Numerous studies show that autonomy is the number one predictor of happiness and satisfaction in life and in work. To be autonomous is to gain more control over your circumstances, your decisions and your time. There are a number of ways to gain autonomy in our careers, and it doesn't require making the leap to entrepreneurship.

We all have a "circle of competence"—a body of skills and knowledge that gives us an edge. And we can expand the circle over time, slowly and incrementally. If we try to do too much, too fast, we spread ourselves thin and our effectiveness diminishes. So the question is: What’s the best way to spend your limited resources of time and attention?

When lawyers get urgent requests from clients, they move mountains. But here’s the problem: If you’re spending all your time on your client’s priorities, you’ll never address your own. To generate clients, you have to be visible. You can’t sit back and wait for business to come in. But you don’t have to market yourself in ways that stress you out and make the already difficult job of being a lawyer even harder.

I spent years as a practicing lawyer knowing, at least in the back of my mind, what I should be doing but putting it off until next year. And it was always more of the same—until I finally got my act together. It didn't happen overnight, but it never would have happened if I hadn't started taking consistent action.

Let’s get right to it. In today’s post, I’m sharing three tips that will help you get an immediate return on your marketing and business development investment. Pick a tactic. Start acting upon it. I’m confident you’ll achieve positive results.