A New Year, A New You - Above the Law

"Don't "set goals." Build a plan you can execute on your worst day. Start small and specific: Pick three outcomes you want by year-end (skills, relationships, health, money - your call). For each outcome, write a short to-do list you can start in January. Then take it one step further: break each goal into "next actions" you can complete in 30 minutes."

"Replace willpower with systems: checklists, calendars, and repetition. Law rewards consistency. And consistency comes from systems, not motivation. A practical trick: build checklists for repeatable tasks - witness interviews, depo prep, discovery responses. Most of what we do can be reduced to a checklist, and every time you use it, you improve it. That's how you quietly become the "always prepared" associate."

Avoid vague goals and create operational plans executable on the worst day. Pick three outcomes for year-end across skills, relationships, health, or money. For each outcome, write a short to-do list and break tasks into next actions completable in 30 minutes. Record and display accomplishments to fuel confidence. Replace reliance on willpower with systems: checklists, calendars, and repetition to build consistency. Create checklists for repeatable legal tasks and review calendars forward while keeping a running case list. Overcome analysis paralysis by running experiments: draft outlines, make calls, and act.

Read at Above the Law