I’ve long advocated for Personal Quarterly Offsites (PQOs) as a powerful personal tool for legal professionals. Taking a half-day each quarter to step back, reflect, and plan can drastically improve focus, productivity, and long-term strategic alignment.
Let’s be honest: most “personal productivity” advice is, well, let’s just say overhyped. PQOs actually work because they are personal and structured. Your personal strategic planning in these times isn’t some fluffy self-help concept; it’s a necessity, especially for legal professionals.
In connection with my new newsletter, Personal Strategy Compass, I’m substantially revising my original handout for the PQO course – previously only available in my online courses or for purchase on Gumroad or as a bonus for paid subscribers of my newsletter. It’s a concise, practical guide with checklists and templates.
I’ve decided to make that “old” version (which is still highly useful) available as a free PDF download. No strings attached. It’s the basic framework: checklists, prompts, the whole nine yards. Get your copy here.
Why the freebie? Two reasons:
- I want to make the core PQO principles accessible to everyone.
- I want to clearly demonstrate the value before introducing people to more advanced and updated approaches in my newsletter.
In other words, I’m making “something better” available to you. Download the handout here.
What’s the “Something Better? – my “Personal Strategy Compass” email newsletter
As I mentioned, I’ve launched a paid-subscription email newsletter, “Personal Strategy Compass,” focused entirely on PQOs. We’re two issues in, and the third will be dropping in a few days.
This isn’t a rehash of the handout or my previous publications. It’s about ongoing refinement and adaptation, especially in light of the rapid advancements in AI.
What you get with “Personal Strategy Compass”:
- Action Steps” – How to implement and improve your own PQO process: Issue #3 will cover the difficult issue of following-up from a PQO, especially if you think you have dropped the ball (the “grace-period PQO” approach).
- My latest Thinking: My most current PQO best practices, including the ways I use AI to level up and power my PQOs.
- Practical Tools: Templates and workflows, including specific AI prompts.
- Real-world Examples (the good, the bad, and the ugly): What’s working for me, what’s not, and why.
- Q&A and Recommended Resources
- Exclusive Content
My fundamental approach to PQOs for lawyers centers on strategic alignment between daily tasks and long-term goals, proactive planning to address future challenges, mindful implementation, and, now, incorporating AI-powered insights.
Here’s what “Personal Strategy Compass” isn’t: It’s not another endless stream of generic productivity tips. It’s not going to tell you to wake up at 5 AM and meditate (unless that actually works for you). It isn’t a re-warmed version of the original handout. It is about continuous improvement, adapting to new challenges, and, crucially, leveraging the power of AI to help you personally.
The Call to Action (No Hype):
If you’re serious about improving your productivity and strategic focus, especially in the context of AI, subscribe to “Personal Strategy Compass.” The next issue will focus on following up on PQOs (even if you feel you’ve dropped the ball) and the question of whether a Personal Quarterly Offsite really has to be “offsite.” Subscribe here.
One more thing:
I’m not slapping “AI” on this to be trendy. I’m genuinely exploring how AI tools can make PQOs significantly more effective. I’ve realized that I am routinely using AI for PQOs, teaching, and other things in ways I haven’t heard other people use.
Subscription Link
Download the free handout. See if the basic PQO concept resonates. If it does, and you want to go deeper and find that “something better,” subscribing to the newsletter is the next logical step. Simple as that.
Let me know what you think – and what you’re doing with your PQOs – in the comments. I am especially interested in hearing about the ways you are already using AI tools.
[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (https://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]
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