"How do you release emotional toxins? Deepak details the seven steps to releasing emotional toxicity, which include: 1. Take responsibility for your emotions. 2. Witness the emotions in your body. 3. Define it: is it anger, fear? 4. Express it: write down what is happening. 5. Share it with a loved one. 6. Do a ritual to release it: write it down and burn it. 7. Bring it to a closure: go out and celebrate."
January 23, 2008
January 18, 2008
January 17, 2008
January 16, 2008
January 14, 2008
January 11, 2008
January 10, 2008
What’s your theme?
I am trying something new this year. I actually have a theme for 2008. My theme is learning to get out of my comfort zone. Here are my reasons for creating a new year’s theme:
Focus. Maintaining just one theme throughout the year will help me stay focused and hopefully, make better progress.
Layered goal structure. I’ve found that I accomplish more if I have just one goal in front of me. At the same time, I want to have a big picture to know where I am heading and a clear set of actions to follow. My optimal structure has three lay
ers: the theme, the goals to support my theme, and the steps to accomplish my goals.
Momentum. Working under a unifying theme builds momentum for growth and development, which is more difficult to achieve if you try to work on a list of unrelated things.
Process. My theme is process-oriented. It is about how I do things, as opposed to what I do. It allows me to apply my theme across the board, to a variety of projects. No matter what I do, I can ask myself how I can get out of my comfort zone to build a new mindset and new skills.
Am I missing any important component in my approach? Do you have a theme for 2008?
January 08, 2008
January 04, 2008
Orientation Series: 21 Steps to Becoming a Better Learner
Step 18: Establishing rhythms, rituals, and routines
As you set a direction for your learning with the help of learning goals, you also want to consider establishing rhythms, rituals, and routines to support your learning process.
Rhythms
Most things we do in life have a rhythm. Our hearts pump blood through our bodies rhythmically. We breathe, walk, talk in a rhythmic fashion. Learning has its rhythm too. If you were to design your ideal day, what kind of rhythm would it have? The following questions may help you discover your natural rhythm:
- What kind of flow does your typical day have? Do you feel rushed all the time? Are you exhausted by the end of the day? How often do you feel bored? Does time fly by or does it drag?
- What times of the day are you at your best? When is it easier for you to stay focused?
- When is your energy at its lowest? When do you usually feel like you need to take a nap?
- Do you first complete the easy tasks or the difficult ones? Why?
- Do you like to work on one project for a long time period or do you switch between projects and tasks to get more variety into your day?
- How often do you take breaks when you work or study? If you are not sure, try 50-minute work sessions with 10-minute breaks and see how it works for you.
Rituals
A ritual is a set of actions that has a special symbolic meaning. I am talking here mostly about personal rituals that you can devise and perform just for yourself. Rituals may not be directly related to learning but they can help it by giving a signal to your brain to prepare for something, shift focus, or recharge, depending on the meaning and purpose of your ritual. For instance, you may have a ritual to start your day on a good note. Here are some examples of rituals and their possible purposes:
- Reading an inspirational story or listening to a motivational podcast in the morning to get yourself excited about the day.
- Meditating for 15 minutes to quiet your mind before a challenging task.
- Taking a brisk walk when you feel stuck and want to recharge.
- Doing a visualization exercise to calm your mind before an exam.
Rituals can give you a sense of security and control in a challenging situation. If you have a recurrent challenge in your day, try devising a ritual for it.
Routines
It is not just kids and dogs who need routines. Adults can benefit from them too. Well thought out routines can give a healthy rhythm to your day, support its natural flow and give you enough energy for all the things you need to do and learn. Once you determine your natural energy peaks and lows throughout the day, start grouping and ordering your tasks and activities around those time periods. It may require some experimenting before you come up with your optimal day structure. For example, my productivity increased when I stopped checking my email the first thing after I turned on my computer in the morning. Instead, I now prefer to do some writing or research for a few hours before I open my inbox. As you create your routines, consider the following questions:
- What tasks should you be doing when your energy is high?
- Which activities do you reserve for your low points?
- If you like variety, how can you break up your projects to stay motivated and efficient at the same time?
- How should you order your learning activities to process information faster and remember and use it better?
- How can you ensure uninterrupted time for the tasks that require concentration?
- How well is your work or study schedule coordinated with the rest of your daily routines?
- How can you safeguard your well-being and meet the essential needs for a healthy diet, sleep, and exercise? Too often, people sacrifice those needs only to discover too late that their immune system is compromised, they feel run down, or they are just simply unhappy.
Once you’ve planned your day, make sure you protect your routines. It may require setting some boundaries with people and making a few unpopular decisions, but ultimately, you may discover that you are more productive, energized and enthusiastic about your life. And learning to live well is no small accomplishment!
What would your ideal day look like?
Orientation Series: 21 Steps to Becoming a Better Learner:
Step 1: Setting your learning objectives
Step 2: Taking an inventory of your skills
Step 3: Taking an Inventory of Your Learning Tools
Step 4: Finding opportunities for cognitive apprenticeship
Step 5: Determining the "IIQ" of what you read
Step 6: Choosing helpful books for law students
Step 7: “The Three 'P's of Performance” in Action
Step 8: Tapping into your social networks
Step 9: Identifying your learning barriers
Step 10: Finding your sources of motivation
Step 11: Managing your energy
Step 12: Focusing on how you think
Step 13: Mastering informal learning and professional development
Step 14: Asking Good Questions
Step 15: Condensing your knowledge
Step 16: Memorizing
Step 17: Becoming a reflective learner
January 01, 2008
December 19, 2007
December 17, 2007
December 14, 2007
December 11, 2007
Orientation Series: 21 Steps to Becoming a Better Learner
Step 17: Becoming a reflective learner
Reflective learners are better at learning because they regularly look for opportunities to improve the learning process. They are also likely to use their new knowledge more effectively and purposefully. What distinguishes reflective learners? Here are few characteristics you want to cultivate to become a reflective learner:
- Motivation. When you are motivated, you see learning challenges as opportunities to perfect your learning skills.
- Curiosity. Inquisitiveness drives your mind to experience, explore and ask questions. It works up your learning appetite.
- Focus. Focus makes you persevere and stick to the subject matter until you get the results. When you are focused, you are more discerning and selective when it comes to information, and that helps to deepen your knowledge.
- Self-awareness. You should know what kind of learner you are and what learning strategies work best for you.
- Confidence. Don’t be afraid to fail. You want to be open to new ideas and approaches even if they involve risk. You should also welcome criticism because it helps you grow.
- Info-savviness. You need information processing and learning skills to be able to locate, evaluate, synthesize, and integrate new information.
One step you can take right now to become a reflective learner is to create your personal learning portfolio. A learning portfolio is a record of your personal learning experience. Here are a few suggestion on how you may want to approach it:
- Identify the content of your learning. What is it that you want to know? Look at your current projects and goals and identify a learning component in them. For example, you want more clients. What do you need to learn to get more clients? Do you want to know how to market effectively on the internet? How to network? How to contact your strategic partners? You get the idea. Identifying a learning component in each task will force you to look at the efficiency of what you are already doing. Ask yourself what you can learn to become better at this task. Engage your curiosity. Record your ideas in your learning portfolio.
- Write down the reasons why you want to learn those things. How does your learning fit into the larger context of your personal development, career objectives, and social life? You are more likely to focus on and achieve your goal if you have a reminder of why it is important.
- Determine how you are going to accomplish your learning objectives. What experiences do you need to have? How do you develop the skills you need? Who can be your teacher / role model / mentor? Use your info-savviness as you create your own learning curriculum filled with activities that can boost your professional and personal development.
- Figure out how you can measure you progress. How do you know that you have reached your goal? What are your milestones? Be confident enough to ask for feedback. Record your successes and challenges.
- Reflect on your learning process. Practice self-awareness as you write down your observations of what works and what doesn’t work for you. How could you learn more effectively? Here are some questions you may want to ask yourself:
- What confused you most?
- What is the best way to resolve your confusion?
- What key ideas and information did you learn?
- What surprised, dismayed, delighted you most in you learning experience?
- How does your learning relate to the larger context of your life and work goals?
- Have you learned any practical skills, ideas, tools, techniques that you can easily apply to real-life situations?
- Have you learned anything new about yourself, your interests, feelings, values?
- What helped your learning?
- What interfered with your learning?
- What should you do more of? What should you do less of?
- What is one thing (skill, habit, activity) you want to focus on next? - Find the ways to use and apply your new knowledge and skills. Stay confident in your abilities as you brainstorm new ways to use your knowledge. How can you learn more by doing?
- Have a section where you can record random comments and observations, clip images that appeal to you, write down quotations, ask yourself questions and just let your thoughts flow onto the paper without reservations. This will fuel your motivation.
What do you do to be a reflective learner?
Orientation Series: 21 Steps to Becoming a Better Learner:
Step 1: Setting your learning objectives
Step 2: Taking an inventory of your skills
Step 3: Taking an Inventory of Your Learning Tools
Step 4: Finding opportunities for cognitive apprenticeship
Step 5: Determining the "IIQ" of what you read
Step 6: Choosing helpful books for law students
Step 7: “The Three 'P's of Performance” in Action
Step 8: Tapping into your social networks
Step 9: Identifying your learning barriers
Step 10: Finding your sources of motivation
Step 11: Managing your energy
Step 12: Focusing on how you think
Step 13: Mastering informal learning and professional development
Step 14: Asking Good Questions
Step 15: Condensing your knowledge
Step 16: Memorizing
December 10, 2007
December 05, 2007
December 03, 2007
November 30, 2007
November 28, 2007
Orientation Series: 21 Steps to Becoming a Better Learner
Step 16: Memorizing 
Even in this day and age when a lot of information is at your fingertips, memorization is still an essential component of learning. We just have to remember certain things, there is no way around it. The memory acts like a glue allowing us to put various pieces of information together and transform them into usable knowledge. So it is only appropriate to review various techniques that may help us remember things better. Some of them are well-known, others are more unique and often overlooked.
- Mnemonics are easy-to-remember combinations of letters or images that can help you memorize concepts and lists. For example, the letters of a catchy word, phrase, or rhyme can represent the items in the list you need to memorize. If you remember the mnemonic, you can then reconstruct the list.
- An effective way to aid your memory is to look for associations and metaphors that help you peg the new information to something you already know. For example, you can create memorable hypotheticals by associating a concept you are trying to learn with a scenario from a well-known book or movie. Here’s how – with the story of the Crow.
- Use the “Memory Palace” visualization technique when you need to memorize a sequence of items. First, you choose your “memory palace”, which can be any place or route that you remember well. Next, you place your thoughts or images that you want to remember next to the distinctive points in the rooms of your palace or along your route. Those points serve as memory hooks. When you need to recall the material, you mentally walk through the palace and “collect” the pieces of information that you left at each distinctive point.
- Create crossword puzzles for the subject matter you study. Crossword puzzles help memory by presenting the material in both visual and verbal formats. You can use a crossword to connect related items that you need to remember together. It is a good way to brush up on terminology. And it is a fun activity for a study group. Best of all, with a variety of free crossword puzzle making software available, it is really easy, just search for a “crossword maker.” All you need is to come up with the words and their clues, and the software will generate a crossword puzzle for you.
- PQ4R is a popular method of working with text to remember it better. PQ4R stands for Preview, Question, and four R's: Read, Reflect, Recite, Review. You begin with a preview of the text to get an idea of how the material is organized and what it is about. Next, you come up with questions about the text. Then, you read the text with your questions in mind and reflect on it, looking to connect the new material with what you already know. Later, you put away the text and recite the main points out loud in your own words. The final step is to review. Summarize the main points and test your comprehension with more questions.
- If you need to memorize a complex concept, try creating a memory collage. Pick the key elements and relationships that describe the concept. Then, find images that you associate with those elements and arrange them in a collage trying to reflect the relationships among the underlying elements. A memory collage allows you to see the concept as a whole while the verbal description can only be sequential.
- Use the smell-coding technique to evoke associative learning – a process by which you link one item, in this case the subject matter you are studying, to another item – a particular aroma. For example, as you study, you can use certain performance-enhancing essential oils, such as citrus smells (orange or lemon oil), which promote mental awareness and concentration, or peppermint, which improves the performance of clerical tasks by increasing attention. Later, when you need to recall the material you were studying, you help your memory by smelling the aroma associated with that subject matter.
- Study in multiple sessions with longer breaks. If you space out your review sessions a month apart, you may find that you will remember the material longer, according to a study done by Doug Rohrer and Harold Paschler that measured how well the participating students remembered the material tested at different times depending on their studying patterns (reported by Wray Herbert at We’re Only Human…).
- Manage your stress because it affects your memory. Short-term, acute stress can help you concentrate and remember things better. The adrenal glands respond to the initial dose of stress by immediately releasing adrenalin, which can help your performance. Long-term stress, however, has the opposite effect. If the stress is severe or persistent, the adrenals release cortisol, which damages the neurons in the hippocampus, a part of the brain that is central to memory and learning.
- Last but not least, take afternoon naps as they help to absorb large quantities of information and improve memory.
Orientation Series: 21 Steps to Becoming a Better Learner:
Step 1: Setting your learning objectives
Step 2: Taking an inventory of your skills
Step 3: Taking an Inventory of Your Learning Tools
Step 4: Finding opportunities for cognitive apprenticeship
Step 5: Determining the "IIQ" of what you read
Step 6: Choosing helpful books for law students
Step 7: “The Three 'P's of Performance” in Action
Step 8: Tapping into your social networks
Step 9: Identifying your learning barriers
Step 10: Finding your sources of motivation
Step 11: Managing your energy
Step 12: Focusing on how you think
Step 13: Mastering informal learning and professional development
Step 14: Asking Good Questions
Step 15: Condensing your knowledge
November 26, 2007
November 21, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving!
Many thanks to all my readers! 
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 20, 2007
November 19, 2007
November 16, 2007
Do you have a dreamboard?
Last weekend, my family was busy creating dreamboards. It turned out to be a very enjoyable 
exercise. It is something you may consider doing with your family around the holidays. A dreamboard is a collection of images that represent something you want to attain in your life. You can clip inspirational pictures from magazines, add text or anything else you like and then attach everything to a poster board. You want to choose a spot for your dreamboard where you can see it often. The idea is to look at it, internalize it, and start manifesting your desires. Here are my observations so far:
I am not very crafty, so I was surprised to see how engaging it was to search for images, clip and arrange them on the board. I felt a bit like a kid at play. Not something we do often as adults.
It was easier to evoke emotions with images than with thoughts alone. The exercise created a nice union of reasoning and feeling, which left me more inspired and determined to pursue my dreams.
Finding the right pictures took longer in the beginning, but as time progressed, good images began jumping out at me. I think this was the result of letting my imagination run free.
Occasionally, an image would catch my eye, but I wasn’t sure why I wanted it on my dreamboard. The reason usually revealed itself if I looked at the image long enough. To me, this just shows that we are not always conscious of what we really want, but we can get at it by noticing our emotions and listening to our intuition. The process of creating a dreamboard increases self-awareness.
I am not sure if I should ascribe any meaning to the actual positioning of the elements on my board. It is something I still ponder.
We actually talked about our dreamboards and the images we chose. There was power in voicing and sharing our dreams.
I like looking at my dreamboard every day. It definitely gives me more motivation to act on the things that matter to me. I also like the fact that I can see all my dreams at the same time in one place, while I can only think of one or maybe two at a time.
Dreaming doesn’t stop. I will continue to add more images to my dreamboard.
Do you have a dreamboard? What does it do for you?
November 15, 2007
November 14, 2007
Orientation Series: 21 Steps to Becoming a Better Learner
Step 15: Condensing your knowledge
One of the important steps of information processing is to condense what you have learned into a manageable and memorable format. The goal is to produce your own knowledge concentrate that you can later use to create new, fresh combinations of ideas and applications. Try the following approaches to knowledge synthesis:
Outlining. Outlining is a way to synthesize the material by showing relationships among various concepts. For example, law students create outlines for each subject they study on the basis of their class notes, casebooks and any additional resources they use. Their outlines are summaries of the material that list main categories, legal standards and rules, cases, illustrations, and anything else that students may find useful. The process of outlining enables students to review the material and solidify their knowledge. Outlines help students to see the big picture. Consider how certain notions applicable to advertising can be used to make the content of your outline more memorable.
Mind-mapping. Mind mapping is a powerful technique that allows you to capture the natural flow of your ideas in their relation to one another. The goal of learning is to connect the new information to what you already know. A mind map is a non-linear way of representing information. You start with a word or image that symbolizes the subject of your attention in the center of a blank page. You record the main themes by branching outward from the central image. As ideas emerge, you place key words, images, symbols on branches and sub-branches connected to the "triggers."
Wikis. Wikipedia, one of the best known examples of wikis, gives the following definition: “A wiki is a type of computer software that allows users to easily create, edit and link web pages.” A great feature of wikis is that a group of people can work on a project collaboratively, making changes, adding information, linking to other resources as needed. If you have a study group or a mastermind group, a wiki can be a great tool for brainstorming and knowledge synthesis.
Note-taking. We are all familiar with traditional note-taking. The issue is how to use it effectively as a tool of knowledge synthesis. Here are a few ideas:
- Get into a habit of taking notes as you read. Then, use the notes to summarize what you have read.
- Add an organizational structure to your notes by highlighting keywords, using meaningful subheadings, bullet points or numbers to list items.
- Be selective and concise.
- Develop a system of abbreviations and symbols for frequently used words and concepts.
- Use visuals, such as pictures, tables, time lines, concept trees whenever you can.
- Review your notes on a regular basis and incorporate them into more highly organized systems, such as outlines, mind-maps or wikis.
Q&As. Putting what you have learned into the Q&A format can help you prepare for exams and presentations by forcing you to think about the questions that can test your understanding and contexts in which the new information may appear. For example, you can create hypotheticals and then write out your answers to test yourself. For this technique to work, you should start with valid, genuine questions about the subject matter. Don’t just turn a piece of information you already know into a question.
Learning boards. Similar to a dream board, a learning board is a collection of images that represent something you want to learn. You list your learning goals, create mind maps, clip relevant pictures and articles from magazines, do your own sketches and attach them to a poster board. Try to position the elements on your learning board to reflect the relationships among concepts and ideas. Make your learning board visually stimulating to boost your creativity and aid your memory.
Presentations. Creating a presentation on the subject that you are learning can be a great way to bring various pieces of information together in an easily digestible form. You have probably heard the saying: “If you want to learn something, teach it.” When you need to explain something to others, you have to look for the most straightforward way to present the information. This brings clarity and precision to your own thoughts. You should also be prepared to explain the same idea differently to accommodate a variety of learners. Repeating the information will cause you to remember it better. If you belong to a study group, you can make presentations a component of your group meetings.
What methods do you use to synthesize information?
Orientation Series: 21 Steps to Becoming a Better Learner:
Step 1: Setting your learning objectives
Step 2: Taking an inventory of your skills
Step 3: Taking an Inventory of Your Learning Tools
Step 4: Finding opportunities for cognitive apprenticeship
Step 5: Determining the "IIQ" of what you read
Step 6: Choosing helpful books for law students
Step 7: “The Three 'P's of Performance” in Action
Step 8: Tapping into your social networks
Step 9: Identifying your learning barriers
Step 10: Finding your sources of motivation
Step 11: Managing your energy
Step 12: Focusing on how you think
Step 13: Mastering informal learning and professional development
Step 14: Asking Good Questions
November 13, 2007
Exam tips
It is this time of the year again when many students feel that exams are appoaching 
with the speed of light. And there is still so much to do. Here is a round-up of my earlier exam tips to help you study:
To choose or not to choose: multiple choice tests
Get your pens ready: it’s time to scribble
Put on your detective hat: we are going issue-spotting
5 studying myths dispelled
Strategies and tools to plan your exam preparation
How to take exams with the champion’s mindset
The mosaic of legal analysis
Best diet before a test
November 11, 2007
November 09, 2007
November 08, 2007
A Brand You World - Global TeleSummit
Today I am listening in on “A Brand You World - Global TeleSummit.” Here are just a 
few presentations I want to hear:
10am ET: Evangelizing Evangelists to Build a Business and Build Your Brand a panel facilitated by Guy Kawasaki with Krishna De, John Jantsch, Andy Sernovitz, Tim Demello.
11am ET: How To Write A Great Business Blog with Debbie Weil.
12pm ET: How Coaching For Performance Can Help Your Employees Develop Their Personal Brand and Realise Their Potential with Carol Wilson.
4pm ET: Promoting Brand You with Viral Marketing on the Web with David Meerman Scott.
6pm ET: Identity You: Creating a Personal 5x5 Branding Strategy with Phil Gerbyshak.
If you can’t listen to this event today, the recordings will be available as a free podcast on Monday. You need to register to get the instructions for accessing the podcast.
November 07, 2007
November 06, 2007
November 05, 2007
November 02, 2007
November 01, 2007
Orientation Series: 21 Steps to Becoming a Better Learner
Step 14: Asking Good Questions
Questions are the power tool of learning. They drill through the surface into deeper layers of meaning and understanding. They shape and guide our thinking. Asking good questions of yourself and others is an important skill of life-long learners. It is even more valuable than knowing the answers because answers frequently change in our fast-paced world. How do you make your questions more powerful?
- Anticipate. Use questions to propel yourself forward. Look into the future and play with “What if” scenarios.
Example: What if we did the impossible? What would happen then? - Ask open-endedly. Open-ended questions are more engaging. They expand rather than limit your thinking. Get comfortable with WH-questions: Who, What, When, Where, How, Why.
Example: How can I do it differently? - Change Assumptions. Ask questions to make a leap into the unknown and push yourself to the edges of your comfort zone. Rebel against your own linear thinking. Connect the opposites, flip the assumptions, mock the established theories.
Example: How can we do the impossible? - Seek relevancy. Ask questions that are relevant to your life and your unique situation. You want the knowledge gained from your questions to have a direct impact on you.
Example: What is the most important thing we should be addressing right now? - Be authentic. Ask authentic questions that reflect your values and aspirations. When we connect to the subject matter on the emotional level, we feel more engaged, and as a result, we learn and remember better.
Example: Why does it matter? - Practice empathy. Step into the shoes of someone affected by the question. What are their fears and hopes? Use questions to bridge the gap between the opposing points of view by revealing common interests, values, goals. Questions promote collaboration while assertions may lead to unproductive conflicts.
Example: How do you feel about...?
What are your favorite powerful questions?
Orientation Series: 21 Steps to Becoming a Better Learner:
Step 1: Setting your learning objectives
Step 2: Taking an inventory of your skills
Step 3: Taking an Inventory of Your Learning Tools
Step 4: Finding opportunities for cognitive apprenticeship
Step 5: Determining the "IIQ" of what you read
Step 6: Choosing helpful books for law students
Step 7: “The Three 'P's of Performance” in Action
Step 8: Tapping into your social networks
Step 9: Identifying your learning barriers
Step 10: Finding your sources of motivation
Step 11: Managing your energy
Step 12: Focusing on how you think
Step 13: Mastering informal learning and professional development
October 31, 2007
Time to let your monsters out
We all have them. Hidden in our own haunted houses, they wait for the right moment
to pounce and send chills down our spines. Do you deny the light of day to any of your fears, negative habits or concerns? Halloween is a perfect time to acknowledge their existence and have a little fun with it. Here’s what you do. Let’s say, one of your haunted house inhabitants is procrastination. Pick a monster toy for it. For example, rubber worms in green oozing slime can be a nice representation of being stuck. Get all your monsters and gremlins out of your haunted house and line them up in a place where you can see them. Let them hang out there even after Halloween is over as a reminder of who is in charge. Monsters tend to have less control over you when you see them. Whenever you feel their creepy presence, just take a look at their toy representative and have a laugh. They are really not that scary in the daylight.
Happy Halloween!
October 30, 2007
What’s in your legal future?
Wouldn't you like to peek into the future to see what a lawyer's life would be in 20 or
even 100 years? Luckily, several well-known futurists have launched their guided tours into the future of the legal profession, so buckle up and prepare for some time travel.
The new issue of The Complete Lawyer focuses on "Viewing The Law In 2020." Jonathan Peck delivers the good news that "The Knowledge Revolution Will Make You Healthier":
In 2029, an American will wake up in the morning, do Pilates, take a couple of pills, put on his suit and head to work. The pills will dissolve and be absorbed into his bloodstream, sending nanoparticle probes to various parts of his body. These nanoparticles will collect information about his health and transmit the data to sensors in the man’s jacket; the data will then be recorded on his electronic medical record accessible online. If any irregularities are observed, a computer program will search information from resources all over the web and deliver health recommendations specifically tailored to suit his genome.
Peter Bishop reads "An Open Letter From A Retired Lawyer To His Great-Grandson, Who Is Turning One":
We liked being "unplugged" once in a while, but today of course that is unheard of. At the same time, your mother’s generation developed customs that solved some of the problems that we found so annoying, like too many emails, cell phones ringing in the middle of meetings, and wireless connections that would not connect. The implant that you will receive at your Bar Mitzvah will handle all your communication needs. It’s amazing, but "thinking will make it so" in your world. You will be truly wired, all the time, but you can control your connectivity to the outside world as easily as you control your hand or foot, once you get the hang of it. Truly amazing!
Bill Cobb asks the question "Are You Ready For The Revolution In Legal Services?"
Lawyers will acquire problem-solving skill sets using multiple skills not taught in law schools, such as client relationship development and project management. They will also be able to become more efficient in the way they deliver legal and legal related services.
Charles F. Robinson reveals his vision of how "Elder Law Attorneys Can Help Humanize The Future Of Health Care." Read his predictions and learn about three crises that are going to influence the elder law practice in 2020.
At the same time, in London, The Times offers the extracts from Richard Susskind's forthcoming book "The End of Lawyers?" and invites you to join the debate over the future of the legal profession "Will lawyers exist in 100 years?" (Hat tip to Idealawg). You can read what others think in the comments and share your opinions. Frances Gibb writes:
In a new book (to be published next year by Oxford University Press) Susskind argues that lawyers and the legal profession in their present shape face extinction – or at least are "on the brink of fundamental transformation". He sees a future, as he puts it, when "conventional legal advisers will be much less prominent in society than today, and, in some walks of life, will have no visibility at all".
How do you envision the legal profession in 20 or 100 years?
October 26, 2007
October 25, 2007
October 24, 2007
Lawsagna turns one year old today!
I’ve been serving up Lawsagna for a full year now. It’s been an exciting year, filled
with blogosphere explorations, new friends, and lots of learning. I am happy to report that many stop by for a Lawsagna bite, and some opt for seconds. I’ll do my best to keep it healthy and varied. And if you like it, I can deliver Lawsagna right to your mail box.
Thanks a lot to all of you for your support!
October 23, 2007
October 22, 2007
October 19, 2007
October 18, 2007
Mnemonics for Concurrent Estates
Question:
Oliver conveys Mountainacre to Jane and Todd as joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as “tenants in common”. What estate has been created as a result of this transaction? Describe the “four unities” test at common law.
Answer:
The language of this conveyance created the joint tenancy with right of survivorship. To create the joint tenancy with right of survivorship, the “four unities” test must be met. The four unities are “time,” “title,” “interest,” and “possession,” meaning that the cotenants had to acquire their interests at the same time, under the same instrument and be entitled to the equal interest and possession of the entire estate.
REMEMBER:
Jane and Todd are climbing the mountain joined by a rope weaving the four unities of 
time, title, interest, and possession. Jane and Todd must be joint to survive and not to fall into the PITT . They have JITTERS (Joint Tenants with Right of Survivorship).
P = Possession
I = Interest
T = Time
T = Title
October 16, 2007
October 15, 2007
October 12, 2007
Small steps to a better life
Good changes come in small packages. We don’t have to spend a lot of time and turn 
our life upside down to improve it. Small things often have a big positive impact, and they are easier to stick to. The challenge is to choose actionable steps or short routines that you can easily weave into the fabric of your day to brighten it up. They may not solve your problems, but they can make you feel better about yourself and serve as a reminder to take care of your mind, body and spirit. You can start with just one such life booster and then introduce more at a pace that is comfortable to you. Here are a few things that I enjoy and you can try too:
- Start your day by stretching for a few minutes. I like the Sun Salutation sequence.
- Play your favorite tune as you are getting dressed in the morning, or better yet, sing it. How about “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” from “Oklahoma” – seems appropriate:
Oh what a beautiful morning,
Oh what a beautiful day,
I've got a wonderful feeling,
Everything's going my way.Or choose whatever you like.
- Set times throughout the day to do some deep breathing. Most of us are shallow breathers. Deep breathing brings more oxygen to your body and calms you down.
- Choose to add a healthy fruit or vegetable to your daily diet. Blueberries-brainberries are my choice.
- Meditate. It is an amazing practice. A 15-minute meditation session can bring more insights for me than a full day of hard thinking.
- Say affirmations or The Serenity Prayer, or simply read poetry.
- Make an effort to connect to your friends or loved ones daily in an easy but meaningful way. It can be a kind word, a phone call, a short email, a kiss, a note, a home-cooked meal – whatever works in your circumstances. Send your loving energy with it.
- Take a different perspective on something that tends to bother you or drain your energy. Adopt a new more productive way to think about it and reinforce this new thinking with repetition.
- Keep a gratitude journal where you write down all the things you are grateful for.
Your list may be very different. The idea is to find something that makes your life better. What is that one little step you can take today? Let’s hear from you.
October 11, 2007
October 10, 2007
Orientation Series: 21 Steps to Becoming a Better Learner
Step 13: Mastering informal learning
and professional development
Learning doesn’t end when you leave the classroom, submit a paper for grading, or finish a test. Most of our learning in life happens informally through conversations, stories, actions, and mistakes. Have you met people who always seem to know how to find an answer quickly, who to ask for advice and where to go for help? The truth is you can be one of those resourceful people. You just have to master informal learning. Here are 7 pointers to get your started:
- Build awareness. Don’t be a zombie who operates on autopilot. Be mindful of what is going on around you. There are many things at work that with experience, we can do almost automatically. But in order to learn, we need to pay attention. Get informed about your company, understand its history, the services you provide, markets, processes, culture and politics.
- Embrace the “TEAM” approach to learning:
T = Test your understanding;
E = Evaluate the results of your test;
A = Assess the strengths and weaknesses of your current position in light of the results;
M = Modify your understanding if needed.
Repeat the cycle. - Reflect. Get into the habit of reflecting on the experiences of your work day. What excited you? What frustrated you? What was the most important thing you learned today? Did you manage your time effectively? How can you improve your work processes? You can come up with your own list of questions and use it as a checklist at the end of the day.
- Be strategic about your professional development. Don’t assume that you will get the necessary training and resources. Develop your personal learning agenda. Identify the skills you will need as your career evolves and set a timeframe for developing those skills. Create a personal curriculum that covers all possible ways and methods for you to learn. When time comes for the conversation with your boss about your professional development, be prepared.
- Seek feedback whenever you can. Constructive feedback can open new learning opportunities.
- Be social. Talk to people. Ask them about their passions and areas of expertise. The more people you know, the easier it will be for you to access information when you need it. Figure out how knowledge flows in your organization. Who generates it? How is it distributed? Who are the connectors?
- Develop a curious mind. A curious mind is inspired, attentive, ready to solve problems and build new connections. It welcomes challenges and envisions possibilities. It is a great mind to have when you want to learn.
Orientation Series: 21 Steps to Becoming a Better Learner:
Step 1: Setting your learning objectives
Step 2: Taking an inventory of your skills
Step 3: Taking an Inventory of Your Learning Tools
Step 4: Finding opportunities for cognitive apprenticeship
Step 5: Determining the "IIQ" of what you read
Step 6: Choosing helpful books for law students
Step 7: “The Three 'P's of Performance” in Action
Step 8: Tapping into your social networks
Step 9: Identifying your learning barriers
Step 10: Finding your sources of motivation
Step 11: Managing your energy
Step 12: Focusing on how you think
October 08, 2007
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disclaimer
- The content is provided for general informational and educational purposes and should not be construed as legal advice. This weblog does not create an attorney-client relationship.
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