The five minutes before you log off

The five minutes at the end today influences how your practice will grow tomorrow.

“If you’re walking down the right path, eventually you’ll make progress.”

Barack Obama

Interruptions can be helpful

Forcing an interruption in your flow could improve your memory, boost your productivity and grow your practice. This study in behavioural psychology explains how.

The Zeigarnik Effect

Aiming to leave Chambers with everything in ship-shape for tomorrow is a noble ambition which may not be helping you.

The case for doing things differently is offered in a PhD paper published in 1927 by Lithuanian-born psychologist, Bluma Zeigarnik*.

Zeigarnik tested a theory that a person’s memory of a task can be improved by interruption.  The findings suggest that recall of a task improves significantly by interruption because the desire to complete it causes it to be retained in memory.

If you’ve ever forgotten all the details of a matter in the moment the judgment is passed, this would support Zeigarnik’s findings that only when the task is completed can the process of forgetting begin.

How barristers can use the Zeigarnik Effect

I’m not recommending that you try this for the first time the day before a hearing.  Pick a day when you’re not in court the next day.

Start reading the facts of a case towards the end of the day.  Set an alarm for the time you’ll stop reading.  Switch to another task for five minutes and then leave Chambers.

You might find that not reading to the end drives you crazy, particularly if you are someone who needs everything tidy before going home.  

Try it as an experiment for one day and test your recall the next morning. 

If it works for you, you might never be late home for dinner again.

How to use the interrupted time to grow your practice

In an earlier post, I talked about the Eisenhower Matrix and his 2 x 2 matrix of Important and Urgent tasks.

The five minutes before you leave Chambers is the time for Important – Not Urgent practice development tasks.  Make these tasks a habit and your practice can’t fail to grow.

Spend five minutes at the end of the day

• Making new connections on LinkedIn with people who meet the profile of your ideal client

• Writing three sentences to conclude your next article so you are primed to write the introduction

• Researching influencers in an industry association close to your practice area so you can start networking with them

Adopting a consistent habit to growing your practice is the key to your future success.  Five minutes at the end of the day is enough to get started.

Is your practice moving in the right direction?

In The Business of Barristering programme, we guide you to design a strategy that will help you raise your profile, connect with clients and grow your practice.

Schedule a call today to find out how the final five minutes of the day can take practice to the next level.

By Heidi Smith
Creator of Jurilogical.com

*References

On Finished and Unfinished Tasks Bluma Zeigarnik 1927