May 1, 2024—billable hour check in.

May 1, 2024--time for my (trigger warning) billable hour check in.

My all-in goal is 2400 (1750 billable + 650 investment), and I'm right on track after the first four months of this year, even the tiniest bit ahead.

As a result: I need to hit 191 hours this month.

Looking ahead, I will have 3 half days, while I'm in Atlanta visiting my family and then traveling back to Wisconsin, and another half- and zero-billing day around Memorial Day weekend. But, next Saturday, I'll have a full day as I volunteer at Wills for Heroes and bank some pro bono hours.

This means, for May 2024, I'll have 4 half days and 19 full days, or 21 days all in.

191 / 21 = 9.1 hours on full days and 4.5 hours on half days.

When I miss those goals, I'll spread the missed time over the next day, the rest of that week, or the rest of the month--or, I'll work on the weekends to catch up.

When I exceed those goals, I'll take time off the next day, the rest of the week, or the rest of the month--or, I'll try to stay ahead, so my monthly goal gets smaller for the remaining months of the year.

Knowing where I stand brings me a more positive mindset--I have less angst if I'm ahead, and I know when and how to drum up more work (or investment hours) if I'm behind.

I do this by hand, keeping track on a calendar in my digital notebook and putting calendar appointments in my Outlook calendar with each day's goal.

Others, I know, have excel spreadsheets that run the numbers for them.

My firm even provides almost all of this data, requiring only minimal mathing if you follow along carefully.

This system works for me and keeps me on track with my goals. It also is a good partner for my daily time entry habit.

Systems and processes often seem onerous at first, but they create space for other things (and peace of mind) once implemented and habitual.

🔥✌️❤️