6 minute read
It’s Time To Take Time
BE WELL
BY NIKKI G. MAPLES
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Time Vs. Mental Health
Time…Who’s got time to go on vacation? Hasn’t every lawyer had the feeling of not having enough time to step away from their practice? As lawyers, we find it incredibly difficult to turn off our work brain. Personally, my brain is constantly taking mental snapshot images of my calendar, which includes meetings, discovery deadlines, pretrial deadlines, etc. Oftentimes, just the thought of how much effort is required to manage those deadlines and prepare your calendar for an extended absence to step away and peacefully enjoy vacation feels like more work than reward.
It takes an exorbitant amount of time to manage the complexities of our law practice —management of case deadlines, time-sensitive responses, case emergencies, demanding clients, employees, etc. Those time-consuming tasks also contribute to stress, anxiety, panic, and depression. It is no secret that lawyers are among one of the top professions that suffer from alcohol and substance abuse. Those vices are often used as a means of coping, albeit in an unhealthy manner. We are not hostages to our careers. We are not owned like property or chattel by our profession. We are also not slaves to our clients. The minute we start believing that we have no options or that we have no ability to step away is the moment when our perception is grossly skewed and flawed.
It whittles down to preparation. We are lawyers, which means we should all be accustomed to and conditioned for preparing our cases for various stages of litigation. So, take the time to assess your existing case load and tasks. Determine what needs to be done to get your practice to a place where your cases are idling. Then, take the time to make a plan! Plan a vacation, just do it!
Economics Vs. Mental Health
Who can afford to take the time away for vacation? Time away from our cases usually results in a loss of income. It is a double whammy to incur costs related to travel and vacation while not earning an income. In terms of economics, let’s consider worth and value.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “worth” as: a) monetary value, b) the equivalent of a specified amount or figure, c) the value of something measured by its qualities or by the esteem in which it is held, and d) moral or personal value. When considering “worth,” we can apply each of the various definitions and make a valid argument to support the notion that taking time away from the practice of law is worth it—worth it for our mental health, worth it to our support team at the office, and worth it to our clients to be represented by someone who has the mental clarity to be objective and creative. The adverse argument only supports the belief that we are slaves to our cases.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “value” as: a) the monetary worth of something, b) a fair return or equivalent in services, and c) relative value, utility or importance. When considering the definitions of “value,” we can make an excellent argument that the monetary worth of our services are much more valuable when we are performing within our zone of excellence. That said, in order to get to our zone of excellence, we must sharpen our skills, abilities, and talents. To sharpen our skills, abilities, and talents, we simply cannot be burned out, fatigued, or impaired.
In short, economics simply cannot be viewed as dollars and cents. Take the time to drill down on economics and ask yourself, “What is the value and worth of my mental health as a successful and productive lawyer?”
Performance Vs. Mental Health
Performance vs. mental health is a continuation of the idea that we should all strive to perform within our zone of excellence. Otherwise, we are performing in a zone of mediocrity and if mediocrity is an acceptable zone of performance, then my next article will lecture about the importance of working with a business coach.
The legal profession is hard, period. It is mentally challenging, aggressive, and tiring. We are humans and we need to rest and recharge periodically. Most of us have had the opportunity to observe our colleagues in the courtroom and, naturally, we have seen some of our colleagues look tired, short on patience, disheveled, unprepared, etc. In those moments, I immediately assume that the lawyer is not taking care of themselves. Don’t be that lawyer. Don’t put yourself in a position where your community is worried about your health and well-being. If we are responsible in caring for our mental health, then the goal of achieving peak performance and practicing within our zone of excellence will be more attainable.
Takeaways
Lawyers can’t afford not to take time away.
When weighing time vs. money, consider the cost. At what cost are we willing to jeopardize our health for fear of a dip in our income?
We are not victims or hostages to our profession, so stop using that as an excuse for not taking time to decompress.
These are not foreign concepts, my friends. It is undisputed that lawyers are wired to endure long hours and challenge our mental stamina to do the work we need to do, but it is truly time to rewire ourselves in search of the almighty work-life balance…that should be our practice, not the practice of law. AL
Nikki G. Maples is a partner at Maples Jones, PLLC. She practices family law exclusively in Austin with a focus on divorces involving high net worth and complex property division. Maples also shares a love and a passion for health and wellness within the legal profession and her community.
