Building Your Billing Capacity

The Billing Coach WebsiteIn this episode host Molly Kremer explores the three critical dimensions needed to develop sustainable contemporaneous timekeeping habits. She provides concrete frameworks and strategies to help attorneys overcome common billing challenges like procrastination, under-billing, and time avoidance.What is Billing Capacity?Billing capacity goes beyond just managing time—it's about building capacity in three critical dimensions:Emotional capacity around billingIntellectual capacity around billingTime/temporal capacity around billing1. Emotional Capacity: The FoundationDefinitionThe ability to experience uncomfortable feelings associated with billing (doubt, fear of judgment, anxiety about value) without avoiding those feelings through procrastination, under-billing, confusion cutting, or non-billable buffering.Common Avoidance BehaviorsProcrastinating time entryUnder-billing timeConfusion cuttingNon-billable buffering (social media, phone checking, excessive coffee breaks)The 4-Step Process: Notice, Narrate, Normalize, Next Best Thought1. Notice: Become aware of physical sensations in your body when feeling negative emotions about billing2. Narrate: Identify the thinking behind the feeling (e.g., "It should be less time")3. Normalize: Acknowledge that these feelings are normal given your thought patterns4. Next Best Thought: Deliberately shift to a more helpful thoughtInstead of: "It should have been less time"Try: "Maybe it should have taken me this amount of time. How do I know? Because it did."Alternative TechniquesCringe and count: Feel the discomfort but bill the time anywayResponsibility shift: Remember that your job is to record time accurately, not to discount it—that's the partner's or client's decision2. Intellectual Capacity: The How-ToThe 3-Step Framework: Capture It, Count It, Move ItCapture It: Record the time contemporaneously (before, during, or after the task)Count It: Determine the time amount (timers, estimation, best judgment)Move It: Enter a B+ narrative and move to the next taskKey Resources MentionedBilling BlueprintBilling Narrative BlueprintBilling Blue BookAvailable in Billing Mastery Mentorship Billing VaultWhen Feeling Stuck: "I Wonder, What If, Let's Try"This curiosity-based approach helps shift from confusion to engagement:"I wonder how I could capture this time...""What if I could capture this narrative...""Let's try using the billing blueprint..."3. Time/Temporal Capacity: Abundance vs. ScarcityThe Problem Thought"I don't have time to bill" creates the very problem it describes, resulting in zero bill time at the end of the day.The Model BreakdownThought: "I don't have time to bill"Feeling: Time scarcity, pressureAction: Skip billing, prioritize only legal workResult: Zero bill time at end of dayPowerful Reframe Thoughts"Taking 30 seconds now saves me 30 minutes later today""Contemporaneous billing is a time-creating activity, not time-consuming""What if I were wrong that I didn't have time to bill as I go?""I am choosing to believe that I have enough time to bill as I go"Benefits of Contemporaneous BillingSignificantly less time than reconstructing laterBetter memory of actual work doneAbility to capture "thinking time" and intellectual work productCan "fold in" billing time naturally instead of separate 30-minute catch-up sessionsKey TakeawaysAll three dimensions work together: You need emotional capacity to handle discomfort, intellectual capacity to know how to bill, and time capacity to believe you have space for it.Billing should take 1-2 minutes per entry: The association that billing takes a long time comes from end-of-day/week reconstruction.Make billing part of the work: Don't treat it as separate administrative work—integrate it into your workflow.Start with your weakest dimension: Assess where you are in each area and focus improvement efforts accordingly.Next Episode PreviewBreaking the procrastination cycle: Why attorneys avoid billing and strategies to overcome procrastination patterns.ResourcesBilling capacity workbook and worksheet (mentioned in show notes)This episode provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and developing the capacity needed for successful contemporaneous timekeeping, addressing both the psychological and practical aspects of billing challenges.