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STAY ORGANIZED
When you're the only one running the show, it's important to stay on top of things. To do this you need to be organized. Schmid recommends allotting time for specifi c tasks to avoid getting sidetracked. "You need a lot of time to work on fi les, but at the same time, in the beginning there's a lot of time required to set up the business, to do the accounting side of things, to establish certain practices that you need to have in your own fi rm," she says. "So that's been chal- lenging, and the advice I give people now is that you should allot time. You should say, three days a week I'm going to be working just on my fi les and nothing else, but two days are going to go to business development." It's also wise to invest in offi ce supplies that will allow you to be more effi cient. For instance, Campbell highly recommends purchasing a multi-page scanner.
REFLECT ON YOUR RESULTS
It can be easy to get caught up in the busyness of your practice and neglect to refl ect on your accomplishments and mistakes. Jakeman says measuring your progress and then absorbing the results is crucial. "Successful people and businesses measure the business periodically and the greater your ability to measure your success, progress, and work, the better you will be able to grow or make changes to avoid problems in your business," he says. ■
Visit us online at canadianlawyermag.com/4students for more resources on starting your own practice and exclusive interviews with Elmé Schmid and Regina Lee.
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VANCOUVER CALGARY EDMONTON SASKATOON REGINA LONDON KITCHENER-WATERLOO GUELPH TORONTO MARKHAM MONTRÉAL C ANADIAN Lawyer 4STUDENTS FALL 2012 17 2/23/11 11:06:13 AM
