I read an article about the scientific basis of procrastination  (short answer: we do it because it makes us feel better), and how to stop it. You probably won’t be surprised to learn that one of the keys to overcoming procrastination is to get started. According to research, any progress we make can be a big motivator to keep going. Of course, getting started is often the hardest part. One way to do it, according to…

A while back I saw this post on Flakebook: “If you had to reach your five-year goals in 6 months, what would you need to do now?” What a great question.  We assume that five-year goals will take five years to achieve and so we plan and operate accordingly. This question forces us to think outside that damn box. Let’s give this some context: If you knew you only had six months to live and…

Just read an article in the ABA Journal about an Arizona lawyer who loves Star Wars and “dressing up or ‘cosplaying’ as a Stormtrooper.” She attends conventions, marches in parades, and belongs to an international organization of thousands of fans who have fun and raise money for charities. She also does some legal work for her local chapter of the organization. Some lawyers would say that dressing up is unprofessional. Some would say it’s a…

My wife doesn’t make to-do lists. And yet she gets a ton of stuff every day. She seems to know what to do and she gets it done. How? You’re asking the wrong guy. I’m the guy who loves to make lists, try out different apps and different systems for managing my lists. How about you? Are you a list maker? Or are you more like my wife and usually know what to do? You…

How do you get clients to see you as their one and only? The one they always turn to when they need help? The one who’s content they regularly consume and regularly share. The one they provide with positive reviews and testimonials. The one they talk about to everyone they know.  By doing good work? Providing great “customer service”? Delivering more value than they expect? Yes, you need to do these things. But doing them…

I’m playing around with a “time management” app I used many years ago. It was updated recently and so far I like what I see. This, after many years of trying more apps than I can count and always coming back to Evernote. Who knows, I may finally make a “permanent” switch. But that’s not what I want to talk about today. I want to talk about something I’ve been thinking as I transfer tasks…

Saw this question posted on Quora. If you’re a divorce lawyer in Indiana, should you answer it? Should you go looking for questions like this for your practice area or jurisdiction? My take: Answering questions on forums probably won’t bring in a lot of business. More importantly, the business it does bring probably won’t be high quality.  Yes, there are exceptions. You might indeed get some decent clients this way. If you’re just starting out…