Have you ever started or ended a day not sure where to begin or wishing you accomplished more through the day?
It happens to ALL of us at some point or another.
And it’s easy to tell yourself “hey I’m busy so I must be doing the right things” day to day to keep the business moving in the right direction.
But, in reality, there are better uses of your time and below are 3 tactics that I use daily to keep myself on task and productive throughout the day. (All the tools mentioned are free or have a free version.)
Anti-procrastination tactic 1
Keep a schedule – It doesn’t matter what tool you use. If it’s not on your schedule, it’s not important. Keeping a tight schedule will help you focus on tasks that will help move the needle in your business. Whether it’s preparing for a case or reviewing monthly marketing stats, it needs to be on your schedule.
I use Google Calendar along with Calendly to manage my day-to-day planning and meeting scheduling. These tools together give me a full picture of what I need to accomplish during the day and also any meetings that I might need to prepare for.
Anti-procrastination tactic 2
Focus on 1 thing at a time – I know, it’s easier said than done but, if you plan on growing your practice, then focusing your efforts is a MUST. Start with putting your phone on silent or Do Not Disturb mode and put in a drawer across the room. If you need to make a call that could take 30 minutes and it is not scheduled then placing the phone across the room will give you time to rethink making the call if it is not 100% necessary for that moment.
If you are using a Mac turn your IMessage off, also look to use Chrome tab management tools like Workana to help manage browser tabs that could cause distractions.
Anti-procrastination tactic 3
Plan for procrastination – Yep, you read that right… Planning for procrastination is the best way to keep yourself on track. If you need a 15-minute break to check social media or make a personal call, then just plan for it. It seems like a crazy thing to do but as you get used to planning your day out, you will become more self-aware for what you are trying to accomplish that waiting for an extra hr to check Facebook or call your spouse to ask what is for dinner will not matter.
These are some quick tactics and a few tools you can implement in your daily routine to beat procrastination. They seem simple but it would surprise you how many lawyers do not keep a schedule and spread themselves thin trying to “do everything”.
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