(webinar slides) simple lessons to improve your law practice and your life

Productivity for LawyersSimple Lessons to Improve Your Law Practice and

Your Life

#lessonsforlawyers

Nora Riva Bergman, J.D.

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About Our PresenterPresenter

‣ Certified Atticus Practice Advisor

‣ Licensed attorney, former bar executive

‣ Author

‣ Taught at Stetson Law School

‣ Loves traveling, great food, great wine

‣ Life before law? Guitar player and singer

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How we spend our days is, of course,

how we spend our lives.

– Annie Dillard

This is your life. Are you living it or is it living you?

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Today will

be different.

It’s not enough to be busy.So are the ants.The question is:What are we busy about?

– Henry David Thoreau

TANSTATM.There ain’t no such thing as time

management.

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Health.com reports that“people who work more than 10 hours a day

are about 60 percent more likely to develop

heart disease or have a heart attack than pe

ople who clock just seven hours a day.”

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THE PAINFUL

REALITYAdrenaline Addiction

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Locus of Control

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External Locus of Control Internal Locus of Control

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External Locus of Control

• Others control my destiny.

• There is nothing I can do.

• I had no choice.

• Why bother?

THINGS HAPPEN TO

YOU.

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Internal Locus of Control

• I control my destiny.

• I make things happen.

• I can determine my future.

• I can choose how to respond.

YOU MAKE THINGS

HAPPEN.

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“You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any

direction you choose.”

- Dr. Seuss

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Live in Your Calendar

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LIVING THE

LESSON• Change your “time management” mindset.

Think in terms of “self-management.”

• Increase your internal locus of control.

• LIVE IN YOUR CALENDAR – NOT YOUR INBOX.

To be prepared is half the victory.– Miguel de Cervantes

Get in the habit of planning.2.

Things which Matter Most

MUST never beat the mercy of

things whichMatter least.

- Goethe

“Predeciding should help a person protect goal pursuit from tempting

distractions, bad habits, or competing goals.”

– From The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working

Start Predeciding

LIVING THE LESSON• Schedule 30 minutes in your calendar for weekly planning.

• Include your key support person in your planning session.

• Schedule time in your calendar during the coming week to actually do the

work associated with those deadlines and due dates.

Squirrels are not your friends.– Nora Riva Bergman

Learn to manage needless interruptions, or you’ll

never be able to focus on anything.3.

The average knowledge worker

is interrupted

EVERY 8 MINUTES.

It can take your brain

20 MINUTESto recover from an interruption.

240 Hours

or

Six 40-Hour Weeks

Studies show that a person who is interrupted

takes 50 percent longer to accomplish a task. Not

only that, he or she makes up to 50 percent more

errors.

From Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School

Strive to eliminate

NEEDLESS

INTERRUPTIONS.

LIVING THE LESSON• Notice where your interruptions are coming from.

• Keep an Interruption Log.

• Are interruptions internal or external? Pay attention.

• Schedule focus time when you will not be interrupted.

People who enjoy meetings shouldnot be in charge

of anything.– Thomas Sowell

Put an end to “lurk and blurt.”4.

Huddle!

Stand-up meetings. Keep them short.

10 minutes max.

LIVING THE LESSON• Huddle with your team every day.

• Be prepared. Be on time. Be brief.

• THE THREE QUESTIONS:

1. What are the top 3 things you’re working on today?

2. Are there any obstacles in your way?

3. What questions have you brought to the huddle?

Take a rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.

– Ovid, 43 B.C. – 17 A.D.

Take a break!5.

• Get up and move!

• Change your view.

• Sip ice water.

• Add some humor or inspiration.

• Deepen and relax your breathing.

How to Take a Break

A word (or two)

about mindfulness.

The neuroscience

of mindfulness.

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Mindfulness is not about

stopping thoughts.

Benefits of MindfulnessIt lowers stress and reduces

anxiety.

It increases self awareness.

It protects against depression.

It boosts your immune system.

It helps you sleep better.

It lowers blood pressure.

It improves cognition.

It reduces internal distractions.• https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeenacho/2016/07/14/10-scientifically-proven-benefits-of-mindfulness-and-meditation/#2eb8de2363ce• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/08/mindfulness-meditation-benefits-health_n_3016045.html

LIVING THE LESSON• Take breaks throughout the day.

• Don’t sit for more than 30 minutes.

• Add some humor or inspiration.

• Experiment with mindfulness.

• Headspace, Aura, Meditation Oasis

START NOW.

“A year from now you may wishyou had started today.”

- Karen Lamb

www.reallifepractice.com

nora@reallifepractice.com

nora@atticusonline.com

866.662.0993

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www.MyCase.com

support@mycase.com

800-571-8062

Contact

Nora

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Thank you

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