20
Dec

5 Things Lawyers Should do During the Christmas holidays

 

As the Christmas holidays approach, most people will be zapped by the swirl of activity that accompanies this time of year. However, this is the perfect time for lawyers to gain the edge and make use of their time during the holidays.

 

Top 5 productive things lawyers should do during the Christmas holidays

 

Inspire the Mind

The brain is a muscle and there is only one way to strengthen it; it must be exercised just like any other muscle in the body. Reading, studying, and learning new material are productive and stimulating ways to exercise the brain. So, during the holidays, put your mind to work by watching our recommended picks of TED Talks or here are several other top TED Talks recommended for lawyers:

 

“The Power of Story” by Greg Power.

“Leadership Storytelling” by Steve Denning.

“How your Working Memory Makes Sense of the World” by Peter Doolittle.

“3 Ways the Brain Creates Meaning” by Tom Wujec.

“Hear Yes! More Often With the Science of Influence” by Dan Norris.

“The Impact of Persuasion” by Don Norman.

“Why We Should Trust Science” by Naomi Oreskes.

“The Science of Stage Fright (and How to Overcome it)” by Mikael Cho.

 

 

Update Your Skills

Whether you enlist in an online class, webinar, or seminar, you will be able to learn new skills or update existing ones. One great resource for lawyers is Udemy. Udemy is the online learning platform that helps professionals add new skills to their resume. With approximately 40,000 courses to choose from, lawyers can sharpen their expertise and even expand their knowledge base. Udemy offers a slew of classes for lawyers to expand their knowledge and continued education.

 

Try one of their personal development classes such as:

 

Acumen Presents Seth Godin’s Leadership Workshop this is one of the top courses on Udemy and some of the primary takings from this class is the concept that leadership is a choice and provides motivation for professionals to step up and be a leader.

Achieve Productivity – How to Become a Human Time Machine this class will teach you how to master the clock and use it to your advantage. The class teaches a principle of how to use time as leverage, and how to focus.

Relaxation Techniques to Relieve Office Stress this class is designed for people who work in an office environment and includes simple techniques and exercises that will help relieve tension and promote a healthier work life.

 

 

Reassess the Past and Plan for the Future

The holidays mark the end of the year. This is an appropriate time to look back at the past year and assess how things went. The end of the year also marks report card time for those still in school. Why not make it report card time for your work, as well. Write down a list of the main categories of what you did over the last year and give yourself an honest grade in each area. This will help you know how to plan. Actually, this may guide you in what skills to update, what TED Talks to watch, or what books to read. Assessment is a key step in moving forward.

 

 

Research

You most likely do quite a bit of some research throughout the year on the job. However, other areas of research will be just as beneficial. Here are two such areas to consider during the holidays:

 

 

Competitors

While your competitors are potentially relaxing a bit during the holiday season, you can be one up on them by delving into what makes them successful. Finding out their strengths and weaknesses will benefit you if you use that information to your advantage.

 

Clients

Discover all you can about your clients so that you can give them the best and most personable service. When clients sense you understand and know them on a deeper level, a certain kind of bond forms. This is good for you because every client has a circle of influence, and word-of-mouth advertising has well-documented benefits.

 

 

 

Volunteer

When people think of doing volunteer work, they usually think of the interpersonal rewards including feeling good about helping the community, seeing others happier due to your work, and knowing you made a difference in the community. However, there are other tangible rewards for the lawyer, as well. Here are three such benefits of contributing to community service:

Increases your skill in the area in which you volunteer. People learn by doing.

Increase your presence in the community. More people get to know who you are and may recommend you.

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