Reality Check – Part 4 – Worrying Will Kill You!

I have to admit it. I’m a worrier. I worry about my family, my mother, my husband and son. I worry about the economy, people and animals, the future of our politically divided country, the food supply and climate change. I worry about income and inflation and retirement and health. I worry. I worry about many things, some within my control and some not.

Ironically, worry has proven to be quite the motivator for me when combined with an insatiable curiosity about people and life. I don’t think I’m particularly unique when it comes to worrying. Most people I know say they don’t worry at all (liars) or they say they worry all the time. But at the end of the day most of us have some level of worry which keeps us up at night. (And the irony is most people over 65 say their biggest regret is spending too much of their lives worrying!)…..Read on!

Self-care For the Work-From-Home Attorney is Not a Luxury

If the phrase “self-care” makes you roll your eyes, I get it.

Many small business owners feel like they don’t have the luxury of making time for themselves. Settling in with a book and a cup of tea? Not this afternoon. Soaking away in a bubble bath? Not any time this week. Taking a day trip with the spouse and kids? Maybe next month… Maybe.

The disconnect goes further than that. The very idea of work-life balance doesn’t match up with reality when you’re working in excess of 60, 80, 100 hours per week building your company, managing your team, and meeting customer demands—and there’s still more to do at the end of the day.

But here’s the thing:

You need to practice self-care.
You need to make time for that bubble bath, that cup of tea, that day with the family.

When you are your business, you don’t have a choice. Read on and learn why.

30 Seconds from Death: The Formula for Being a Happier Lawyer

On a cold Tuesday afternoon, just three years after I graduated from law school, I heard code red called in the ER. The code was for me. I was 30 seconds from death: veins collapsed, no blood pressure, 30 pounds under weight, metabolic acidosis prevailed, 32 ounces of blood lost daily, and no ability to sit upright or walk. I was 28 years old and knew nothing about how my reactions cause outcomes. Not knowing almost killed me. Years of stress and anger had taken their toll…..

How to Avoid Friction and Chaos in the Family When You Work From Home

Working from home can be an amazing experience if it is planned correctly; an unmitigated disaster if it’s not. More importantly, if handled incorrectly there can be a lot of friction in your home. Why? Because, while your spouse and kids go off to work and school to then come home to their ‘sanctuary’, you are carefully and thoughtfully converting your sanctuary into a work space for a finite number of hours each day. This is a major psychological challenge. How do you do it successfully?

Partnership to Solo Practice to Partnership – This Time Doing it Right.

I’ve been practicing law now for over ten years. I started out working at Big Law, and that wasn’t for me. And then I started a firm with a partner, and that didn’t work out either. Then I went solo, and that’s where I’ve spent the majority of my career. From working out of my home by myself to a brick-and-mortar office with two employees, for more than six years, it’s been Just Me, Esq.

Until now, that is. Are you ready to take on a partner…again?

Want to Stay Productive? Take Time Off.

Life is crazy and hectic for the solo practitioner and I’ve talked to many who feel they simply can’t leave their solo practice for any length of time because they wouldn’t really be able to relax or the business would fall apart without them. But if you must know the truth, not taking time away from work, meaningful, restorative time, is actually hurting your practice and your health in insidious ways. And this is supported through studies linked to below. Without taking a respite, our work becomes ineffective.

Is Emotional and Physical Isolation As a Solo Killing You? Guest Lecture with Karen Caffrey

Isolation will literally kill you. Yet many lawyers don’t even realize they are isolated. They also don’t realize there are many forms of isolation that are insidious and destructive. There is professional, personal and social isolation and you may not even understand you are isolated. Isolation is a mental health risk. Today we dig in to raise awareness in the legal community. These are very real and serious issues that have long term impact on your physical and mental health. And if this resonates with you at all, please seek out help. There are ways to manage this risk in a healthy and productive way. Listen and learn.

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