others have and they might stick around long enough to find out if they can get or should get it too.

Filed Under: Content creation, Salesmanship

3 things you should do every day

September 19, 2022 by David M. Ward

Every day, there are 3 things you should do.

The first is client work, obviously. Get the work done, the bills billed, the clients happy, and the bills paid.

The second thing is running the joint. Yes, marketing and management of your practice.

That’s true even if you work for a firm. You still want to bring in new business, build your brand or reputation, and do things that help you grow your practice and career.

It includes things like creating content, building relationships with influential people in your niche, strengthening relationships with your clients to foster repeat business and referrals, supervising and training your team, and improving your systems and workflows.

Third on the list, but no less important, is to work on yourself. We’re talking about personal and professional development. The stuff that makes everything else work.

It means improving your legal knowledge and your writing, speaking, and interpersonal skills. It means getting better at communicating, negotiating, and leading and managing people. And keeping up with technology.

So, 3 things every day.

Think of these 3 areas as legs on a stool. You need all 3 or the stool won’t stand.

How should you allocate your time? One third each? Not practical. Some days, you have nothing but client work and no time to do anything else. Some days you have other priorities.

But if you’re a rule-of-thumb type of person, that rule should be to do something in each area every day.

Even if that means making one call on your lunch hour or reading a couple of pages before you go to sleep.

Keep your hand in all 3 areas and do your best to not let a day go by without all 3.

Create recurring tasks in your task manager or calendar or habit tracker. Make this a habit.

Don’t let your stool get out of balance.

How to get more referrals from your clients

Filed Under: Law office management, Marketing legal services, Personal development

Would you like some paper to go with that pen?

September 16, 2022 by David M. Ward

You have something you want but you’re not doing anything to get it.

You’re not ready. You’re busy with other things. You need to do more research.

Maybe someday. . .

Or maybe right now.

If you have a goal or a dream or something you want, don’t wait until everything is just right. Do something. Take the first step.

Even if it’s tiny.

I’ll tell you why.

Yes, clearly you can’t accomplish a goal without taking the first step, but why now? Why take action before you’re ready?

Because when you do, your brain sees that “this” is something you want and goes to work to help you get it.

It gives you ideas and methods and tells you things you need to know.

Your brain sees that you did something, believes you want something, and helps you take the next step to get it.

It works like Amazon does when you buy something. It might only be a pen, but the algorithm sees this and starts sending you ads for paper.

Your subconscious mind does the same thing, but is much more powerful because it knows everything about you, not just what you recently bought (or put in your cart).

What’s your goal? What do you want to do ‘someday’?

Ask your brain to help you get it by taking that first tiny step.

Filed Under: Goal Setting, Inspiration, success

2 questions that can get you out of a jam

September 15, 2022 by David M. Ward

You’re blank. You don’t know what to talk about or write. Relax. I’ve got 2 handy-dandy questions you can use as your go-to idea starter.

The first question: What do I want them to know?

What do you want the reader (audience, interviewer, new contact, etc.) to know about the law, about your services, or about you?

What do you want your new client to know about his case, what you’ll do first, and what might happen?

What do you want people to know about how you can help them or why they should choose you?

What do you want your clients to know about making a referral, writing a review, or when they should update their docs?

So much you want them to know. You could write or talk for days.

Okay, second question: What do you want them to do?

What do you want your new client to send you? What do you want them to do if an investigator calls? What do you want them to tell their doctor?

What do you want the reader to do after they read your article? What do you want your website visitor to do before they leave your site?

What do you want someone to do if they have questions? Want to make an appointment? Want more information? Aren’t sure they can afford it?

Use these questions to brainstorm ideas for content, correspondence, or conversation.

If you still run dry, ask yourself, “What else do I want them to know or do?”

Filed Under: Content creation

Paying clients for positive reviews

September 14, 2022 by David M. Ward

How much is a good review worth to you? A client who says you helped them, made them feel safe, gave them tremendous value and solved their problems, someone who ssays they recommend you to everyone who needs help?

You’ve gotten great reviews before, so you know how good it feels when they show up. You also know they are worth a small fortune.

They bring you more cases from people searching for a lawyer online. More referrals from professionals who check you out before they refer their clients to you. And they make your other clients feel good about their decision to hire you because they can see that others say you’re the best.

Who wouldn’t love to get more positive reviews? You can’t buy that kind of marketing.

Ah, but you can. You already do.

No, not with cash. Don’t be silly. You pay for positive reviews by giving your clients an incredibly positive experience with you.

You don’t just do the work and deliver the results. You do more. You invest your precious time to serve them, go out of your way to take care of them, surprise and delight them, and build a relationship with them.

When they notice and thank you and say they appreciate what you do for them, there’s only one thing left to do.

Give them the link to the review site you favor and thank them, in advance, for sharing their experience and recommendation.

Okay, one more thing. After they post a review, thank them again.

In writing.

Send them a handwritten note and tell them how much it means to you that they took the time to write that review and say those nice things about you.

You’re not done paying until you do.

Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Referrals Tagged With: reviews