High Performance for Lawyers

Our profession has the highest rate for depression. Unfortunately this is not surprising. I am now in my 14th year of practicing law and I feel like I have seen it all.

First there are crazy demands on our time. We have court deadlines, client pressuring us to file an application ASAP while we need to carefully and thoroughly review and prepare the documents. There is the financial pressure of meeting payroll every month, paying rent, and your monthly advertising costs and employees that leave with very little notice.

The stress can be overwhelming at times.

With all of the above demands it is not surprising that lawyers turn to drugs and alcohol to self -medicate. This is not discussed in our industry. It is often overlooked and perceived as part of the course of being a lawyer. Well, we can change this. Our profession does not need to be the leader in substance abuse and depression!
My lawyer friends are often amazed at how well I have been able to run a kick butt law practice, manage six team members, while putting my family first.

To amplify my performance I am also taking Brendon Burchard’s high performance program.

Here are my high performance strategies (some of them based off of Brendon’s program) that allow me to achieve my goals without burning out:

1. I exercise twenty to thirty minutes in the morning before I go to work – three to four times a week. This supercharges my day, wrings out the stress and puts me in a good mood. Just this one change in your life could be a game changer. You may have heard this before, but if you have not made the change then it has not become common practice for you. I used to exercise after work. This was awesome as well because it helped me burn off the stress from the day. However, it was too easy to skip the workout. At times there were deadlines that had to be met and at the end of the day and I ended up skipping my workout.
2. Going to yoga class at least once a week. Every Wednesday my staff knows that I am leaving at 5:00 to go to my Yin Yoga class at Radiant Yoga. Not only does this keep my body flexible but it also helps me manage a stressful week. Yoga promotes stretching and breathing, which are two activities that can increase your energy level and mood.
3. Take walks to recharge throughout the day. It is amazing how simple yet powerful this activity is. After walking for 10-15 minutes I feel completely recharged. The physical movement, fresh air and break during the day helps me decompress. At the same time it helps break up the monotony of sitting all day. Studies have shown that sitting continuously all day long is not healthy. I have found that after a walk around the block I feel recharged and reenergized.
4. I make sure that I take off at least one day a week. I normally take off two days a week but I have been spending Saturdays on KickButtLawyerMarketing activities.
   I have seen to many people burn themselves out by working seven days a week. Sure you get more done immediately, but in the long run you can burn out. Let’s face it – what we do is intense. The decisions we make have big implications in our clients’ lives or business. You deserve at least one day off a week to recharge. Ironically, by recharging your internal batteries you will be more productive during your work week.

I hope this helps you.

Try out some of these strategies and let me know if they work for you.