The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing
The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing
Episode 19: Barriers to Lawyer Wellbeing
Discover the secrets to overcoming common barriers in the legal profession by tuning in to our latest episode of The Grace Period. We uncover the hidden challenges that many lawyers face, such as unpredictable workloads, tight deadlines, and the relentless pressure to meet billable hours. Learn how to effectively manage these stressors with practical strategies like building buffer time, prioritizing high-impact tasks, and embracing single-tasking and mindfulness to enhance your focus. We'll also debunk the myth of perfectionism and discuss the importance of formal training in time management to help you navigate client and partner demands more smoothly.
Join us as we share actionable insights on maintaining a balanced and fulfilling legal career. This episode is packed with tips on setting boundaries, prioritizing self-care, and seeking the right support systems to thrive, even in high-stress environments like big law. We also emphasize the importance of leading by example and fostering a culture of support and accountability within the profession. Don’t miss out on our discussion on how to build supportive networks and pave the way for a more sustainable career. Make sure to stay tuned for details about our upcoming season recap and plans for season three. Your wellbeing is crucial—let us help you prioritize it.
Find out more at https://thegraceperiod.substack.com/.
Welcome to the Grace Period, where we get real about attorney mental health and well-being and pull back the veil on the high-stakes world of big law. I'm your host, emily Logan Studman. In this demanding profession, it is crucial that we don't lose ourselves in the hustle for billable hours. On the Grace Period, we have honest conversations about finding consistency, minimizing chaos, developing coping strategies and destigmatizing mental health. It is time to prioritize our shared humanity, to find our grace period. So far this season season two of the grace period we've defined well-being, talked about why it matters for attorneys. I shared my story and defined mindfulness, encouraging y'all to give meditation a try. We've talked about gratitude and journaling and how to build autonomy by doing at least one thing each day that is just for you. We've discussed asking and getting help, asking for and getting help, as well as time management as a form of self-care. Today, we'll talk about things that hinder lawyer well-being. Today, we'll talk about things that hinder lawyer well-being, including the dreaded billable hour. Many, many things in our profession and in our lives as humans hinder lawyer well-being. I'm going to list a few and talk at a high level about how you can overcome them. I'll conclude with the billable hour. It doesn't have to be your enemy. I promise this will be quick and, again, from a high level. The point is to create notice of these issues and empower you to implement tools and systems that help you overcome them.
Speaker 1:First up, unpredictable workloads and deadlines. A legal profession is characterized by fluctuating workloads, unexpected client demands, tight deadlines, all of which make it difficult to plan and prioritize tasks effectively. One way to counter this is to build in buffer time for unexpected tasks and to prioritize ruthlessly. I do this by asking myself what can wait. If it can wait, I move it to the next day or I put it later on my calendar. This also requires communicating proactively with clients and colleagues about timelines. I've tried to provide tips on doing this effectively throughout both season one and season two of this podcast. The important thing is to experiment, figure out what works and then ruthlessly systemize and personalize it so that it becomes habitual, instinctual. It'll look different for each of us, but prioritizing and managing your workload, creating buffer time and communicating clearly, is possible, and it will empower you to manage proactively workloads and deadlines rather than always reacting Next.
Speaker 1:Interruptions and distractions, constant email notifications, phone calls, impromptu meetings all of this can disrupt focus and derail productivity, making it challenging to stay on task. So disable notifications, set aside dedicated focus time, batch tasks like checking email. The goal is to minimize context switching. But again, none of us are perfect. None of us every time ignore the millions of things calling for our attention. In fact, big companies make big bucks on getting us to be distracted and remain distracted. Here again, I'll recommend Cal Newport's books Deep Work and Digital Minimalism. These teach you how to adjust your relationship with your calendar and your attention, as well as social media. And remember, multitasking is an urban legend. The tendency to multitask or switch between tasks frequently can lead to decreased productivity and increased stress, undermining time management efforts. So practice mindfulness and single tasking. Batch similar tasks together and use tools like website blockers or the Pomodoro method to stay focused.
Speaker 1:Now let's talk about perfectionism. Lawyers often feel pressure to provide flawless work. This can lead to excessive time spent on tasks and difficulty in setting reasonable boundaries. As best you can, try to develop a keen sense of what is good enough. Prioritize high-impact tasks and learn to delegate or outsource low-priority work. Remember, no one is perfect. Remember, no one is perfect. Not a single human partner, senior associate, judge. No one else is perfect. To err is human and it means that you're trying For a resource on perfectionism. Check out the book called the Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control by Katherine Morgan Schaffler.
Speaker 1:Another barrier to lawyer well-being is a lack of training. Many attorneys receive little formal training in time management techniques, leaving us to develop these skills on our own, often through trial and error. So seek out time management workshops or podcasts like this one. As well as courses and coaching, you can create accountability partnerships with colleagues. I've tried to create a primer on time management through my podcast, but these things can be deeply personal. Spend time seeking out tips and techniques, experiment with them. Move forward with what works for you, keeping in mind that what works today may not work in a year. That's okay. Your ability to manage your time and your mind will evolve as you and your practice evolve.
Speaker 1:The next barrier is client and partner demands and expectations. Clients, partners a lot of people have unrealistic expectations for turnaround times or constant availability, making it difficult for us to set boundaries and manage our time. We can also place unrealistic demands and expectations on ourselves, so it's important to try to communicate clearly about your processes and timelines so that you can set realistic expectations from the beginning and don't be afraid to push back respectfully when necessary. The next barrier is resistance to change. We live and work in a traditional profession. To change we live and work in a traditional profession. Many attorneys are resistant to adopting new time management strategies or technologies, preferring to stick to familiar but often less efficient methods. Here, lead by example, experiment with new techniques, gradually, celebrate small wins and seek out champions and early adopters who can model effective time management along with you. Don't be afraid to make change from the bottom up within your sphere of influence. Your co-associates, assistants, paralegals, colleagues will help you. They'll also thank you and the teams you're on will too.
Speaker 1:Another barrier is a lack of support or accountability. Without a supportive work environment or accountability measures, it can be challenging for lawyers to consistently implement time management practices. Here again, I'll emphasize leading by example. You can build a supportive network of colleagues. You can schedule regular check-ins and progress reviews. You can hire a productivity coach or join a mastermind group. If you don't have the support or accountability, we've got to be empowered to create it for ourselves.
Speaker 1:I'll touch on the billable hour. The emphasis on billable hours in many law firms can lead to a tendency to overcommit, to take on more work than can reasonably handled and, overall, undermine our efforts at time management. A lot of firms emphasize hours and profits over people. That can keep us on the defense dissatisfied and craving something different. We could have a whole, probably a whole season of this podcast about the billable hour, its pros, its cons and whether or not it's going away.
Speaker 1:But the thing is, many of us live in a reality where the billable hour is a requirement and expectation placed on us. That's okay. It can be a neutral in your life. I encourage you to think about it like clocking in and out. It's just a fact of life. It's not good or bad, it just is.
Speaker 1:At the same time, if you have a billable hour requirement, I encourage you to track it meticulously. For me, that looks like taking my annual goal and breaking it down into monthly, weekly and daily goals based on everything I have going on in my calendar each month. I then reflect at the end of each month on how much I've billed and whether or not I need to bill more the next month or can bill less. I make choices about my billable hour rather than it dictating my life. That is possible and I talked more about this in episodes two and three of season one of the podcast. If you follow me on LinkedIn, on the first business day of every month, I also share about my billable hour breakdown. And yes, there are ways to bill your clients that aren't based on an hourly fee. But for most of us, even if we're doing contingency fees or subscription fee-based work, we still have to track and bill our time so our firms know what we're doing. But again, that can be just a fact of life.
Speaker 1:The billable hour doesn't have to be this big boogeyman that haunts us and dictates our every move. It can be a neutral. You can be in control of it. You can be proactive with it. I promise those are just some barriers to mental health and well-being in the law. I'm sure some of you can think of many, many more. Please reach out on Twitter or LinkedIn to share them if they've come to mind. So thank you for joining me on this episode of the Grace Period.
Speaker 1:I hope this discussion has provided some insights about how to overcome some of the things that hinder lawyer well-being, including the billable hour, and much more. Next week we'll recap season two, announce what's to come in season three and take listener questions. Remember you don't have to sacrifice your well-being for career success. By prioritizing self-care, setting boundaries and seeking support, you can survive and even thrive in the law and in big law. Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other. That is the path to our grace period. Disclaimer this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It does not constitute professional advice of any kind, including legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by listening to this podcast.
