Picture the hamster on its wheel or, for those with more refined taste, Sisyphus pushing his boulder up the hill.
There’s a bill of goods we’re sold from the moment we enter law school, that is double-downed on when we practice law:
If you’re not busy, you’re lazy.
I’m here to tell you it’s a bunch of crap and, in fact, the opposite is true.
I believe busyness is laziness. Let me explain.
We all have 168 hours each and every week. That’s all the time we have. Period. We can’t make any more. The decisions you make for what goes into your 168-hour pie is where the real work is. If you’re lazy here, then you’ll be busy, busy, busy, everywhere else.
But what are you busy doing? Are you busy doing your high-leverage work. The work only you can do? Are you taking ideal cases from ideal clients that give you energy and excitement? Are you saying no to virtually every opportunity that comes your way?
This isn’t just me talking here. According to Inc., Warren Buffett believes: “The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.” Steve Jobs famously said: “Focus is about saying no.” Tim Ferris, best-selling author of “The 4-Hour Work Week” wrote: “Being busy is a form of laziness—lazy thinking and indiscriminate action. Being busy is most often used as a guise for avoiding critically important but uncomfortable actions.”
Please don’t come here believing, as a successful lawyer, you’re some kind of unicorn to whom the rules don’t apply. Don’t tell me these people who have dented the universe in their own unique way got it all wrong when it comes to attorneys in general and you in particular.
Please, stop lying to yourself. Please, stop listening to others’ lies.
Any coach worth her or his salt can help you build a system to attract ideal clients and make decisions based on what is important to you. A good coach can help you build guardrails so your 168-hour week is filled with meaningful work. That is, frankly, the easy part.
The hard part is finding a coach who can help you radically rewire your mindset so you can learn to block out the voices - both external and the voice in your head - that tell you if you’re not busy you’re lazy.
I am that kind of coach if you’re ready to do the work. Here’s what sets me apart from any other coach on the planet:
Your bullshit doesn’t scare me
I will never shame or “should” you
You cannot convince me you aren’t great
Are you ready to get to work transforming your life?