Checking In: How Are You Doing With Those New Year's Resolutions?

By now, most people have blown their New Year's resolutions.

Actually, only half of all Americans even make resolutions. The other half, on average, fail in the first month.

Of course, lawyers are not your average Americans. They just start a new billing cycle.

Start Over

Nobody said you have to make resolutions on Jan. 1. It's really just a traditional date to set goals.

According to psychologists, however, most people fail to live up to their New Year's aspirations. Here are the usual reasons:

• They make unrealistic goals
• They are not ready to change
• They get discouraged and give up

If any of that sounds like you, all is not lost. Annie Yaggie, writing for Tracom Group, says you just have to set new goals.

She has an acronym to set your goals by: SMART. It means goals should be "small, measurable, accountable, resonant, and thrilling."

Lawyer Resolutions

For lawyers, goals often involve money. Here's what the smart money says for resolutions:

• Think through your brand
• Stop giving your money away
• Cut loose the deadbeat clients

By the way, Chinese New Year started Feb. 5 and traditionally lasts up to two weeks. So yeah, you can do this.

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• Was 2018 a Good Year for Law Firms? (FindLaw's Strategist)
• AI Lawyers Making Work for the Rest of Us (FindLaw's Strategist)
• What to Do When You Make a Mistake in Law Practice (FindLaw's Strategist)