As a part-time student, finding a balance between school, full-time employment, relationships, friendships, and self-care has been a challenge. This week, I am in Montana attending my high school best friend’s wedding. To be able to do this, I needed to miss class, take off a week of work, and miss days of my internship that I will need to later make up. This is the fourth wedding I’ve attended this year, and all of them presented a new set of struggles… two of them were the same day that I took final exams. The challenges I’ve faced this week and throughout law school inspired me to write this week’s blog post about work life balance, something that will continue to be crucial for a future career as a lawyer. With this in mind, I brainstormed some of the steps I’ve taken in the past and others that I’d like to implement in the future to maintain a healthy work life balance.
1. Set boundaries (both with colleagues and in personal relationships).
2. Practice self-care and maintain hobbies. For me, that’s cooking, baking and gardening.
3. Keep a schedule and routine, but embrace being flexible. Plan breaks, and things for you to look forward to. Vacations are a must.
4. Delegate tasks and prioritize.
5. Learn how to say no (to both professional opportunities and social outings).
6. Develop and prioritize your relationships and support system.
If anyone has any additional suggestions, I would love to hear them. Let me know in the comments below.
Hobbies are extremely important. They not only assist in your mental health, hobbies make you a more interesting person and can boost your ability to attract business. Brian Tannebaum is a sommelier. He trained in Europe for that designation. Being a wine expert has given him something interesting to discuss with prospective clients.
ReplyDeleteOne of my many hobbies is playing bass in a jazz quartet consisting of divorce lawyers. We (before I moved to FL, and even sometimes now on my trips back to Michigan) play at legal aid fundraisers, Bar meetings, for judicial candidates, etc. Our next gig is at the State Bar of Michigan Family Law Section's 50th anniversary meeting in September. We became well known for this and it resulted in lots of questions and a decent number of referrals because others found it interesting.
Hi Casey,
ReplyDeleteI can resonate with your emphasis on setting boundaries and practicing self-care—I definitely think identifying hobbies you enjoy is a must to unwind. For me, regular exercise and reading have been invaluable. I’d add the importance of time management tools like apps or planners to keep everything organized and trackable. Thanks for sharing your insights – couldn’t agree more.