Futurelawyer

Old Men Don't Have To Worry About Fashion

There are some things about growing old that I really enjoy. Just being alive is a victory, of course. But, the realization that nothing anyone else says or does matters, and that we alone get to make our own choices, is life altering. So, get out there and enjoy the day, even if it involves wearing your shirt inside out. Peace.

I Should Thank Samsung For Making The Galaxy Fold So Expensive

Why the Galaxy Fold's screen breaks so easily, according to iFixit. The Samsung Galaxy Fold launch has been delayed, because review units have been breaking when folded and unfolded. Duh. A folding phone is designed to work both ways, right? Anyone who knows me knows that I would have jumped to buy new tech like this. But, even the FutureLawyer blanched at a $2,000 price for a phone. So, thanks, Samsung. Screwed up another phone, and saved me some bucks.

Memento Mori - Prepare For The End

A corollary principle to Marcus Aurelius' recommendation to expect other humans to be difficult, and to remember that they we are all one and connected, is the reminder that the day will come that is our last. How should we live, knowing that? Should we deny that inevitability? 

Google Voice - The Essential Phone App

How to use Google Voice - The Verge. This less than enthusiastic review makes it sound like Google Voice is an aging warrior, like the FutureLawyer, that may not be around much longer. Well, I beg to differ. If I have an essential app for running a solo law practice, Google Voice might be it. Like the rest of you, I have a few phone numbers. Office number, Cell phone number one, cell phone number two, Smartwatch number one, Smartwatch number two, etc. I even still have a home phone number that comes with my cable subscription; although, I don't think I could find a plain old telephone around the house. Google Voice is free. It provides a local phone number that is a VOIP number, and can be reached by any phone in the world. Many use it as a primary number. I forward all calls to every number to it. If the phones or watches or tablets are busy, or not answered, Google sends a voice message, and records the answer. It then transcribes the answer and shoots it to every device as a text message AND an email. Some duplication can be handy because I never know whether I will be in a position to check texts or emails at a given moment. Don't believe me? Call the FutureLawyer and leave a message: 727-537-9235. Call me, maybe?

Begin Each Day

Some mornings are harder than others, aren't they? Problem clients, problem cases, bills coming due. But, rather than expect them, making preparations easier, we worry and freeze, and fail to do what needs to be done. Like the concept of Memento Mori, being aware of our inevitable deaths, and making the life we do have more enjoyable, we can quickly snap out of the doldrums by realizing the inevitability of difficulty. 

“ Begin each day by telling yourself: Today I shall be meeting with interference, ingratitude, insolence, disloyalty, ill-will, and selfishness – all of them due to the offenders’ ignorance of what is good or evil. But for my part I have long perceived the nature of good and its nobility, the nature of evil and its meanness, and also the nature of the culprit himself, who is my brother (not in the physical sense, but as a fellow creature similarly endowed with reason and a share of the divine); therefore none of those things can injure me, for nobody can implicate me in what is degrading. Neither can I be angry with my brother or fall foul of him; for he and I were born to work together, like a man’s two hands, feet or eyelids, or the upper and lower rows of his teeth. To obstruct each other is against Nature’s law – and what is irritation or aversion but a form of obstruction. ” Marcus Aurelius

InBox Zero - Get Your Email Under Control

How to Manage Your Email Using Technology %u2013 and Get Your Time and Sanity Back | LegalFuel. Most modern law practices run on email. Whereas, in decades past, we spent a lot of time on phone calls, communicating with the clients, prospective clients, other lawyers, and judicial assistants, we manage our practices these days online. While some find the use of email onerous, I have found that it enables me to organize my life and practice and reduces stress. However, it is necessary to tame the beast in order to pet it. So, this LegalFuel one hour seminar is a great place to start. My InBox is at zero at all times, and emails I can't deal with immediately are stashed in a Pending folder that I go through often. Are you at Inbox Zero? If not, how do you sleep at night?

#WhyIAmASolo - I AM Management Without The Management Track

Now This Is A Wrist Communicator

Rufus Cuff: How About A Predator Cuff? I really like the idea of a wrist communicator that would replace the smartphone/smartwatch combination. However, I think there ought to be a Predator version that makes the device alien worthy. Thermonuclear device optional.

Stoicism Has Nothing To Do With Starving Yourself

Execupundit.com: Philosophy and Food. Epictetus is famous for his ability to deal with slavery, a bum leg, and numerous other life difficulties with grace and dignity. However, making choices that recognize that we can only control ourselves and our own actions does not mean that extreme dieting or extreme exercise are in keeping with Stoic philosophy. Fate is often cruel; but, it is the occurrence of events beyond our control. While we have the power to control ourselves by living extreme methods, there is nothing Stoic about it. Live intelligently. But, don't think that self deprivation makes you any more enlightened. Even on a low carb diet, I occasionally eat my favorite food, Spaghetti and Meatballs. Life is short. Enjoy it.  

#ParrotSunday - Easter Sunday Edition