I did a full-time law degree while working three jobs, running a business, and raising a baby — and I came out with a First & Pupillage. Not because I'm cleverer than you, and not because I was lucky. Because I planned. Every hour had a job, because every hour had to count.
In this episode I open up the exact system that carried me then and still runs my life now as a practising barrister and a mum. We go deep on why planning matters — how it empties your overloaded head, turns overwhelming projects into doable steps, and compounds small daily actions into a career. Then we get properly practical: how to plan in a legal context where deadlines are hard edges and court dates don't move, how to break big scary tasks down until you can actually start them, how to time block your week, and how to use the Pomodoro technique to do deep, focused work without burning out.
I also talk honestly about the thing all of this builds — discipline — and why that's not a nice-to-have at the Bar but an absolute imperative. I pull back the curtain on my real routine: the electronic diary, using Motion to see the month ahead and schedule around court dates, and my Sunday ritual of writing out and time blocking the week (and why I don't plan the detail further ahead than that, because the work is always changing). And because I never want to sell you a fantasy, I'm honest that my way might not be your way — and that plans fall apart, and what matters is how you come back.
If you've ever felt behind, overwhelmed, or like you're just "not an organised person," this one is for you. Planning isn't a personality type. It's a set of skills — and by the end of these two hours, you'll know exactly how to start building them this week.
Diary of a Barrister — Links
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🌐 Websites (coming soon)
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