Now that we’re in the new year, things are going to pick up again. Work to be done, court calendars to manage, clients to serve and kids back off to school. In a sense, December was a cake walk – the clients slowed to a trickle for many of you, most judges took it easier, and deadlines didn’t have quite the same level of urgency.
Now that the ball dropped, we’re in high gear.
For my part, December was a rocky month work-wise as well as on the personal side. An illness took root in the house. A trusted employee unexpectedly and suddenly left. Things needed to be done.
This year will be more of the same. If not sickness and personnel vacancies then something else. Dropping a ball over Times Square doesn’t change the reality that is the world of running a law firm.
On top of that, I’m fortunate to be working with some incredibly intelligent people to bring you products and services to make your life easier and your practices more profitable. There’s going to be work involved in those projects, and I’m looking forward to tackling them.
Already, my company has re-launched The Inspired Solo, a site created to help lawyers get more done while retaining their personal lives. Over the past month or so I’ve been hard at work on that site, helping to craft it into a valuable resource for you. It’s just the first step in a larger rollout that I’ll be sharing with you as I have more information.
And as I’ve shared some of these plans with those around me, time and time again I’ve been asked how I find the time.
You don’t find the time. It simply exists.
Writing, speaking, traveling and serving clients are some of the things I’m passionate about. Ideas and legal theories roll through my head, and getting them out to you is something I love to do.
It’s like asking where you find the time to talk with friends or be with your family. If it’s something you find important, then you do it.
I don’t watch live television, preferring to DVR it and watch when it suits me. I work in an untethered way so I can get things done when the mood strikes me rather than on an externally-imposed schedule.
And at some level, I’ve changed the definition of work. There’s an old saying that, “if it was fun it wouldn’t be called work.” That never did much for me, which is why I went solo all those years ago. And why I continue on the path of self-employment.
This year your challenges will be monumental. They always are. How are you going to find the time to do what you love?
