By Megan M. Moore
In moments of stress or frustration, you might notice you don’t want to feel this way and then double down by telling yourself that you shouldn’t feel this way, or that you got yourself into this mess to begin with. Now you’re feeling stressed and bad about yourself. Sound familiar?
As a coach, I regularly hear these comments from my attorney clients, particularly at the end of the year when the holidays and work can feel relentless. When you have a lot going on, even everyday activities can feel overwhelming or frustrating. Billable hour requirements and family obligations come immediately to mind, particularly during this time of the year.
As you close out 2022, here are some strategies to manage those feelings and complete projects/activities that need to get done.
Start Where You Are
To avoid getting bogged down in the feeling (stress, overwhelm, frustration, etc.), notice and accept that this is how you feel. In coaching, we call this “starting where you are.” Simply saying to yourself, “I feel stressed about meeting my hours this year,” allows you to acknowledge the feeling without getting engulfed by it.
Identify Your Values
Identifying the values associated with stressful activities can help you see a bigger (and potentially brighter) picture because it helps you focus on why you’re doing something rather than the stress or frustration of doing it.
Let’s look at some values that might be at play with billing your time and family obligations:
- Billable hours: financial independence or security, loyalty, career growth, hard work, and/or passion for your legal work.
- Family obligations: connection, community, trust, joy, and/or commitment to others.
Once you’ve identified the values, then you can use them as a tool. When you feel frustrated, stressed or overwhelmed, take a moment to remind yourself of the value of why you’re doing something. This can shift your focus away from the stress, overwhelm, or frustration and toward completing the task at hand.
Use a Time Management Tool that Work for YOU
This time of the year is a great time to rely on time management tools that you already know work for you, even if you’ve let them slide as you’ve gotten busier. If you’re not sure what works for you, there are simple strategies you can try so you can find what works best. Some popular time management strategies my attorney clients use:
- Block time over the coming weeks/months for future deadlines (e.g., putting time on your calendar for researching, outlining, and drafting a motion)
- Schedule movement breaks throughout the workday
- Create a daily to do list with the 3 most important things listed at top; complete those 3 things before moving onto other items on the list
- Brain dump all of the things you have going on/need to get done for the week so you get them out of your head
- Turn off email and other notifications for a set period of each time or while you’re working on a specific project
- Calendar one activity each day or week that will bring you an emotion you want (joy, calm, peace, excitement)
If you know there is a strategy that has worked in the past for you, choose that one. Otherwise, choose just one of the above time-management tools and see how it works for you.
BIO: Megan M. Moore is a lifelong risk taker, storyteller, and educator. She is a certified professional coach and education law attorney. Megan’s clients are ready to make a pivot in their career: earn a promotion, make partner, create more harmony between work and personal time, or open their own practice. She harnesses power of the right question, using curiosity as a foundation for creating change in her clients’ lives. Megan is a regular speaker for legal and educational organizations, including the San Diego County Bar Association. Learn more at www.MeganMooreInc.com or contact Megan directly at Megan@MeganMooreInc.com.