Crafting a Joyful Journey in Law for 2024

There's a thing going around in one of the groups I am in that talks about people outlining a WORD to become their theme for 2024.

Think about it...if you were setting that ONE word you want to sum up 2023, what would it be?

For some, it might be profit, marketing, or cases. Other people might become more abstract with dedication, focus, or growth.

Here's the one I want to suggest: Happy

What could you do in 2023 to be happy? Or what could you accomplish this year that, if you did nothing else, you would look back on and be happy about it?

Because at the end of the day...we often use money as a tool to measure certain things, but if we put our own happiness first, we would make a LOT of decisions in a manner that is better for us long term.

And look, I think about this one study a LOT -  - in which one of the BIGGEST things to do to be happy was not be a lawyer.

But to me, that's bullshit, I am a lawyer, and I am happy...so fuck that study. So here are my 5 tips for being happy as a lawyer:

1) Answer these 3 questions

How much money do I NEED to make?

How much do I WANT to be working?

What work do I WANT to be doing?

The first one is about need. You need to pay your bills, put food on the table, and save for retirement. Set that baseline, beat it (BY A LOT!!!!) but set it, so you know what you NEED.

After that, be selfish...set out what you WANT. If you want to work 0 hours a week, great. Write it down and make decisions to get you there. Seriously, the sky's the limit, and the crazier you aim, the better you will do.

And the last one is probably the most important - let me explain with a short story.

Don't get me wrong, I am always excited to get emails from our marketing clients about their record months/quarters/years. But the other day, I got one that made me SO happy. It was about hiring another employee because of the extra work and who they should hire. (story shared with permission)

So, who would you hire if you had too much work and needed to hire someone else? Your answer MIGHT be clear. But it's going to be different for everyone.

If you LOVE marketing - you might hire another lawyer to do the legal work.

If you LOVE doing legal work - you might hire someone to manage the day-to-day of the office.

If you LOVE managing the office - you might hire a marketer to get more revenue to hire more staff and specialize them more.

No answer is WRONG, but some are wrong for YOU.

Hence, you need to know what legal work you want to do so that you can decide who to hire to do the stuff you don't want to do

2) Create physical things

For most of us as lawyers, at the end of a day of hard work, we can look back and see...nothing. At most, there is a stack of paper.

Your client ISN'T in prison for the rest of their life.

Your motion got e-filed, and now that mom can go see her kids again.

You got a client a large check for their medical care (that they will probably blow in 3 weeks on a new luxury car and some fancy dinners...)

So how do you get around this? First, find a hobby that you can SEE.

It might be gardening, woodworking, or painting. For example, my wife bakes a ton (very cool until you stop fitting into your clothing...)

So find something you can do that produces something you can see and do it.

And be AWFUL at it.  

Rod Stewart (who sang Downtown Train) has a giant model train collection. He spent about 25 years working on this. No idea if Maggie May helped. This is not a joke. I was not only joking.

Not a side hustle. An actual hobby.

3) Keep Score

Along these same lines...how do you know if you WON a case? What does success actually look like for your firm? How can you keep score in a fun way to show your impact?

Maybe it's $$$ recovered. Maybe it's # of nights your client gets with their kids/# of parenting plans. Maybe it's how many wills or trusts get done within 4 weeks of the client hiring you to give more people the peace of mind that comes with having this done.

Find a metric/KPI/number you can track easily that SHOWS your work and its positive impact on people.

4) Stop doing the work you don't want to do

Seriously! See number 1, but really...don't take that case you are on the fence about. Turn down that client who yelled at your staff. Don't agree to do that pro bono project for that non-profit you aren't wild about but feel like you have to...instead just say NO.

No is a complete sentence.

I could tell you a few horror stories, but let's be honest...you know them. You have them. You will continue to have them (I will too...I am a work in progress). So say no NOW and you have nothing to regret later.

There's a line in Start with Why that talks about how Apple always says no to good ideas. They even say no to GREAT ideas. It has to be an EXCELLENT idea AND an excellent fit for them to move forward. Think Differently!

5) Take time for yourself

If you want the euphemism, practice self-care. But seriously. Be selfish. Take time for yourself.

Go to your calendar right now...block of time for your hobby in #2. Block off time to go to the doctor and get checked up. Block off time to go for a walk every morning. Block off every second after 3pm so you can be there to pick up your kids from school (and then block off some days at 2pm so you can have an hour BEFORE you pick up the kids). Finally, block off an hour to watch the trashy reality tv show that you find yourself trying to cram into an overfilled day between making dinner and going back to night work and maybe eventually going to bed so you can do it all again tomorrow.

If you follow it, living off of your calendar can be the most liberating thing. So take time for yourself. You have my permission (if you need that).

Life will happen while you're doing everything else, but HOW you show up is in your control. If that's as a hot mess who's constantly unprepared because you're doing too much...or if that's that one weird pain-in-the-ass lawyer who doesn't yell and scream at everyone and seems to smile every few minutes...balls in your court.

Important caveat - you do not have an excuse to not do this. If you have something truly medically abnormal about you - physical, mental, other, all, etc...I think you should give yourself MORE grace and take MORE time for yourself. You can't pour from an empty cup. You can't help anyone else if you can't help yourself first. You must put on your oxygen mask before helping others...

You got this! And to the extent that you need it or I am able, I am here to help.

I hope you enjoyed the first newsletter of 2024! Next week we are going to talk about the EASIEST ways to trade money for time and save time (that you can spend HOWEVER you think is best to see these 5 tips)

Until then, have a great weekend, and may you not kidnap Kevin Bacon as a belated Holiday Gift to someone!

Until Next Friday

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