By Jamie K. Mulholland

This article was originally published on Law.com.

My one niece is just something else. She is a journalist and blogger for a particular international sport and I’m in awe at how she can pretty much work anywhere, anytime. She has texted me from a park in Prague, a rooftop in Mexico City, a BBQ joint in San Antonio, and a Starbucks in Berlin. Me? Considerably less portable. I am at my most productive in my cozy, familiar office space with the sound of my fingers clickety clacketing along my trusty old keyboard. However, when it comes to this time of year, there’s another sound with which I am all too well acquainted: crickets.

I don’t mean the ones chirping in the backyard at dusk. I mean the attorneys who set wonderfully ambitious yet doable business development plans in January, but when the siren song of summer calls, go completely silent. Email reminders go unanswered and offers for in person catchups are deferred to fall. Now, don’t get me wrong, I totally get it. Kids are off from school, vacations are planned, and outings are scheduled. In short: distractions abound.

But imagine – what if you didn’t completely lose any professionally constructive time this time of year? What if you could find ways to work in some productive activities to boost your business development efforts without sacrificing your precious free time? Things that are - dare I say - enjoyable, even on vacation? Without my suggesting that you drag your desktop over the dunes to bill on the beach, here are a few ways you can continue to market yourself comfortably, yet productively, during the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.

Take a Hike…With your Headphones

There are so, so many podcasts to choose from. You may already have a few favorites, but if you are a newbie or unfamiliar with what’s out there, start by opening whatever app is on your phone. There’s Apple podcasts (pre-installed on iPhones), Google Podcasts (available on Androids), Amazon Podcasts and a host of third-party apps. If you already subscribe to Spotify for music, you’ll see a tab up top just for podcasts. On your first time in, the display will show a variety of suggestions, with most of them being shows that are top rated or have a large number of subscribers. I typically skip over those to find something very specific (but once you have listened to a few shows, when you open the app, Spotify will suggest episodes aligned to your interests and past listening). What I do is just type a few words into the search function.

Give it a try. What are you interested in learning about? Improving upon? You could type “attorney+time management,” “law firm+operations,” or “lawyer+marketing.” You may find a series that becomes your go-to favorite for regular inspiration, or you may simply take in a single program that offered several takeaways. You will also likely find humor in the varying level of podcast production capabilities out there. In doing research for a client once, I discovered a podcast by a solo attorney who shared tips on running his practice…while cooking a meal. Every. Single. Episode.

Note that it doesn’t have to always have be about hard core, substantive stuff. Learn about meditation, stress management and personal financial planning. Or knitting, even. Anything that makes you a better, happier person benefits your practice in the long run.

Also available for your listening pleasure: audiobooks. Whether it’s the newest, hottest how-to on the New York Times bestseller list or a classic Dale Carnegie, that tome you always meant to pick up but find yourself unable to focus on at the end of a long workday can follow you along as you are walking the trails, the beach, or just the block around your house. Look at you! You have now leveraged an enjoyable activity into an informational one, too.

Actual Books: Alternate Inspirational with Enjoyable

The father of Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century and the first woman to hold the position, was a strong influence on her intellectual development through guiding and discussing her reading choices. In an interview, she talked about visiting the library with her father weekly, and how he had a rule that every other book she borrowed must be focused on something educational, historic or instructional. The others could be fiction or something purely for enjoyment. Have you considered that? Both are important.

Here are my last three reads:

Find a Way, Diana Nyad. She spoke last year at the Philadelphia Women’s Conference and was absolutely electric. In 2013, she became the first person to complete the 110-mile swim from Cuba to Forida without a shark cage. On her fifth try. At the age of 64.
Hotel Nantucket, Elin Hilderbrand, known for almost three dozen books incorporating mystery and romance in stories set on or around Nantucket Island. I was looking for a fun little beach read, and this hit the spot.
Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life, Jim Murphy. This is the book that A.J. Brown was caught reading on the sidelines of the Eagles/Packers playoff game in January. Murphy’s focus is on how personal virtues and internal clarity will give you a clearer path to success than the actual pursuit of specific achievements. This is my current read and I’m really enjoying it.

Just like the most physically fit people know to take rest days for their muscles, your brain needs both stimulation and relaxation. So, while you are packing for vacation and throwing in the latest James Patterson or Rebecca Yarros release, maybe throw in one on marketing, client service, or personal development, too?

Write Stuff Down

Remember early on in grade school at the start of the year? You had fresh, clean notebooks and newly sharpened pencils. You couldn’t wait to get started. Before you head out of town on that family trip, grab yourself some shiny new colorful pens and a college-style five-section spiral notebook. Divide up the sections into these categories:

Articles
Blogs
Networking opportunities
Speaking opportunities and CLEs
General “to do”

As you think of ideas, add each to its corresponding list. While this may sound like another business development planner of sorts, know that the very simple act of writing goals down is the first step toward manifesting them. Better yet, don’t just make a list of things you can do, you can even get started on them. On paper.

While J.K. Rowling hand wrote the first Harry Potter book on paper because she couldn’t afford a typewriter, did you know that a host of other writers purposefully choose the pen over the PC? Stephen King is one of them. He handwrites a large portion of his books, sometimes with a fountain pen (!), claiming that the physical and methodical act of creating in cursive results in a slower pace that helps him produce more thoughtful prose.

So, tuck that new notebook in your beach bag and be inspired by the view as you compose your thoughts.

Print Stuff to Pack

When was the last time you read your bio on the firm’s website? Updated your contact list? I’m sure the former could use a refresh. And the latter can not only give you the opportunity to bring your address book current, but also remind you of clients, former clients and referral sources that you had meant to stay in touch with but who inadvertently fell off your radar. Circle those names in red that you will reach out to when you return to the office. Then, when you get back, a text, call, or even just a quick - “Hi there – hope you’re having a great summer. Let’s catch up soon” - email will put you top of mind. (A great place to be.)

You might even print out your calendar and reserve dates for methodical outreach actions, from quarterly conferences to monthly coffee dates and weekly calls. Even if the dates must be shifted later, you have now at least looked at your own big picture to see what it needs from a business development standpoint. You might even schedule the drafting of those summer blogs in April and May, so that your marketing people can post and promote them while you’re on the lake in June and July (taking in a great educational read, of course).

Ask Your Family

You’re away with your family. You’re there to connect with your family. Why not open up to your family and share challenges you’re facing, or ask for input on ideas you can implement? They might just be able to offer insight that you yourself could not see. They have a deep understanding of you that others do not and, just like you, want what is best for you and your practice. Your kids may not only offer an unbiased (and sometimes brutally honest) perspective, but they may also have crazy technology tips for you that haven’t yet reached the IT department.

Have a great summer! Enjoy that cool beverage, dip your toes in the water, and try to strategically integrate small, focused activities into your time out of the office, so that you can return refreshed and with a renewed momentum.

Jamie Mulholland assists attorneys and law firms across the country with marketing and business development. Learn more at mulhollandmarketing.com.

I Know What You Didn’t Do Last Summer