HOW YOU SPEND YOUR TIME IS A REFLECTION OF YOUR PRIORITIES

The high price of "yes". 

Every "yes" to someone else's emergency is a silent contract: "Your chaos outranks my priorities today."

Your phone lights up again. 
Another "urgent" client call OR 
Another solicitor/team member/counterpart who wants to hop on a quick call who "just needs a quick word of advice or chat."

And there you go—saying yes. 
Again. 

Being a trusted leader means being available and reliable and relegating your priorities to last -isn't it?

At least that's what you've told yourself (or been told by others). 

I built my litigation barrister practice from nothing. Twice.

I started saying yes to every brief to build my practice 
I felt responsive - a team player, reliable, and trusted. 

And those moments felt good when clients and solicitors would say:
"You're brilliant. We couldn't have done this without you."
 "You saved us. Again."

The rush of being needed was reassuring. 

Can you relate?

And the need for external validation comes with a huge price tag:
I sacrificed my priorities
My peace of mind
I'd trained people that my practice was built on reaction, not priorities.

Something had to change.

I realised I was reinforcing a harmful message to others: "Your lack of planning resulting in your emergencies takes precedence over my priorities."

So, I became clear about my daily and long-term priorities.
I created systems to respond to requests and emergencies and diarised when I would focus on my daily and weekly priorities (business and personal). 
I set clear boundaries.

And something happened. 

The world didn't end. 
Clients and solicitors didn't leave. 
They respected me and my time more. 
They planned better. 
They saved true emergencies for emergencies.

Because I showed them through my words and actions: "Your crisis is not automatically my crisis."

Change is hard. 
It felt good to be the 'hero.' 🦸🏻‍♀️
But what replaced it was something more sustainable and meaningful—gaining other people's trust rather than momentary validation and approval.

THIS WEEK'S DECISION
Before you start work Monday:
✅Block three focused hours for your most important work every day this week
✅Draft one response for non-urgent requests: "I'll address this [Day + Time]."
✅Create a system for what constitutes a genuine emergency and how you'll respond.
✅Tell one solicitor/client/team member, member exactly when you'll be available or deliver instead of dropping everything when they request it. 

Your value isn't measured in firefighting reaction time and validation.

Your practice and firm deserve communication systems. 
Your leadership requires boundaries. 
Your reputation as a trusted leader must rest on priorities and systems.

This week, tell them a different story with your words and actions: "I lead myself first. I respect my priorities. And that's exactly why you can trust me with yours."

What message will you send this week?