Session on 11th of March 2025, Part 3 of a 5 Part Series
“The whole point as a legal professional is enlarging your window of peak performance – how do we make that productive golden hour become a golden day?” explains Patryjusz Zamorski during a recent Platforum9 Session focused on mental energy management for lawyers. On this third instalment in a series on peak performance for lawyers, Zamorski offers practical insights into how legal professionals can maintain optimal cognitive function throughout demanding workdays.
Beyond the Golden Hour
Most lawyers recognise the concept of the “golden hour” – typically between 9-11am – when their ability to tackle complex cognitive tasks is at its peak. However, Zamorski challenges the notion that this period must be limited: “How do we enlarge that window? How do we make sure we can perform these highly complex cognitive tasks for longer periods?”
The answer lies in understanding how our brains actually function rather than how we believe they should function. “If you think that you can just start in the morning and continue until midday, and produce good quality work without breaks – not true,” Zamorski emphasises. “We have this illusion that we can keep doing this, like another coffee, another coffee.”
The Power of the Pomodoro
At the heart of Zamorski’s approach is the Pomodoro technique – a method backed by substantial research that structures work into manageable intervals.
The technique consists of:
- 25 minutes of deep, focused work with all distractions eliminated
- A 5-minute break where you physically move away from your workspace
- Three repetitions of this cycle
- A longer reward break after completing three cycles
“Your brain very quickly learns,” Zamorski explains. “People who practise the Pomodoro technique for two to three weeks can immediately switch into that deep focus flow state for 25 minutes.”
The five-minute breaks are crucial – and often misunderstood. “Those five minutes – this is very important – you don’t stay at your desk,” he emphasises. “Stand up, go to the kitchen, get a glass of water, look outside the window. Your brain needs that stimulus which is coming from outside.”
The Multitasking Myth
Perhaps the most counterintuitive advice for lawyers – who often pride themselves on juggling multiple matters simultaneously – is Zamorski’s firm stance against multitasking.
“Let’s bust the myth of multitasking. It does not exist,” he states. “If you believe that you can switch between tasks without losing time and energy and focus, you’re wrong. You will always lose.”
The cost is substantial: “Research shows that if you keep constantly multitasking, it can steal up to 40 percent of your time, speed and efficiency. So actually, it slows you down. It’s just an illusion that you do more. You actually do less.”
Beyond efficiency concerns, this constant task-switching increases error rates – particularly problematic in a profession where precision is paramount.
Developing the Focus Muscle
For lawyers, Zamorski argues that “focus and attention are probably the most important things,” yet these are muscles that need conscious development.
“If you were to take one big takeaway from our session today, it’s really try to develop the habit of deep focus without distraction, no multitasking, and you will see that your efficiency, effectiveness, value skyrockets over time,” he advises. “You develop something that will be your superpower – the superpower to quickly concentrate and get into the focus zone.”
This skill becomes particularly valuable for lawyers with non-traditional working arrangements. “In the most unusual places, you can go into deep focus work, whether it’s a train, an Uber, or a coffee place,” Zamorski shares from his decade of remote work experience. “It’s a superskill – the ability to go into that bubble where you can concentrate.”
The Recovery Imperative
The foundation of Zamorski’s approach acknowledges human physiological limitations. “It’s just physically impossible to keep performing all the time at the same high level,” he notes. “We are physiological systems. We need to alternate between how we expand energy and how we renew it.”
This understanding – that recovery is not separate from but integral to peak performance – shifts how lawyers might structure their day. “This is the energy expenditure moment. This is the energy renewal moment,” Zamorski explains. “Then things fall into the right places.”
The Coaching Connection
The session highlighted how individualised this approach must be. As audience member Kira noted, “From my own coaching experience, it’s such a deeply personal thing, and each person is so different in the way that they need to come up with systems that enable them to be at their peak.”
Zamorski endorses this perspective, suggesting that professional coaching may be one of the best investments lawyers can make: “One of the best gifts you can give yourself if you’re serious about your career as a lawyer is to accept a mentor or coach, because this can really transform how you work.”
He challenges the notion that seeking coaching suggests deficiency: “Very often people see coaching as ‘something’s wrong with me,’ but no, not necessarily. This is what athletes do. The best keep learning, keep discovering, gaining self-awareness.”
For law firms navigating the competing demands of organisational norms and individual performance patterns, Zamorski’s approach offers a framework that accommodates both. Rather than rejecting institutional requirements, he advocates for conscious awareness and strategic adjustments within them.
By conducting what he calls a “mental energy audit” – examining how mental resources are currently spent and identifying opportunities for more focused work – lawyers can begin conversations with teams and partners about creating sustainable practices that benefit both individuals and organisations.
As lawyers continue to face unprecedented cognitive demands in an increasingly complex profession, Zamorski’s practical advice offers a pathway to not just survive but thrive through intentional energy management.
