Staving off the mid-summer slump with an energy check
As July gives way to August, I’m both enjoying these summer days and finding myself in a bit of a slump. There are so many things to do and so little time to do them. But in these moments, I find it helpful to count my blessings.
Some things I am grateful for this month include:
- Summer Olympics (go swimming!);
- Garden fresh veggies and herbs; and
- Time with my family enjoying our annual trip to the classical music festival in Aspen.
Some of my challenges include:
- Preparing to hand over some control of my work to a helper;
- Finding that work/life balance for sustainable productivity;
- and Staying cool and collected in this heat wave.
If you’re in a summer slump, maybe you can benefit from an energy check. And consider my new premium representation model, which may be of some help
Shannon
Managing Time v. Energy
When I decided to leave the law firm where I worked, I knew that I could no longer bill by the hour.
But don’t get it twisted – it took a lot of time and focus to build my pricing model and it is still an iterative process.
When I build out my day, week, and month, my focus is on managing my energy to produce the best
possible work and personal outcomes. I think about not only the work tasks I need to accomplish, but also when I’m going to take breaks, eat, and exercise because that will allow me to think deeply about the problems I need to solve.
It’s taken a lot of time to free myself from the idea that all time is created equal and I still struggle with it today. I struggle with the guilt of not spending enough time on something if I get a bad outcome and the nagging voice that says that more time working equals more productivity. The fact is that idea is rooted in magical thinking.
If I want to be productive and do excellent work, I need to be in the right mental space. That might take long block of uninterrupted time, it might take a creative break, or it might just take appropriate rest.
This month, I find myself grounding in the concept that preparation and productivity include not only time spent working, but also time spent not working. And I am so fortunate to have the agency to manage my time and energy when it comes to work. And it has produced some excellent results.
As always, I have a recommendation for an author on this subject: Slow Productivity by Cal Newport. He talks about how to reframe the idea of productivity and time as it has evolved in our knowledge work economy.
And the same goes for folks who have family law cases. Spending all your time focused and spinning your wheels on the facts and next steps of your court case isn’t going to resolve it any faster. Give yourself permission to let go a little and hand over the reins to your resting brain.
