Big Law and Anxiety

I managed my anxiety and perfectionism pretty well,

until I joined a #BigFirm.

Six years later, I'm still dealing (almost daily) with the repercussions of letting my stress and anxiety creep up and out of control.

In hindsight, here's what I wish I had done that very first year:

⚖ Not keep my head down so much, and, instead, develop friendships with the associates around me right out of the gate.

⚖ Take control of the billable hour from the start. I'm not sure how I would have found out how to do this--I did organically two years later--but man do I wish I had those planning tools from the jump.

⚖ Be more intentional about feedback and reviews. Did you know you could email partners and senior associates a list of all the things you worked on with/for them ahead of the review cycle?

⚖ Maintain my workout (and tennis) routine.

⚖ Mindfully drink (and eat).

⚖ Not say yes for the sake of saying yes--this does not mean saying no. It means thinking through what yes looks like and creating a dialogue about what's to follow.

⚖ Implement monthly and weekly planning sessions right away.

⚖ Start the rolodex of meaningful connections--playing catch up later is tough (as is building the habit of actually reaching out to folks).

I probably could go on and on.

There are lots of reasons people burn out in this job.

You do not have to be one of those people, and I hope to make it a long-term sustainable career for myself,

By implementing these tools, experimenting with new tools, and continuing trial-and-error until I find what fits (adjusting every step of the way).

What would you do differently in the early years of your career to make it more sustainable?

#lawyerwellbeing #bestadvice #legalissues #cultutre #selfhelp