Most people, especially attorneys, tend to be creatures of habit. They get up at approximately the same time every day, work the same hours, etc.
The assumption, however, that maintaining the same routines and systems leads to great productivity might be erroneous. At least one company has determined that constant change leads to success.
Little changes can make a big difference
I just wrote about maximizing your a.m. productivity. Diving into real work at 9 a.m. instead of 10 a.m. may not sound like much, but come Friday afternoon, that could mean you can leave at 3 p.m. with a clean desk, instead of staying until 7.
If devoting an extra two hours a week to marketing results in an extra client a month—that is 12 more clients a year—and well worth it.
If ain’t broke, you can still experiment
There are tons of client management and project management systems for lawyers. Sam likes to change what we use every week, which drove me nuts for a bit. It also forced me to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each system and each product.
Frankly, no system is perfect. But isn’t it better to be actually happy with a system instead of using it because you are too lazy to experiment? The other advantage to experimenting is that once you realize what you are missing, ask for it. It is a competitive marketplace and most companies are very receptive to feedback. If you ask for it, they just might build it.
Change keeps your mind fresh
At a bare minimum, constant change should keep you invigorated and help you look at things from different perspectives. In other words, a constant push for change/improvement keeps you interested and motivated. Very few people succeed when they are stuck in a rut.
You do not need to reinvent the wheel, but making an effort to change things up (even small things) can pay big dividends.
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Constant Change Leads to Increased Productivity was originally published on Lawyerist.com.