The relationship between fitness and productivity is well documented, and we’re all about productivity.

Earlier this week we discussed using a treadmill desk at work and de-stressing with Progressive Muscle Relaxation. Wrapping up a fitness-and-wellness week is the calorie counter, diet and exercise tracker app, MyFitnessPal.

Here’s how it works: Download MyFitnessPal app, and create an account by providing an email address and password. This allows you to synch your data online and make it available on your desktop. Next, enter your age, height, gender, current weight, and goal weight. You also choose a weekly goal – from “maintaining your current weight” to “losing up to 2 pounds per week”. A daily calorie goal will be automatically generated. Then start recording your daily food intake and exercise. That’s it!

I started using the Lose It app which we covered in a prior post, but after falling off the wagon due to a ton of not-so-great excuses, decided to jump back on. This time I gave the highly recommended MyFitnessPal a go. (more…)

At the beginning of this year, shortly after Dick Clark rang in New Years for the last time, I made my resolution: I was going to learn to meditate.

I could ignore meditation no longer. I’m a self-improvement junkie, and after a year of hardcore fitness training, it was time to focus inward on spiritual development and the health benefits that followed.

You’ve heard it all before: Meditation lowers blood pressure. It improves relationships. It helps you concentrate and increases attention span. It reduces stress. But my mind is either running at full tilt, or I’m unconscious, so getting into a relaxed state seemed elusive, if not impossible. (more…)

Between desk jobs, driving and television, attorneys are spending more time on their butts than ever.

It’s part of a broader trend: the average American sits for more than eight hours every day. One in three Americans have body mass indexes (BMIs) classified as obese, and new measurements suggest the number of obese may be closer to a whopping 2 out of 3.

Sitting is a dangerous occupation

The “prolonged sitting” (sitting for more than six hours a day) that comes with many legal professions slows down metabolism, decreases levels of good cholesterol and impairs insulin sensitivity, leading to dramatically increased risk of Type II diabetes, heart disease and cancer. (more…)

As I looked around this blog considering what to write (cool blog!), I began to think about why we are interested in increasing productivity. Ultimately, I realized, we are interested in being more productive because we think that, by doing so, we can get more of what we want in life. In other words, in spite of the challenges of law, we want to thrive – that overall sense that life is good in spite of the challenges (or maybe because of them).

There are some wrong turns we can take on the path to thriving, and one of them is to focus on making more money. In other words, we could believe:

More productivity = More money = Greater Thriving

Wrong! Research on well-being, what makes us happy, what gives us that sense of thriving in life has produced some pretty compelling evidence that beyond a fairly modest base, money makes little difference. However, most people get this point intuitively without the research. Try this. Imagine a lawyer with a household income of $80,000 who describes his or her life as follows: (more…)

Yesterday, we discussed how lawyers could improve their law firm productivity and personal well-being by training for a triathlon or 5k, and the positive reaction told us we were on to something.

So today, we’re going to stick with the fitness theme for today’s mobile app:  Active.com.

Last year in my quest to keep in shape and stay disciplined, the Active.com app was a critical, invaluable asset. They publish new articles every day about different sports and feature lots of great advice.  Their regular website is great too:  check out their 5k and triathlon starter guides. (more…)

Lawyers, like other professionals, work better and clear a higher profit when they make better decisions.

And you make better decisions when you’re less stressed. And you’re less stressed when you exercise.

You also have more energy for work when you kick off the morning with a run or a circuit at the gym. And aside from the productivity and mental boost you get from exercise, there’s the clear benefit of better health.

Consistent exercise is elusive for many people, and it was for me as well. I would turn over a new leaf & work out hard for three months until travel or a cold would knock me off my routine. Then I would take three months off, or however long it took until I got back into the swing of things. (more…)

Around this time of year we start thinking about compiling lists of things we want to do or change in the new year. These resolutions often remain just that – lists without much action. Prominent on most lists is getting and staying fit. On this blog we’re all about productivity and almost nothing is more important to remaining active and productive than a healthy body and mind.

Stepping out on your own with a solo practice, small firm or entrepreneurial venture severely limits the time and funds available to join a health club or invest in equipment, and it’s a very slippery slope to getting consumed with work, holed up in a home office and abandon your fitness routine. The very same routine that gave you the energy to be productive. I know, I’ve been there. (more…)

“Mindfulness,” or paying attention in the present moment with an open mind, reduces our inclination to dwell on the past, and worry about the future. Mindfulness also increases focus and concentration, and, because it is investigative, it’s a good fit for attorneys.

While people sometimes confuse mindfulness and relaxation, the practice of mindfulness increases concentration and creativity, as well as reducing stress. Being mindful brings focus: whether it’s to a client’s story, a deposition, a negotiation, or legal research.

Mindfulness helps us let go of fruitless efforts to be in complete control, and helps us obtain more satisfaction from the law. Being “present in the moment” can help lawyers deal with unanticipated developments. It enhances analytical, yet intuitive, decision-making. This can lead to stronger interpersonal relationships. Learning to “respond,” rather than “react”, opens the door to an array of new options. (more…)

New Year’s resolutions are right around the corner, and so is, ironically, the holiday binge-eating season. We hope 2011′s been a happy and healthy one for ya, and wish 2012 is as well. But how well do you know the basics of attorney health and wellness?

I’ve never been a fan of clutter – something nags me about it on a subconscious level – and it turns out my vibes were right.

I didn’t know this until recently, but having too much stuff lying around can cause all sorts of problems, including increased time lost, lack of freedom of thought, feelings of oppression and lack of control, and diminishment of willpower.

All from a messy countertop or closet – go figure.

It seems simple, but the truths are pretty deep. When people eliminate their clutter, they gain a feeling of control (versus lack of control) over their lives, which is a reason in and of itself to attack your overstuffed inbox. And then there’s the story of less time wasted: some estimates put the amount of housework eliminated at 40% when clutter is ki-boshed.

Two recent books espouse the virtues of a clutter free environment: The Joy of Less and The Happiness Project, both of which were published in 2010.

In the Joy of Less, Francine Jay points out that clutter impairs freedom of thought and creativity: when you have empty spaces, not filled ones, more things are possible. A vessel has value when it’s empty, not when it’s full. She writes:

We reclaim our space, and restore function and potential to our homes.

And when you have to choose between five different pairs of pants versus two, you’re using up your precious decision muscles, leaving you prone at every turn to “decision fatigue” and the resulting decrease of willpower.

As Gretchen Rubin says in The Happiness Project:

I felt happier choosing between two pairs of black pants that I liked rather than among five pairs of black pants.

Here’s another thing: I’ve studied a lot of different productivity/personal improvement systems, and universal truths pop out. It kind of reminds me of Joseph Campbell’s commentary on the commonalities of the world’s religions. Again and again, you see the suggestion to eliminate clutter. David Allen’s “Dumpster Day” in the GTD system is another example.

So do yourself a favor during your holiday downtime, schedule a work and personal dumpster day, and eliminate clutter!