I frequently hear young lawyers say that “work-life balance” is very important. Almost every lawyer who is seeking work-life balance wants to spend more time with his or her family. I understand that and I believe it is important. My point is you will never have work-life balance practicing law.
I always argued that instead of seeking balance, seek to identify the priorities in your life and spend your time consistent with those priorities. When I was a young lawyer my top priorities were:
- My family
- My work (clients, my own development, client development)
- My Sunday School teaching and high school youth group
- My fitness
- My work with Virginia Tech
I never put an order on them. I just tried to focus on each one. Whenever I was in town, I worked out first thing in the morning. I taught high school and college Sunday School for 20 plus years. I spent Saturday and Sunday mornings working on my own development and client development. I spent Saturday afternoons with my daughter Jill doing whatever she wanted to do (with my gentle hints) on that day. I led the Roanoke, Virginia Hokie Club for several years. I enjoyed doing all of these activities.
If you haven’t read it, take a look at Work-Life “Balance” Isn’t the Point by Christine M. Riordan on the HBR Blog Network. I like each of these points made in the blog post and have added my own comments:
- Strive for work-life effectiveness—not balance. (This is planning life based on your priorities)
- Define success in all categories of your life. (I find many lawyers that have not defined success in either their career or personal life)
- Maintain control. (If you are a regular reader, or you know me, you know I have told young lawyers for years that the first step is to take control and responsibility for your career and life)