Erin Ogden 
First, read my article about goals published by the State Bar of Wisconsin. Back already? Great! I’ve convinced you that goals matter. They help guide priorities. They provide freedom, catalysts, and momentum. So, let’s get started. What makes a good goal? I’m sure you’ve heard of SMART goals, but I encourage you to take SMARTIES. … Read more
We have to treat our time like a precious resource. It has to be used effectively. First, let’s look at what we are doing right now, and which of those things we shouldn’t be. Welcome to the Eisenhower Matrix or the 4 Ds. Which things are Do, Delay, Delete, or Dump? Put another way, divide … Read more
Last week, I mentioned that while we can’t control others, we can and must control ourselves. We have to understand our strengths, weakness, and desires, then we need to use those to figure out what to do. As we discussed several weeks ago, not everything is equal. Some things have to come ahead of others … Read more
A big lie is that we just need more discipline. “If you really wanted to get stuff done, you would. You simply have to be (more) disciplined. No pain, no gain. Just do it!” We’ve all heard it from all sides, including our inner voices. Yeah, and if it were that easy, we’d all have … Read more
[Continuing our theme from last week.] Another lie is that we can multitask. We’ve all done it; we’ve tried to do two things at once. Reading email while on a phone call, filing documents during a webinar, direct messaging while writing a memo. We think “Look how busy I am! And I got two things … Read more
Perhaps you’ve seen the meme that tells us that we all have the same number of hours in our day as Beyonce, and look at all that she has accomplished so get going. Clever, but the meme doesn’t include that she doesn’t wake up in the morning and say, “Hmm, what am I going to … Read more
Companies help owners limit their liabilities. That means the owner isn’t putting all of their own personal assets at risk due to the activities of the company. Generally, we business owners like that idea. But it does mean that those who interact with the business may be limited on recouping their damages if they are … Read more
You may remember the CD-ROM, that vestige of a technological age mostly past by now. This was software as a good, a tangible item for sale usable in several ways. Of course, as with time, so goes with new technology: change is inevitable. Nowadays, we download, stream, and access software without even so much as … Read more
I read Influence Is Your Superpower by Zoe Chance earlier this year. One of my big takeaways was a concept I had read about other places but I liked her description best. There are two processes for processing thoughts. System 1 is mostly monitors for threats and opportunities. It is mostly controlled by the amygdala, … Read more
For many recent law school grads, today is the day to sit for the dreaded bar exam. When non-lawyers ask me about the experience, they usually end up with a pained expression and tell me how glad they are to not have to do that themselves. Now that I have distance from the experience, it’s … Read more