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Pamela DeNeuve

Lawyer & Law Firm Peak Performance Strategist

5 Signs That Your Law Practice is on AutoPilot

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Driving Your Car on AutoPilot

The best way I can explain AutoPilot is when you drive home. After you leave the office, you are ready to drive home. You get into your car and turn on the ignition.  Before you realize it you have arrived home, pulling into your driveway. Yet, you have “no idea” how you made it back home.

While driving, your mind wandered. You thought about the past, or plans for the future, or people that annoyed you, or financial pressures, or even your vacation. The fact is, you thought about everything except the act of driving. You drove home on AutoPilot.  This automatic response is what I call AutoPilot.

Brushing your teeth is another example. When you brush your teeth, your mind wanders, and you don’t think about the act of brushing your teeth. Brushing your teeth becomes automatic, your mind wanders just like driving your car.

Do you want to practice law, interact with management and colleagues, or even worse interact with family members from a semi-conscious AutoPilot state? Of course not!

Being in a semi-conscious state leaves you vulnerable to your blind spots.

What is AutoPilot at Work?

AutoPilot is when you are on automatic. When you are on AutoPilot, you find yourself just going through the motions.  It’s as if you are sleepwalking through your day.  You are working but unable to concentrate.

Millions of individuals work as if they are robots from force of habit.  No passion, no creativity no inspiration just unconscious robotic actions to get through each day.

That is what AutoPilot means.   Your mind never focuses on what you are doing. Your mind is always drifting ruminating about everything except your work, checking email, looking at your smartphone or getting sidetracked.  Kevin, a gifted young associate laughed, “Pamela do I have ADHD?”

We all know the practice of law consists of constant uncertainty, tension, and frustration. There is always a last-minute crisis. Unexpected delays. Tasks take longer than hoped. Cases rarely go as planned. You do not want to practice law on automatic.

Blind Spots

Blind spots cause you to repeat mistakes in your law practice that are not in your best interests. AutoPilot opens the door to knee-jerk responses and allows your blind spots to cause unnecessary errors.  Have you reviewed your work and wondered “how on earth did I make that mistake?”   We all have!

Believe me, it is never what you know that is the problem. The problem is that you don’t even know… what you don’t know. That is where blind spots come into play. With blind spots, you aren’t even consciously aware of what you are doing.

Here are 5 Signs That Your Law Practice is on AutoPilot

  1. You never have time to plan your workday in advance.
  2. You walk into the office, and crises and deadlines move your workday into chaos, and you rarely get your most important work done.
  3. One day seems like the last, nothing changes, there is nothing to look forward to, there is no passion, creativity or enthusiasm in your day.
  4. You feel depressed when you think about going into the office and think about all of the work that needs to be completed.
  5. It feels like you repeat the same day and the same mistakes over and over again.

Blind Spots Can Sabotage Your Law Practice

I find that everyone has a blind spot either in their law practice or their personal lives. Many have blind spots in both their professional and personal circumstances. To be effective, every attorney must learn from their past mistakes. Then, build and expand on your wins and focus on what needs to change.

Take time to review your law practice each week. Plan your day the evening before you leave the office while everything is fresh on your mind. It can be extremely beneficial to work with a coach or consultant to help you focus.

Find ways to stay alert and committed to focus. I suggest taking a short break every 90 minutes, get up and walk around, stretch and drink a glass of water.  This can prevent you from just drifting through another day in a semi-conscious state.

Here is a quote from Benjamin Franklin:

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!”

Overcome the power of AutoPilot. Force yourself to be present and concentrate on the task at hand.

Planning your day in advance will:

  • Help you focus and stop your mind from wandering.
  • Enable you to focus and overcome AutoPilot.
  • Increase your productivity and profits.

Incorporate these preventative measures and goals into your day and you will overcome AutoPilot.

Pamela DeNeuve

Attorney – Coach for Increased Profits

★I Help Law Firms Increase Profits By Retaining Their Associates ★

Avoid:  Stress Depression Anger  & Revitalize Your Legal Career 

Now accepting informal requests for weekly 35-minute informational calls with questions and answers:

https://calendly.com/pdeneuve

Or email me directly:  pamela@intrinsicsolutionsnow.com

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