Last month, I attended TBD Law, an invitation-only lawyer unconference. The purpose of the event was to take a step back and look at the future of law practice. For me, it was a chance to reflect and strategize about how to be more effective and efficient as a practitioner. It also gave me the kick in the butt I needed to focus on a big goal for me this year: bringing my first online course to market.
Toward the end of the event, we were given a worksheet to write out our schedule for putting our plans into action. At the bottom of it was the prompt “I commit to stop doing these three things” — and three blank lines. Although challenging and painful, I resigned myself to writing “Watching YouTube and crap web surfing in the office.” I am the master of thinking “I’ll just take a quick brain-break,” and then losing hours of productivity to mindless videos. But I have too many projects and too little energy to waste bandwidth watching Fails of the Week or Irish People Taste Fritos (and I enjoy both those channels).
Since returning from the event, I’ve stuck to my guns. I look to my to-do list on the Wall of Pain instead of YouTube when I need to refocus my mind. When I really need a brain-break, I walk a lap around the office or step outside for a few minutes; getting the blood flowing helps calm my restless mind.
What Lawyers Say They Need to Stop Doing
In an anonymous survey, I asked my fellow legal eagles, “When you consider your future plans as a lawyer and a person, what’s the one thing you need to commit to stop doing?”
There were some obvious themes in the responses I received.
Setting Boundaries
There were several responses about managing interactions with others. These lawyers said they need to stop:
- “Saying yes to more work when my plate is already overflowing.”
- “Completing tasks that I can delegate to a member of my team.”
- “Entertaining crazy. I let my bleeding heart rope me into helping people long after my brain says they are bad news, crazy or unreasonable, and to get out. I need to listen to my brain more, and my heart less.”
One of the best pieces of advice I heard early in my own career was, “You never regret the client you didn’t take.”
Avoiding Time-Sucks
Like me, several respondents said they need to stop doing things that waste their time, including:
- “Meeting with people for coffee or lunch who do not add value to my personal life, practice or clients.”
- “Checking my emails more than four times on any day.”
I agree with that email comment. When I travel and don’t have 24-7 access to email, I see how fast I can clear new messages in batches. Looking at emails as they come in wastes time because it’s not just about reading the message — it takes time to figure out where I was in my other project, or to get back on track.
Multiple people reported they need to give up time-sucks related to clients who balk at paying. They said:
- “I’m done giving my time away for free. Oh, really? You want a consult with me to review your documents and give you advice? That’ll be $250.”
- “I don’t work for people who complain about paying me, won’t pay me, or want to use my time for free. If someone doesn’t want to pay for what I do for them, I will redirect that time to my family or something I find more rewarding and beneficial.”
Professional Confidence
Interestingly, a few respondents said they need to stop denying their professional competence, saying they need to stop:
- “Triple-guessing my abilities as a lawyer and editing everything to death.”
- “Feeling like I’m not a real lawyer.”
As lawyers, we are part of a profession. Yes, we have tremendous responsibilities and many of us are stricken with perfectionistic thinking (myself included). But it’s just a job. Being lawyers doesn’t mean we stop being human.
So, what about you? What will you commit to stop doing?
Illustration ©iStockPhoto.com
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