From Chaos to Control: Time Management Secrets for Busy Law Firm Owners - Anna Dearmon Kornick
Do you want to unlock your true potential and maximize your productivity as a busy law firm owner? Are you searching for the key to achieving outstanding results in your professional life? Look no further! In this episode, we have the pleasure of hosting Anna Dearmon Kornick, who will be sharing her expert insights and proven strategies to help you transform your time management skills. Get ready to unleash your productivity superpowers and unlock the door to unparalleled success in your law firm.
You have more control than you think. You do have the power to change your circumstances. You are not a tree. You can move. - Anna Dearmon Kornick
In this episode, you will be able to:
- Maximize your productivity with effective time management strategies that will improve your efficiency and help you get more done in less time.
- Learn how to prioritize tasks and utilize delegation techniques to free up your time and focus on the most important responsibilities.
- Discover the power of role-focused lists and thematic scheduling to organize your day, minimize distractions, and stay on track with your goals.
- Master the art of capturing processes to successfully delegate tasks and ensure consistency and quality in your law firm operations.
- Find out how aligning your personal core values with your time allocation can lead to greater fulfillment and work-life balance.
Organize and Stay on Track
The concept of theme days and the distinction between 'Maker Time' and 'Manager Time' suggested by Anna can help individuals better organize their work week and stay on track. Organizing tasks based on one's role and focusing on a specific type of work each day can lead to less context switching and more productive work periods. Incorporating digital tools to monitor and assess how time is spent can provide valuable insights into work patterns and areas for improvement.
Prioritize Tasks and Delegate Effectively
Knowing what to take on and what to delegate is crucial for improving productivity and efficiency. Anna suggests dividing tasks into a larger 'brain dump list' and a 'today list' of five to fifteen items that are manageable in a day, which aids in prioritization. Further, effective delegation of less critical tasks, after recording and establishing clear processes for those tasks, frees up valuable time for more complex activities.
Maximize Productivity with Time Management
Being productive is not synonymous with being constantly busy. Anna Dearmon Kornick emphasizes the importance of effective time management to boost productivity. By minimizing context switching and implementing techniques like time blocking, professionals can focus more effectively on tasks, reducing wasted time and energy.
Episode Highlights
[00:00] Introduction to Anna
Moshe introduces the topic of personal development and time management. He welcomes Anna Dearmon Kornick, a time management coach and author, to discuss how to master time management and achieve better work-life balance.
[07:22] Finding the Right Path
Anna explains how she tried different career paths before settling on being a time management coach. She knew it was the right fit because she couldn't imagine doing anything else, even if she won the lottery.
[09:38] Challenges for Law Firm Owners
Moshe discusses the challenges law firm owners face with time management, wearing multiple hats, and struggling with context switching. Anna explains that trying to be all roles every day leads to inefficiency and attention residue, and provides a solution.
[12:31] Batch Processing and Time Blocking
Anna introduces the concepts of batch processing and time blocking as a solution for law firm owners. She explains how to group similar tasks together to minimize context switching and maximize productivity.
[16:38] The Ineffectiveness of a Long To-Do List
Anna discusses the problem of having a long to-do list with items that may never get done. She suggests separating the list into a to-do list and a today list to prioritize important tasks that can be realistically accomplished. Time blocking tasks in a digital calendar is also recommended.
[21:55] Solving Time Management Problems
Anna explains that time management is not one-size-fits-all and suggests using the focusing question from the book "The One Thing" to identify the most important problem to solve first. Delegating tasks, organizing the calendar, and wearing fewer hats are possible solutions to consider based on individual circumstances.
[23:34] Reducing Context Switching
Anna recommends creating a list of roles and responsibilities to identify patterns and group similar activities together. She introduces the concept of Maker Time and Manager Time, suggesting that mornings are best for creative work and afternoons for managerial tasks. Theme days, where each day focuses on a different role or type of work, can also help reduce context switching.
[27:31] Vision Casting as a Time Management Strategy
Anna emphasizes the importance of having a clear vision for the future to make intentional decisions about time management. She suggests starting with a vision and letting it influence priorities and daily arrangements. Having a vision helps align actions with long-term goals.
[34:02] Delegating Low-Impact Activities
Moshe and Anna discussed the importance of delegating low-impact activities, emphasizing the need to identify tasks that can be easily offloaded and create systems for capturing processes to ensure successful delegation.
[37:19] Conducting a Time Study
Conducting a time study is recommended as a way to gain self-awareness and understand how time is spent. Anna suggests using tools like Toggle or giant post-it notes to track and evaluate tasks.
[39:44] Aligning Time with Personal Core Values
The importance of aligning time with personal core values is highlighted, encouraging listeners to evaluate if their values are reflected in their calendar and make adjustments if necessary.
Resources
- Check out Anna's podcast It's About Time for weekly stories and strategies on time management and work-life balance. https://annadkornick.com/podcast/
- Time Management Essentials: The Tools You Need to Maximize Your Attention, Energy, and Productivity https://profitwithlaw.com/timemanagementessentialsbook
- Visit Anna's website to learn more about her coaching services and how she can help you stop feeling overwhelmed and start spending time on what matters most. Annadkornick.com
- Follow Anna on social media for daily inspiration and updates on time management strategies.
- Facebook: annadkornick.com/facebook
- Instagram: annadkornick.com/instagram
- YouTube: annakdornick.com/youtube
- Podcast: annadkornick.com/listen
- Check out our YouTube channel for more PWL episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@profitwithlaw
About Anna Dearmon Kornick
Anna is a Time Management Coach who helps busy professionals and business owners master time management so they can stop feeling overwhelmed and start spending time on what matters most. Her weekly podcast, It's About Time, shares stories and strategies to inspire women seeking better work/life balance. Anna is the author of Time Management Essentials: The Tools You Need to Maximize your Attention, Energy and Productivity
Connect with Anna on Facebook. You can also follow her on Instagram and LinkedIn.
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Author
Moshe Amsel
Author
Moshe Amsel the host of the Profit with Law podcast is not an attorney. As the owner of a successful accounting firm DreamBuilder Financial and Law Firm Growth coaching organization Profit with Law, Moshe has proven that there are better and different ways for a law firm to do business and be successful.
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