November 2008
You'll Never Walk Alone*
Alvah Parker is a practice advisor and coach for those attorneys who want to build a profitable and fulfilling practice and still have time for other parts of their lives. Alvah's Value Program identifies the strengths, values and behavioral style of each client. Armed with this knowledge the attorney will be able to create a practice that truly reflects who he/she is. Using what comes naturally to them makes it easier for them to make more money in less time thus leaving more time for other parts of their lives. With her background in sales and marketing Alvah is able to guide her clients to a way of doing business that suits their particular style. Her clients learn to develop business, manage time, hire and direct staff, and control cash flow using their strengths, values and behavioral style. For further information, visit her website at http://www.asparker.com/ or call her at 781-598-0388
*Title of a song from Carousel by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein
The use of song titles is my way of expressing my love of music and musical theater. Each time I come up with a title I rediscover a song I love.
Thank you for passing this newsletter on to other attorneys. If you received this from a colleague and want to subscribe, please go to http://www.asparker.com/samples.html and receive a free values assessment along with a subscription to Road to Success and Parker's Points. Please watch for your confirmation email to insure delivery of Road to Success and Parker's Points
At The End Of The Day*
Time Management Tips for Lawyers
Do you have the feeling that time just passes and by the end of the day you have not been nearly as productive as you could be? Sometimes we are harder on ourselves than we ought to be so it is worth keeping track of what you do for couple of days to see what is going on. Write down your activities in 15 minute segments. It may feel like a nuisance to do but will be very revealing once you complete the exercise. As you review your log, look to see if you are working smart or if you just need to be more forgiving of yourself. Here are ten red flags to look for lost time with some suggested ways to plug the holes.
- Blocks of unproductive time - Sometimes we spend time trying to figure out what to do next. There isn't enough time to do that big job but there is time to do something. Figuring out what you have time for in the moment takes time. Having a "To do" list is helpful. Working on a schedule for the week on Monday morning or Friday afternoon also will help you plan activities for those extra 5 or 10 minutes that often get wasted.
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Interruptions - You've got a task to complete and time to do it but the phone rings, your administrative person has a pressing question or the alert on your email announces email has arrived. Having a way to stop interruptions without stopping your work flow is imperative.
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Time crunch - Not enough time to complete work due for tomorrow. This probably requires that you call the client to reschedule an appointment. Part of the benefits of planning and scheduling work is that you will know what is reasonable to promise a client. For client satisfaction you will want to under promise and over deliver. The schedule you put together for the week should have a comfortable cushion of time to get all the big tasks you have promised for the week completed in time.
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Critical unexpected emergencies - With proper planning these should be kept to a minimum. Knowing what you will do in the rare instance when it happens is helpful.
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Delays because of misfiled items or lost information - Organization is important to time management. Searching for something that should be at your fingertips is a big time waster.
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A quick break turns into a long discussion - In an office with other people it is easy to get involved in a discussion. It might even be work related but it puts you off schedule for the day. Knowing how to say "No not now" in a nice way is important!
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Lost on the Internet - Internet research slips into Internet purchasing, Internet game, and/or Internet personal research. The Internet is really seductive that way. Is there anyone that this hasn't happened to? :)
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Quick call to friend takes longer than expected - Learning how to cut off or delay a conversation until a more convenient time will help here. It is another instance of knowing how to say "no not now" in a nice way.
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Doing work that someone on your staff could have done - To manage time most effectively you must do the work only you can do and delegate the rest. This frees up your time to either market your practice or do more work.
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Work takes much longer than usual - Notice the time of day that you are most productive. Are you scheduling the longer and more challenging tasks during that period of the day? In the future plan accordingly.
* Song from the musical Les Miserables. Music by Claude Michel Schonberg and lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer
Special Offer for November
More Time Management Tips
E-Book - More Clients in Less Time - 110 Powerful Tips for Attorneys
Are you an attorney who is overwhelmed with work? Do you find it difficult to carve out time for yourself and your family? If you are working many hours to get your work completed and then are too tired at the end of the day to do anything else, then you will want to read the E-book, More Clients in Less Time - 110 Powerful Tips for Attorneys.
People who have read this e-book have commented that the lists are:
- easy to read
- full of "good common sense" tips.
- a great resource for a law practice.
The cost of the e-book is $5.95 ($7.50 on my website). Along with the e-book you have the option of purchasing a half hour coaching session for the low introductory fee of $50, a $100 value if it were available. There is no option for single session coaching in my practice. This offer is for newsletter readers only.
To schedule your coaching session and to buy the e-book please send me an email at asparker@asparker.com with your name and telephone number. I'll call you to make the necessary arrangements and to answer any questions.
Be sure to look at all my offers for attorneys.
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Parker's Points is written by Alvah Parker who also writes Road to Success. Both publications are fr*e to subscribers who are interested in doing work that is meaningful and profitable. The subscriber list to these publications is only used by Alvah Parker and is not sold or given to anyone else. If you are receiving this publication, it is because you subscribed to it. I do not send either publication to anyone who did not request it. Directions to unsubscribe are at the bottom of every issue.
About Alvah Parker
Alvah Parker is a Practice Advisor and Career Coach. An award winning Account Executive and Sales Manager for AT&T, Alvah has successfully coached clients to define and achieve their goals. At AT&T, as a SCORE counselor and as a Practice Advisor, Alvah uses her business knowledge to help her clients develop and implement a business and/or career plan. Alvah specializes in working with attorneys who want to build a profitable and fulfilling practice as well as people in transition who are interested in exploring new career options. Her coaching helps her clients to get clear about their personal and work vision. From that they design a plan and strategy for the future based on that vision. Alvah coaches her clients over the telephone. This means she can be reached from anywhere in the world. You can reach Alvah at 781-598-0388 or asparker@asparker.com.
Copyright © 2008 all rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce or copy Parker's Points in its entirety including copyright and contact information.
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