I don’t know, let me check my list

May 7, 2018 by
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I’ve started using a daily checklist. It’s a list of things I need to do as soon as I sit down at my computer and throughout the day. Most of the items on the list are things I’m already doing, without prompting from a list, but I like seeing them in front of me. I know I won’t forget anything and I can get things done and out of the way.

I have three categories: @admin, @personal, and @work.

On the @admin list are things like checking the calendar, email, and a @tickler list (upcoming date-oriented tasks to review or start), followed by checking my other lists to see what’s on tap for the day and for the week.

@personal includes my daily walk, reading, and writing in my journal.

@work includes some of my routine activities like writing a daily email/blog post and working on my current book project.

I’m just rolling this out so I know it’s going to change. I’m already thinking I could combine the three lists into one since I work from home and don’t ordinarily differentiate between work and personal, and because admin is intertwined with my work.

But, we’ll see.

If it’s not obvious, I like lists. I guess I’m a linear thinker, although there are times when I like to use a mind map to brainstorm and flesh out ideas. For the record, once I’ve done that, I convert them to a linear outline or list prior to “doing”.

I’ve also got a checklist for my weekly review. This has always been a work in progress.

Next up? Maybe an evening “shutdown” list. Hmm, I wonder if I need to write down “Netflix and chill”.

Evernote for Lawyers. Click here

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Filed Under: Productivity, Time Management Tagged With: , ,

Thinking on paper. Sorta.

May 4, 2018 by
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The other day I mentioned that I was thinking about scheduling regular time for thinking. I said I thought it would help me solve problems, make better decisions, and help me move closer to achieving my goals.

Well, I’ve done it. Five minutes every afternoon is now dedicated to the task. It’s right there on my daily checklist.

It’s just five minutes. With no agenda other than to see what I think.

To make it easier, I’ve started journaling again. Thinking on paper, or in this case, typing on a computer screen, helps the process. It allows me to capture my thoughts so I can come back to them after doing research, talking to someone, or just letting the idea incubate for a spell. I’ve created a #thinking tag for that purpose.

Writing things down also helps improve my thinking. As the words appear on screen, I can see where I’m going and where I need to go.

I didn’t schedule thinking time to brainstorm ideas but to contemplate ideas I’ve already recorded. Nevertheless, I’m finding that ideas are coming to me and that’s okay. You’ve got to learn to trust your mind and let it take you where it wants to go.

I haven’t kept a journal for a long time. I’m starting to realize that I missed it. If you haven’t tried it, or have moved away from doing it, give it a try. If you do keep a journal, I’d love to hear how you use it and how it has helped you.

A good place to keep your journal: Evernote

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Filed Under: Personal development, Productivity Tagged With:

What were you doing one year ago?

May 3, 2018 by
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Author and artist Karen Lamb said, “A year from now you may wish you had started today.”

So true.

A year goes by in about ten minutes. A year ago we were making big plans and setting big goals and here we are, one year later, having done nothing about them.

News flash: we’re not going to live forever. We need to get on with things before it’s too late and we shuffle off to the big after-party in the sky.

How can we do that? How can we accomplish more of our goals?

One way is to have fewer goals. Sure, make a long “someday” list but in the short term, pick a few things that matter most.

How about this: pick one thing you’d like to be, do, or have one year from now. Something exciting. Something you could start today and make happen in the next twelve months or less.

Make it something good. Something that makes you all tingly inside when you think about it.

Got something? Good. That feeling will help you to get started and keep going when you get distracted by other things.

But it may not be enough.

You’ve been down this path before. You had exciting plans last year and, well, here you are.

Why should this year be different?

Okay, here’s what you need to do. Instead of relying merely on your desire for gain, as exciting as it is, a fear of losing what you want is more powerful.

You imagine having it. You want it. It’s yours. And then it’s not.

Imagine it’s one year from now and you don’t have it. You’re not even close. You haven’t even started.

How does it feel to realize that you let another year go by and did nothing?

Disappointed? Sad? Angry?

Get in touch with THAT feeling. It will help you to make this year different.

Transform your practice by getting more referrals

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Filed Under: Goal Setting, success Tagged With:

I can’t talk right now, I’m flowing

May 2, 2018 by
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You’ve heard the term “flow”. You know a “flow state” refers to an immersive and highly focused mental state and that when it occurs, you are more creative, productive, and happy.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the Hungarian psychologist who recognized and named the concept said, “The happiest people spend much time in a state of flow — the state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.”

Sounds like a plan.

To achieve a flow state more often, manage your environment to make it more conducive to achieving flow:

  1. Outsource or delegate tasks that don’t lend themselves to a flow state, if possible, to give yourself more time for those that are.
  2. Allow more time for flow to occur, e.g., don’t schedule appointments immediately after a writing session, for example.
  3. Eliminate distractions and interruptions; you know the drill.
  4. Single task; one thing at a time, so you can do “deep work”.

Then, when things are going well, when you find yourself lost in a task and losing track of time, don’t kill the mood by stopping. Breaks can wait. Other tasks can wait. Maintain the flow state as long as possible.

When you do this, you should find that in addition to getting more of your best work done, you actually have more energy than before you started.

All that and a bag of chips.

Get into the flow of getting more referrals

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Filed Under: Productivity Tagged With:

Scheduling time to think

May 1, 2018 by
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I’m thinking about scheduling time for thinking. Putting 5 minutes each day or 30 minutes once a week on my calendar, dedicated to thinking.

What would I think about? My goals, my plans, my work in progress, ideas, anything that’s on my mind or on my list.

Use the time to figure things out. Make decisions. Figure out what went wrong.

Contemplation is important, especially for cerebral and creative types like you and me. And we don’t do enough of it.

Scheduled thinking time should be used just for thinking, not for brainstorming ideas. We can do that at another time. Thinking time should be used to evaluate ideas we’ve already had, not create new ones.

Thinking helps us to weigh consequences, evaluate plans, and solve problems. It helps us to decide to go forward, incubate further, make changes, or cross things off our list.

True, our subconscious minds do a lot of this for us. We think about something, let go of it, and suddenly, somehow, we know what to do.

And, we do a lot of thinking while we’re doing other things: driving, showering, exercising, washing dishes.

But I want to build some regular “contemplation” time into my schedule so I can do more of it. (I have a naval. I might as well use it.)

So, what do you think about my idea? Are you going to try it?

I know, you need to think about it.

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Filed Under: Personal development Tagged With:

You should be saying THIS a lot

April 30, 2018 by
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You’re busy. Good at what you do. And you get asked for lots of favors.

Information, advice, appearances (at events), endorsements. You get asked to share content, review proposals, add a link or authorize a guest post on your site.

All day, every day, people want something from you. If you’re not saying no to most of these requests, most of which are not a priority for you, you may not have time for the handful that are.

Not to mention time to get your own work done.

You delete most of the email offers and requests from people you don’t know. At least I hope you do. You are not obligated to reply.

But what do you do about a request that comes from a client, a colleague, or a friend?

How do you say no?

If they want your time, you can say, “Sorry, I have a prior commitment.” And that’s true. You have a commitment to spend that time doing client work, doing something for the handful of people you want to help, or doing something for yourself.

Because you’re no good to anyone if you’re not taking care of yourself.

What if the request isn’t time-bound? They want you to review their article, for example, and tell them what you think. No hurry. You could provide a cursory response. “Looks good. I like the donkey story.” A few minutes won’t break the bank.

But if what they ask requires more than a few minutes, or they ask you to do something you don’t want to do, you’re going to have to come up with something else.

The truth is a good option. If you’re uncomfortable doing something, if you don’t have time to do something, tell them. And tell them why.

You don’t want to hurt their feelings. You don’t want to come off as a jerk. But you have to say no to most requests because every time you say yes to something that’s not a priority, you say no to something that is.

Referrals should be one of your top priorities

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Filed Under: Client relations, Personal development

Your passion is more valuable than you think

April 27, 2018 by
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Following on yesterday’s post about making a career out of your passion (if possible), attorney John R. writes to lament that despite his best efforts, he cannot find a way he can do that with his passions: woodworking and golf.

If you find yourself singing a similar song, I have a suggestion I think you’ll like.

Take one of your passions and make it your target market.

Use your knowledge, experience, and love for the subject, to market your legal services to prospective clients and referral sources who inhabit that market.

I don’t know a lot about woodworking but I’m sure it is composed of a wide variety of individuals and businesses: vendors, machine and tool manufacturers, raw materials suppliers, distributors, and retailers.

People who sell wood furniture and art. People who run conventions, write books and blogs and sell instructional videos.

There are insurance brokers, real estate brokers, accountants, and financial planners, who sell to or advise wood mills, hardware and furniture stores, and others in the chain of distribution.

And many others who share your passion.

It’s a big niche, or rather a collection of related niches, and it’s yours for the taking. Focus your marketing efforts on this niche. No matter what your practice area, there are people in it who need your services or can refer people who do.

Speak and network at their events. Write for their publications. Let them know you’re “one of them”.

Soon, you will dominate that market, or at least carve out (sorry) a large enough chunk to keep you busy many times over.

You may not make your living turning a lathe or sanding shelves but you’ll do the next best thing. You’ll get to spend time talking to and helping other people who share your passion.

This will help you find the right target market for you

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services Tagged With:

Don’t follow your passion

April 26, 2018 by
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More than a few smart having been saying lately, “Don’t follow your passion”. The main reason they give is that just because you’re passionate about something doesn’t mean you can make a living at it. There has to be a market for it.

If you love building Star Wars Battle Cruisers out of Legos, you probably have a hobby, not a business.

But some people build fortunes following their passion so telling everyone not to pursue theirs does them a disservice.

How about this: “Don’t follow your passion as a career unless there is a market for it”. Or, “Find a way to leverage your passion so you can make a living at it.”

Few among us love every aspect of our chosen careers. You may love standing in front of judges or juries and flapping your gums but hate marketing. If you asked me, I’d tell you to find a way to do more of the former because your passion for doing that will likely mean you don’t have to do much marketing.

And, if you aren’t passionate about any aspect of your career, if you do it because you’re good at it and it’s paying the bills but you would rather be doing something else, I’d tell you to keep looking for a way to do that something else.

Because if you can make a living doing what you love, not only will you be happier, you’ll likely accomplish more than you ever thought possible simply because you’re doing more.

In speaking about productivity, Leo Babauta of Zen Habits said: “…if you’re passionate about your work, you won’t procrastinate — you’ll love doing it, and want to do more. . . Make your life’s work something you’re passionate about, not something you dread doing, and your task list will almost seem like a list of rewards.”

Go find your list of rewards.

This can help you figure things out

 

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Filed Under: Inspiration, success Tagged With:

Living life on your terms

April 25, 2018 by
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Take a gander at your todo list, reminders, and calendar and ask yourself this question: how many of these items fall into the category of “have to do” and how many are “want to do”?

Yes, I know, some things fall into both categories. And some things you have to do because they allow you to do things you want to do. Or something like that.

The point is, I think we should all be working towards doing more of what we want to do.

Come on, as long as the things that have to be done are getting done, by us or someone else, why shouldn’t we be able to do more of what makes us happy?

The question is, how can we do it?

One way is to get money out of the way. Accumulate a ginormous pile of cash so you no longer have to work. If not cash, passive income will do the trick. When money is out of the way, you can do more of what you want to do.

Sound good? Okay, put that on your list of goals. Actually, you might want to make that your number one goal because if you accomplish this, when you accomplish this, most of your other goals will also be taken care of.

Don’t scoff. You know people who have done this. I’ve done it. It can be done. You can do it. You should do it.

Now, while you’re working on this, what else can you do to get more “want to” into your life?

I think you begin by being more aware of what you’re putting on your lists. If you routinely ask yourself, “Is this something I want to do?” before you write it down, you might start gravitating towards a list comprised of more things you want to do.

You might also get frustrated as you realize how much of what you do falls into the “have to” category. But frustration isn’t a bad thing. It might be all the motivation you need to get going on your plan to get money out of the way.

Referred clients are more likely to make referrals

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Filed Under: Inspiration, success

You might want to sit down to read this

April 24, 2018 by
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Some people advocate keeping a “not to do” list. By eliminating or delegating low-value activities, or activities they simply don’t like doing, it frees up time to focus on high-value/high-enjoyment activities.

Most of us have a list like that. We just keep it in our heads. I don’t mow my lawn, for example, but I don’t have this written down anywhere.

I have other things on my (mental) list. Not just “not to do” but also “not to consider doing”. On that list: getting a standing desk.

My daughter uses one at work and recommends it. What the hell do kids know?

Actually, I did look into this a while back. I read articles and watched videos and decided that while I could use the exercise, standing for hours at a time wasn’t going to work for me.

I used to go to a lot of conventions. Multi-day events with a lot of sitting. I used to stand (and walk around) a lot at these events because it was better than being squished into a seat.

I just don’t want to do that every day.

Anyway, the point is that this is something I’ve looked at and made a decision about. That means when I see an article or video on the subject, I don’t have to think about whether or not I’ll read or watch it. I already made that decision.

I’ve made that decision about a lot of things. It saves me a lot of time.

When I see an article about Linux, for example, I don’t read it. I know it’s not for me.

Does that mean I’m not open to anything new?

Of course not, silly. If you saw how many apps I’ve downloaded on my iPhone, you wouldn’t ask that question.

Are you open to a different way to get more referrals?

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