From the President: Brief Renewals Go a Long Way
by Scott Bonder
President, DeKalb Bar Association
Gone are the days when a new year brought with it new teachers, and new classes. Holiday breaks used to be actual breaks and a welcome reset prior to the coming semester. Now, that same client who nagged you in December is likely going to nag you in January. That judge who disagreed with all of your arguments in 2014 is likely to continue disagreeing in 2015. The daily grind can be exhausting, but even briefly focusing on improving your work life can make each nagging client, disagreeable judge, and pesky opposing counsel far more tolerable.
Buy a new chair or, better yet, a standing desk. Posture and comfort go a long way toward improving mood , and relieving aches and pains. Since adding a standing desk to my office I have less back pain and find that my posture is improving (though it does not quiet my mother’s voice in my head telling me to stand up straight –not sure what will fix that). When I need to sit I just push a button and the desk lowers to a comfortable height for sitting. If you are not ready to stand at work, a new chair can also help your posture, which in turn will make you feel better.
Put art or a plant in your office. Art and plants fall well outside the spectrum of items I normally care about at all. Nevertheless, once I finally unboxed my office, and hung pictures, I enjoy my surrounding more. In hindsight, I could have enjoyed my office a bit more for the last five years and I regret not taking these simple steps sooner.
Make exercise a part of your routine. Every day you should walk, run, or engage in some other exercise. Even five minutes of exercise will clear your head, get your heart pumping and improve your day.
Actually read your 401k statement. We work for our clients and to support ourselves, but easily get caught in the details without checking in on our goals. Make sure you re-direct your investments and retirement accounts every year as needed. Get a sense of what your retirement budget is and work toward it rather than just working. For younger lawyers, remember that saving even a little now nets you far more than saving larger amounts later in life.
Think about what you will do after retirement. Do you really want to be one of those old lawyers showing up in the office three days a week to balance their checkbooks? If not, give the actual plan some thought with your significant other. The process can actually be fun.
Go home or out a half hour earlier than normal at least once per week. This small act of dominance over your schedule will keep you in charge of your schedule rather than vice versa.
If you have no immediate deadlines or court appearances and you are stressed out, go home, to a movie or on a hike. Work life is not life. Sometimes a small change of pace will greatly improve your attitude.
Give some thought to marketing. Most lawyers hate it, and many flounder trying to figure out what to do. For 2015, pick one or two strategies early and then stick with them as long as possible. You can commit to calling former opposing counsel and going to lunch, attending more DeKalb Bar networking events, or joining other organizations (not necessarily related to law). Choose your strategy now. Right now. And implement it now. Pay for the conference, hire the web designer. Put a deposit on the party venue. Making commitments now will ensure that you follow through.
Finally, make a new friend and tend to the old ones. In addition to marketing (no, you do not get to combine there), pay attention to your real time social network.