To say that lawyers lead busy lives is an understatement. Attorneys work long hours and must give their work absolute focus. If you are an attorney with a family, or with other responsibilities, balancing career and personal goals can feel impossible.
Plenty outside of work requires your attention, some of it small and some of it not. What it has in common is that you have to carve out time for it. The time you spend with your children is precious, and once it is gone it cannot be recaptured.
Missing a first step or a first word is painful, and it still weighs less than being unable to provide for them because you let your career flounder. The need for balance between professional and personal life is greater than ever.
Alternative Work Schedules
More firms now offer alternative work schedules to bring professional time and personal time back into balance.
One is often called full-time flex: a forty hour week whose hours can be moved around family and other obligations. Another is a shorter week, ten to twenty hours, for attorneys who want to slow the pace of their career temporarily. A third is remote work two or three days a week, in the office for the rest.
These alternatives are not for everyone. They often cost a portion of salary, and that reduction can be a deal-breaker. They can also bring an inconsistent or unpredictable workflow.
Traditional practice remains the first choice for many new graduates, but awareness of the alternatives is taking hold across the profession.
Achieving Balance
So how do you juggle work, home and family without burning out? Beyond alternative schedules, three things:
- Set limits
- Communicate clearly
- Get organized
Establishing Boundaries
Set your boundaries now. If you watch your son play soccer every weekend, make that clear at the outset, and make sure your assistant knows how to reach you in an emergency. Finish your tasks and meet critical deadlines before you leave the office.
Communication and Organization
Communicate your needs. Let others know how much it matters that you spend time with the people you love and have a life outside the office.
Organizing that life takes effort and repays it in saved time and lower stress. Plan each week on the calendar so nothing critical is missed. Tell your assistant about personal commitments that might conflict with work hours, and schedule extra hours where you need to make time up.
Most lawyers know that work and private life will never carry equal weight. It is still possible to build a pattern that works for you and leaves room to reach your full potential as an attorney and as a person.
Connect with OnBoard Legal
We bring talent and clients together, helping to create best-fit matches conducive to the work-life balance you are both seeking.