Stress Management: How to Reduce the Pressures of the Profession

Life as an attorney is not exactly as portrayed on the hit 90s sitcom Ally McBeal. Legal professionals work in a highly competitive field in which more attorneys exist than full-time positions. The battle for clients makes this line of work that much more demanding. Most attorneys are mentally and emotionally exhausted after an 8-10 hour day. Here is a brief guide to minimizing your stress and improving your wellness.

Establish Boundaries

If you have not yet learned how to separate work from your personal life, it is time to do so. Maintain a work-life balance by delegating tasks to paralegals and other support staff. Do not let work intrude on your personal life in the form of your smartphone. Use a separate phone for work so you are not tempted to check your messages at night or on the weekends during your off-hours. Otherwise, you will feel as though you are constantly tethered to the workplace and always working. That is no way to live life.

Automate as Much as Possible

Automation has the potential to save you and your staff plenty of time. Stay abreast of tech advancements that empower you to automate as much of your legal work as possible. Automating some or all of certain administrative tasks will liberate you to log more billable hours, find new clients or do that much more work on current cases. As an example, consider an application like Case Text that reduces the amount of time and effort attorneys spend conducting legal research. Additional apps and programs that automate billing and administrative tasks include SmokeBall, AllocateLegal and BillerAssist.

Be Honest When Setting Goals

You won’t be able to snag all those top-notch clients in a single year. It is going to take some time to establish a client base, build your reputation and possibly become a partner. So be honest about your professional ceiling for the upcoming months and years. Be patient, set realistic goals and you will gradually progress toward your career aim.

Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness has quickly entered the mainstream. Attorneys who tap into the power of mindfulness will find they are that much more relaxed. Between yoga, meditating and other mindfulness exercises, you will enjoy a much-needed inner peace free from the constant analyzing and worrying that occurs in the workplace. Mindfulness is not exclusively about oneself. Mindfulness is also beneficial to others. Enhance your mindfulness and you will be that much more conscious about others in your workplace as well as those in your personal life.