At the beginning of 2017, I wrote a blog post on using the 80/20 Pareto Principle to manage your time. I start this year with a similar post on time management. For this post, I turn to Habit 3 of Stephen Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, to help lawyers see time management from another perspective.

The new year is a great time to create or update a business plan for your law practice. Whether you are a recent graduate, a seasoned veteran, or just new to private practice, it is never too late to set goals and identify strategies to reach those goals. You might think you don’t have time to write a lengthy business plan. You might also wonder, would your practice even benefit from the planning process? The answer is a definite yes!

The concept of “New Year’s resolutions” may have a negative connotation for many of us. It is estimated that on average, New Year’s resolutions fail at a rate of close to 80%. The problem is that we create resolutions that are too vague, making them impossible to implement, track, and carry out long-term. They are merely declarations, with no actual substance or thought behind them. Thus why many of these resolutions quickly fall to the wayside.