Yes, you really can increase your productivity and improve your practice and your life. In this webinar, Nora shares seven strategies from her book, 50 Lessons for Lawyers, that will help you do just that. Join us for a webinar that will provide tools to help you take control of your life and your practice so that you can boost profits, reduce stress, and serve your clients better than ever.

1. Seven Simple Lessons to Help You
Earn More, Stress Less, and Be Awesome
Presented by
Nora Riva Bergman, J.D.
© 2018

2. About Nora Riva Bergman
Nora has been an Atticus Certified Practice Advisor since 2006. A licensed attorney
since 1992, Nora brings a deep understanding of the practice and business of law to
her work with lawyers, law firms, and bar associations.
She is the author of 50 Lessons for Lawyers: Earn More – Stress Less – Be Awesome,
a practice handbook for attorneys.
“Prescient, pragmatic, productive, pointed. These words describe Nora’s guidance
as my executive coach. Her very-readable book encapsulates the truths she shared
with me. I recommend Nora and her book without equivocation.”
- Scott G. Hawkins, Past President, The Florida Bar, 2011-2012
“Nora Riva Bergman has written the definitive guide on running a healthy practice.
The habits you will learn are not only great for good business health, but enjoyable,
and they will translate to all aspects of your life for great living, too.”
- Susan Cartier Liebel, Founder and CEO of Solo Practice University

3. • Pick one.
• Start today.
• Stick with it.
• One step at a time.

4. You can’t jump to the top of a mountain.

6. It’s not enough to be busy. So are the ants.
The question is: What are we busy about?
– Henry David Thoreau
TANSTATM.
There ain’t no such thing as time management.1

7. It has always been a badge of honor
for lawyers to work late.
And on weekends, too.

8. Health.com reports that
“people who work more than 10 hours
a day are about 60 percent more likely to
develop heart disease or have a heart attack
than people who clock just seven hours a day.”

9. LOCUS OF CONTROL
External or Internal?

10. Internal Locus of ControlExternal Locus of Control

11. External Locus of Control
• Others control my destiny.
• There is nothing I can do.
• I had no choice.
• Why bother?
THINGS HAPPEN TO YOU.

12. Internal Locus of Control
• I control my destiny.
• I make things happen.
• I can determine my future.
• I can choose how to respond.
YOU MAKE THINGS HAPPEN.

13. Live in Your Calendar

14. LIVING THE LESSON
• Change your “time management” mindset. Think in terms
of “self-management.”
• Increase your internal locus of control.
• LIVE IN YOUR CALENDAR – NOT YOUR INBOX.

15. The future depends on what
we do in the present.
– Gandhi
Understand the difference between knowing and doing.
Start doing.2

16. 1.Small wins matter.
2.Accomplishments come in pieces.
3.Forget perfection.
4.Actions produce energy and momentum.
Take Action
From Confidence by Rosabeth Moss Kanter.

17. “A year from now you may wish
you had started today.”
- Karen Lamb

18. LIVING THE LESSON
• Commit to doing at least three things every day that are
consistent with your mission and move you toward your goals.
• Keep a “Journal of Three” to track your actions. Write down your
actions as you do them each day. Remember, actions create
energy and momentum.
• Don’t wait to be the person you want to be. Don’t wait to create
the law firm you envision. Start today. Act “as if” you’re already
there, and you’ll arrive much sooner.

19. To be prepared is half the victory.
– Miguel de Cervantes
Get in the habit of planning.3

20. Things which
Matter Most
MUST never be
at the mercy of
things which
Matter least.
- Goethe

21. “Predeciding should help a person protect goal
pursuit from tempting distractions, bad habits, or
competing goals.”
– From The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working
Start Predeciding

22. LIVING THE LESSON
• Schedule 30 minutes in your calendar for weekly planning.
• Include your key support person in your planning session.
• Schedule time in your calendar during the coming week to
actually do the work associated with those deadlines and due
dates.

23. Squirrels are not your friends.
– Nora Riva Bergman
Learn to manage needless interruptions,
or you’ll never be able to focus on anything.4

24. The average knowledge worker
is interrupted
EVERY 8 MINUTES.

25. It can take your brain
20 MINUTES
to recover from an interruption.

26. 240 Hours
or
Six 40-Hour Weeks

27. Studies show that a person who is
interrupted takes 50 percent longer
to accomplish a task. Not only that,
he or she makes up to 50 percent
more errors.
From Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School

28. Strive to eliminate
NEEDLESS
INTERRUPTIONS.

29. LIVING THE LESSON
• Notice where your interruptions are coming from.
• Keep an Interruption Log.
• Are interruptions internal or external? Pay attention.
• Schedule focus time when you will not be interrupted.

30. People who enjoy meetings should
not be in charge of anything.
– Thomas Sowell
Put an end to “lurk and blurt.”5

31. Huddle!
Stand-up meetings. Keep them short.
10 minutes max.

32. LIVING THE LESSON
• Huddle with your team every day.
• Be prepared. Be on time. Be brief.
• THE THREE QUESTIONS:
1. What are the top 3 things you’re working on today?
2. Are there any obstacles in your way?
3. What questions have you brought to the huddle?

33. Stop taking “D” clients.6
It’s not about the money. And by the way,
I got a different answer from Google.
– IMA D. CLIENT

34. “D” CLIENTS STEAL FROM YOU.

35. A & B
TIME
INCOME
C & D
THE 80/20 RULE

36. CHOOSE WISELY

37. LIVING THE LESSON
• Write down a description of your ideal “A” client. Do the
same for “D” clients. Be very, very specific.
• Pay attention! “A” clients can slip to “C” or “D” clients
during representation.
• Analyze your current clients. Fire a “D” client or two.

38. Take a rest;
a field that has rested
gives a bountiful crop.
– Ovid, 43 B.C. – 17 A.D.
Take a break, for crying out loud!7

39.  Get up and move!
 Change your view.
 Sip ice water.
 Add some humor or inspiration.
 Deepen and relax your breathing.
How to Take a Break

40. A word (or two)
about mindfulness.

41. Mindfulness is not about
stopping thoughts.
It’s about noticing them.

42. Benefits of Mindfulness
It lowers stress and reduces anxiety.
It increases self awareness.
It protects against depression.
It boosts your immune system.
It helps you sleep better.
It lowers blood pressure.
It improves cognition.
It reduces internal distractions.
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeenacho/2016/07/14/10-scientifically-proven-benefits-of-mindfulness-and-meditation/#2eb8de2363ce
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/08/mindfulness-meditation-benefits-health_n_3016045.html

44. LIVING THE LESSON
• Take breaks throughout the day.
• Don’t sit for more than 30 minutes. Get a stand-up desk.
• Add some humor or inspiration.
• Experiment with mindfulness:
• Headspace
• Insight Timer
• Calm

45. START NOW.

46. Resources
The Happiness Advantage, Shawn Achor
Getting Things Done, David Allen
The Other 90%, Robert K. Cooper
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey
Confidence, Rosabeth Moss Kanter
Factory of One, Dan Markovitz
Brain Rules, John Medina
The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working, Tony Schwartz