Create a Productive Personal Development Plan for Attorneys

Check out this article featured in The Legal Intelligencer:
http://thelegalintelligencer.typepad.com/tli/2009/02/create-a-productive-personal-development-plan.html

Create a Productive Personal Development Plan
Many of us start the year with the best of intentions, and, as the year progresses, we get caught up in the busyness of life. This is the perfect time of year to reflect on what you want to achieve, create a plan and stick to it.
* Identify your focus. Rather than thinking really long-term, focus on what you can achieve in the next three to six months. This will give you a greater sense of priority.
* Identify your style. Are you a “do-it-yourself” type of person or do you prefer to attend a program, participate in training or attend a conference? Once you know your style, you will be better equipped to create your plan.
* Identify resources. Once you know your focus for the next few months, determine what resources you need to achieve your goals. Are there books you can read? Conferences you can attend for CLE credits? Coaching you can pay for? What resources do you need to achieve your plan?
* Identify how much time. Ask yourself how much time you are willing to commit to your personal development. You need to treat this as a high priority and schedule it.
* Identify experts who can help you. Once you know your area of development, brainstorm who will help you achieve this? Do you need a personal trainer? Is a coach something you should consider? Who can help you achieve?
* Identify when you will do it. Attorneys constantly tell me that they do the “urgent” and regret not spending time on the important activities. Be different. Schedule time in your calendar to achieve your personal development goals and treat the time as a priority, just like you treat your clients as a priority.
* Identify what you will ignore or delete. Often, to achieve our goals, we have to give up or say no to activities. Determine the activities in your life that you can place on hold or delete in order to focus on your personal development area.
* Identify an accountability partner. The best way to stay on track is to create a level of accountability to someone. You might hire a coach or tell a friend, but do let someone know what you are working on so they can support you.
* Identify your plan in writing. Help stay on track by detailing on paper your new development plan and how you will achieve it. Post it somewhere you can see it on a daily basis.
* Identify when you have achieved. Be clear when developing your plan exactly how you will measure your success. It is important to know when you can begin the next personal development journey.
If you want to boost your productivity, the best way to do that is determine what area you want to focus on and then decide how you are going to achieve that. You don’t need to do it alone, recruit help, keep yourself accountable and enjoy your results!