In Episode 407 of The Law Entrepreneur, Sam and Neil dive into a topic that has Neil’s name written all over it: the five biggest time wasters every lawyer must avoid. These insights come from his personal experiences and the collective wisdom of hundreds of lawyers who joined My Legal Academy’s program. If you find yourself asking, “What the hell have I done all day?” by mid-afternoon, this post is for you.
1. Signing Up Clients Yourself
Why Avoid It?
- Low Scalability: Personally handling each client’s sign-up process restricts the number of clients you can efficiently manage, limiting the growth potential of your practice.
- Misallocation of Expertise: Lawyers should focus on handling legal complexities, not administrative tasks. Spending valuable time on client intake is a poor use of high-level legal expertise.
- Inefficient Use of Time: The client intake process involves routine, repetitive tasks that do not require a lawyer’s specific skills, making it highly inefficient.
Solution
- Dedicated Virtual Intakers: Hire 100% dedicated virtual intakers who are trained in sales and can handle client sign-ups. This frees up your time and allows you to focus on high-value tasks.
- Qualify First: Ensure the first step is to qualify clients before signing them up. Use tracking, goals, and incentives (TGI) to manage intakers effectively.
2. Constantly Answering Emails Throughout the Day
Why Avoid It?
- Distraction: Each time you check your email, you lose focus on the task at hand.
- Inefficiency: Responding to emails all day prevents you from dedicating time to more important work.
- Stress: Research shows that the longer one spends on email, the higher one’s stress levels.
Solution
- Time Blocking: Set specific times for checking and responding to emails.
- Use Tools: Utilize tools like Mixmax to create email templates and sequences, and delegate email responses to your VAs.
- Migrate to Gmail: Consider using Gmail for its superior automation capabilities and ease of use.
3. The Meeting That Could’ve Been an Email
Why Avoid It?
- Lack of Focus: Meetings without a clear agenda waste time and often fail to accomplish their goals.
- Time Consumption: Frequent meetings eat into time that could be spent on productive work.
Solution
- Meeting Rules:
- Allocate specific days for meetings, such as Mondays.
- Limit meetings to 30 minutes.
- Always have a clear agenda and a designated meeting leader.
- Don’t be afraid to say “no” more often.
- Meeting Rules:
4. Social Media Overusage
Why Avoid It?
- Distraction: Social media is designed to capture your attention, pulling you away from important tasks.
- Productivity Loss: Excessive social media use leads to decreased focus and productivity.
Solution
- Producer vs. Consumer: Use social media to promote your business and engage with clients, not for personal entertainment. Set limits on your usage and be mindful of the time spent.
5. Not Using Automation Tools Like Zapier
Why Avoid It?
- Manual Repetition: Repetitive tasks are time-consuming and prone to error.
- Lost Efficiency: Not leveraging automation means missing out on potential productivity gains.
Solution
- Zapier Automation: Use Zapier to automate repetitive tasks, such as data entry and client communication. This saves time and reduces the potential for errors.
- Resource: Watch the YouTube video “Top 5 Automations That Run My $10M+ Law Firm | Zapier Tutorial” for practical tips on implementing automation.
Avoiding these five time wasters can transform your law practice and significantly boost your productivity! By delegating client sign-ups, managing your email efficiently, setting strict meeting guidelines, limiting social media use, and automating repetitive tasks, you can reclaim your time and focus on the activities that really move the needle.
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Stay tuned for future episodes where Neil and Sam continue exploring strategies for a thriving law practice, with new releases coming every single week