If you’re a type A personality, love to read or have a relative who thought you needed some self-improvement, you’ve probably read Stephen Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”
The timeless book outlines seven principles, or habits, that lead to success. With that book’s habits in mind, we dug a little deeper to identify seven things that make attorneys successful.
Protect your time; use it wisely. Management guru Peter Drucker once wrote, “What gets measured, gets managed,” and boy was he right.
You might think keeping a bullet journal is ridiculous and laugh at the idea of habit tracking, but those sorts of tools are useful because they mandate that the user think about productivity and healthy living each day.
In the law firm setting, protecting your time might be done by creating a detailed to-do list each morning and then crossing items off as you go — and not checking email or answering calls until you’ve completed those tasks. While that’s not possible every day (especially when clients want to talk your ear off about every minor decision), by thinking intentionally, attorneys can ensure they are meeting all their professional, familial and social obligations.
Some tips to implement this strategy include installing add-ons that block your computer from going to time-wasting websites; printing out important documents so you can sequester yourself away from email and phone calls while you read them; only checking email at a set time (or times) each day; and turning off push notifications on your phone. This stops you from engaging in “the tyranny of the urgent” and keeps you focused on your current task instead.
Be neat and organized. Have you ever known someone who swears they know where everything is in their cluttered and chaotic office? Do they really know where things are, or is it just an excuse?
Let’s be honest: It feels way better to work in a space that is clean and clutter-free. Save time and money by keeping your office organized. Revisit your filing system, scanning in important documents you don’t need physical copies of. Sort through virtual clutter by answering old emails and deleting things from your desktop. Get rid of old journals, magazines and books you don’t need. And finally, give everything a good wipe-down.
For bonus points: Use an essential oil diffuser to stop your office from smelling like dank coffee and frustrated tears. When you’re done cleaning up, you’ll find yourself rejuvenated, inspired and (finally) able to find client billing statements.
Develop great dining etiquette. The most important class I ever took in school wasn’t torts or contracts or advanced English composition. It was a half-day etiquette seminar.
As a first-generation college (and law) student, there were certain unwritten rules I never knew I was breaking when being taken out to dinner by a potential employer, such as not placing your napkin on the table when you get up to use the restroom, placing your knife and fork on your plate in a way that indicates you are finished and drinking from the right water glass. The list is endless.
During this seminar, an etiquette expert walked us through a “proper service,” including a soup, salad, dinner and dessert course. (Spoiler alert: There are different rules for each of them.)
While some of these principles are antiquated and certainly not used in everyday life, a few of the things I learned have saved my skin on more than one potentially awkward occasion.
Successful (and well-liked) attorneys are those who can navigate through both political and social quagmires. They need to be prepared for anything, including dropping their fork under the table during a client dinner.
Quick tips: Don’t cut your salad up with a knife, never take more than your share of the butter, and remember that you are there to socialize, not gorge yourself. (Stop and get some chicken nuggets afterward if you’re still hungry.)
Strive for good mental health and know when to stop drinking. Let’s not mince words here: Mental health and substance abuse have a lengthy history in our profession.
In this high-stakes environment, there are those who turn to alcohol and drugs to cope. While a glass of wine with dinner is OK, there is a fine line between “drinking to socialize” and “drinking to survive.”
As a result, it’s important to be mindful of your personal coping mechanisms, as well as looking out for signs of substance abuse among your colleagues. You don’t have to play Mom and chastise your friends, but letting someone know you are there as support can make a world of difference.
Successful (and productive) attorneys are those who do a daily status check on their mental health. They know when they are overwhelmed and take intentional steps to engage in self-care or otherwise deal with the source of their frustrations. Yes, work will be hard, arduous and stressful, but managing to maintain your composure and your mental health might prove even more difficult.
Stay up to date on the news. Nothing demonstrates that a person is on the ball quite like their ability to jump seamlessly from topic to topic, including the latest news story or legal case.
Successful attorneys are those who realize that work doesn’t stop at the office door. They stay current on trending law and culture while having the foresight to envision how both could affect their practice.
Learn something new each day. If you’ve maneuvered your way through law school, the MPRE (Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination) and the bar exam, chances are you’re a lifelong learner.
Nurture this character trait by spending a few minutes each day reading something new. Subscribe to bar association journals, productivity websites, even a vegan lifestyle blog. If you continue to learn, you continue to grow.
Passing the bar exam shouldn’t be the end of your personal development. Becoming an attorney isn’t about what you’ve done; it’s about who you are. Keep being you.
Know when to ask for help. Successful attorneys know they can’t succeed without at least a little help. No one expects you to know everything fresh out of law school (or even after a decade in practice).
It’s important to recognize when you have reached the limits of your own knowledge. It’s one thing to think you know something; it’s another to actually know it. For solo practitioners and new associates, it can be terrifying to reach out to a friend or senior partner for help on an issue. So often, people believe attorneys know it all, but the truth is, we have the same limits as everyone else.
If you practice criminal law, you have no reason to know intellectual property licensing procedure, and that’s OK. Asking for help isn’t a weakness; it’s seeking strength from others.
How you choose to define success is personal. Whether it’s your bank account balance, the number of clients you’ve helped or the number of billable hours you booked, just remember: You have value regardless of your metrics. There is no set path to greatness, but there are a few steppingstones that can help get you there. Tread carefully.
