Seven Subtle Things Successful Lawyers do Daily

Do you ever go to sleep feeling like you really didn’t accomplish that much? Do you always feel strung out and at your wit’s end?

Most lawyers work about 50 hours per week but roughly 20 of those hours are unproductive.

Imagine if you were given 20 hours back per week. What could you do with that time? Tim Ferriss, author of the international bestseller The 4 Hour Work Week has some suggestions.

1. Manage Your Mood

If your day starts calm, it’s easier to focus and get the right things done.

2. Don’t Check Email in the Morning

Checking email in the morning sets you up to react instead of act.

3. Before You Try to do it Faster, Ask Whether it Should be Done at All

Don’t ask how to make something more efficient if the task accomplishes nothing useful.

4. Focus is Nothing More Than Eliminating Distractions

Lock yourself away from all the flashing, buzzing distractions.

5. Have a Personal System

Your routines can be formal and scientific or personal and idiosyncratic – either way, productive people have a routine.

6. Define Your Goals the Night Before

Establish a closing ritual. Know when to stop working. Try to end each workday the same way, too. Straighten up your desk. Back up your computer. Make a list of what you need to do tomorrow.

7. Rarely is it Wise to Have Many People Stress Over One Thing

Delegation is key for any successful person. Wasting mental energy over a task or project that you have assigned to someone else can ruin your productivity. Set them up to succeed. Give them all the training and tools they need and let them figure it out. They may just surprise you.

To read the full article by Eric Barker click here: Business Insider

I have personally taken the challenge of practicing all 7 of these. Not checking emails in the morning has been the most difficult for me. I have found that those emails are still there in the afternoon and the goals I have set are being accomplished.

I have also found that I am relaxed and can handle more of life’s challenges because I am not so worn down. It doesn’t solve all my problems, but what these 7 subtle things do is give me more stamina to handle what comes my way.

Test it out for yourself and see what happens. You won’t be disappointed.