Demystify the Process

As odd as quoting myself may be, one of my favorite sayings is “demystify the process.” I say it at least a dozen times a week. We tend to make mountains out of molehills in our minds. By nature, when we are faced with something new, the unknown, we want to do everything we can to minimize the pain that we endure while going through the change. So, what do we do? We think, and think, and think some more. We try to process all the angles. You may have heard the phrase ‘paralysis by analysis.’ The definition according to Wikipedia is the state of over-analyzing (or over-thinking) a situation so that a decision or action is never taken, in effect paralyzing the outcome.

"Demystifying the process" is my personal strategy which I use to get over this state. We often make things so overcomplicated in our heads that we never take action. The key is just that - act. Take for example my first book I wrote three years ago. When I look back and calculate the amount of time I spent thinking about writing the book while not writing one word, I am blown away. I am talking dozens upon dozens of hours THINKING about it while not doing anything.

Approximately 2,500 years ago, the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said, "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Once you’ve decided, you want to make a list of action items as fast you can and take action. Step by step. By demystifying the process and taking small consistent actions, you’ll be making progress on the task at hand at a much faster pace than you ever imagined.

 Let’s assume you’re considering switching your firm over to Macs. You may be Mac-curious, already on Macs, or perhaps you’d never considered it. Let’s assume you do fall into the Mac-curious camp. If that’s the case, it also means that you haven't made the switch yet. Why not? Let's assume you're stuck in analysis paralysis; you have made change an extremely complicated process in your mind. Let's break the process down and simplify.

 To switch to Macs, you need to:

·      Inventory your hardware and software needs.

·      Determine what is and is not covered on the Mac platform.

·      If anything is NOT supported decide how you plan to address that, plan to run Windows on the Macs that need it, or migrate to another solution.

·      Figure out what Macs you are going to buy and get a quote on buying vs. leasing.

·      Calculate the cost of software solutions.

·      Find an IT provider to help you through the transition and to support you moving forward.

·      Make the transition plan and start.

 That may seem over-simplified, but that is the point. You can spend 6 months analyzing and weighing the pros and cons and not taking one action. I’m currently writing a book for the ABA Practice Law Division; the working title is Macs in Law, and it will be the full PC to Mac Switcher’s guide for attorneys. My vision for this book is that it will significantly cut the time down from idea to being up and running on Macs.

If you happen to be one of those Mac-curious attorneys, you may have been toying with the dream that you could run your firm on Macs. And if you haven’t taken any action, this could be delayed for years and years and perhaps never even happen. I hope my book will shortcut that process for its readers and that it will walk them through from concept to results in the shortest time possible.

 If you find yourself stuck, here is a magic formula I use to demystify the process:

1.    Purpose: What do you want to accomplish?

2.    Importance: What's the biggest difference this will make?

3.    Ideal Outcome: What does the result look like?

Then write down 3-6 success criteria.

 By working through this process, you'll have a crystal-clear set of steps that you need to take to accomplish and finish each step. You will have demystified the process to progress and have some action items you can act on. The last part is to start.

Tom Lambotte is CEO of GlobalMacIT, we provide complete end-to end legal technology consulting to Mac-Based law firms nationwide. Our service enables our clients to leverage technology converting it into a profit-generator for their firm. We provide complete certainty that all the best-in-class IT policies and security measures are in place, so they can focus on growing the firm. Tom’s methods are based on close to a decade of research, testing and real-world refinement of Best Practices, working directly with Mac-based law firms and firms switching from PC to Mac, across the country and around the world.

Go to Tom is the author of Hassle Free Mac IT Support for Law Firms and Legal Boost: Big Profits Through an IT Transformation. He is a highly sought after speaker at national events such as the ABA Techshow and MacTrack Legal. To receive more profit-boosting tips and ideas to boost your usage of technology, go to www.globalmacit.com/boost, complete the form and we will mail you a complimentary copy of Legal Boost - Big Profits Through an IT Transformation.