Lawyers have a reputation for being workaholics. Much of it is deserved. Even though it’s harder now than ever before to make a living, let’s not kid ourselves: attorneys have been working overtime for a long, long . . .…
Malcolm Gladwell’s new podcast, Revisionist History, debuted with an episode entitled The Lady Vanishes. One of the major themes of the episode is the perplexing notion of moral self-licensing. This occurs when a person exhibits progress in some issue of social or moral importance only to result in an increase in contradictory behaviors. In other words, when we do something good, we feel good about what we have done, this leads to feeling an increase in our moral standing (a moral surplus so to speak), which then leads to a feeling of freedom to act in ways that contradict that standing (moral deficit). It’s the “I gave at the office so I can now ignore those in need” mentality. Almost like earning enough good will to spend it on immoral actions. This can be seen in small ways each day (“I feel good about having a salad for lunch so I’ll go ahead and splurge on dinner and dessert tonight.”) or in larger, systemic ways (the firm hires its first female partner but an internal sexist environment intensifies).
If you're considering moving your practice into a niche but have reservations, Jared has a one minute tip that will make your decision easier. For more information on niche practice development, check out: -‘The Expertise Effect: How Getting Narrow Can…
Our natural instinct toward the things we fear is to avoid them. Our logic, although most often beneath our awareness, is that if we ignore it, it will go away. Ignorance is bliss. Or at least we hope it is. Unfortunately, this approach leads to increased anxiety, as opposed to a decrease. Anxiety (unhealthy fear) is like a weed. It often grows to take up the space that you give it. Avoiding something that makes you anxious usually results in that anxiety growing and impacting your life to a greater degree.
As you know, it’s not an easy time to graduate from law school. Student debt has reached outrageous sums. Our guest blogger, Andrew Josuweit knows first-hand about student debt, as he watched his own debt rise to $107,000. He decided…
Advice like “Don’t make too much of it,” “don’t overthink it,” “Simplify your life,” and “Keep it Simple Stupid” are generally good things to keep in mind. However, there are times when making things more difficult can actually help you think better. There is a theory that says we have two ways of thinking: a quick, easy, intuitive way based on emotions (System 1) and a more calculated, deliberate way based on logic (System 2). Many times we make decisions and based on familiarity or intuition. If you have ever tried to proofread something you have written you may know the difficulty in finding an error in something so familiar. This is because when our brains think that something is familiar, we naturally want to process it quickly and come to a conclusion. For example, read the sentence below.
Sometimes, when you buy software, you don’t just buy software; what may come attached are certain accoutrements, one of which may be a support package, which may be fairly costly in its own right, and oftentimes a continuing expense. The…
When a friend shows us pictures of a party we attended, we are probably most interested in the pictures that include us. That’s normal. We all want to be involved in the stories that our friends tell because we want to be important in their lives. We also want to be important in our clients’ lives. If a client is happy, we want to know that it is because of our efforts. If a client is upset, it is difficult not to feel at the center of that emotion, particularly if you have any self-doubt.
In a previous post I talked about the importance of working less in order to engage in different activities (working less and playing more). One such enjoyable activity might be the popular game Sudoku. If you have never played it I encourage you to check it out. In addition to being a fun activity (if you enjoy such things), the benefits of Sudoku on your brain range from improving your concentration and memory, improving analytical thinking, practicing “if, then” thinking, increasing awareness of the interdependent relationships among various factors, and it has been said that it can decrease the chances of developing Alzheimer’s Disease.
As you may have heard, our annual marketing conference will be held on June 2-3 at MCLE, Boston. (Hey, it’s not too late to sign up!) One of our keynote speakers for the conference is Michael Mogill, president of Crisp…