Did you start this week with a feeling of tension in your belly or a tightness in your shoulders?
Or was it worse? A feeling of dread, accompanied by the thought of “how am I going to get it all done?”
Please know you are not alone.
Back-to-work mode after summer can be tricky! It can be daunting to figure out how to get back into an effective routine.
To help members of our legal community start the fall strong and on a positive note, we’ve put together a list of five helpful tips to shift you from overwhelm to “I’ve got this.”
- Re-connect with what is meaningful to you about the work you do. Think about your values and strengths – what motivates you to succeed?
- Visualize how you want to end off this year and work towards that vision. What goals and what actions do you need to take to achieve this?
- Match your energy and brain power to tasks. Develop self-awareness of how your energy and brain power change throughout the day. Plan your day so that your complex work gets done when your analytic brain is in top form—relegate routine and simple tasks for periods of low energy or when you aren’t as mentally alert.
- Put a plan in place each day, giving space in your calendar for your top commitments in mind. Use to-do lists and prioritization strategies as the day unfolds.
- Set firm boundaries so your weekends and evenings aren’t thrown under the bus. Learn to identify when to turn the work mode on and off.
Bonus:
Get started sooner on tasks that aren’t immediately urgent. Discover the thinking traps that may be leading you to procrastinate.
Keep these tips in mind as you figure out a routine that works for you! Best wishes for a great start to the fall!
