Holiday Rest…New Year ReBoot!
I am hopeful, as I write this, that most of us attorneys have been able to get some much-needed rest and relaxation over these holidays. And let’s face it…we need it…don’t we? No matter how much we would like this to be so, Covid is still very much a challenge for all of us. Dealing with the long term effects of Covid while we still are trying to grapple with the deadly disease itself is not so easy for us practitioners. What do I mean? Court dockets are still clogged and there is this almost nebulous condition called the “backlog” that we all have to hear about at least once a day as we talk client’s down from the ledge. As I sit here thinking about what we have endured these, now going on, three years, the practitioner’s job hasn’t gotten any easier. So, it is ever more important that we take the time to decompress and step away from our desks than ever.
But, getting back into gear after being away on holiday can be a challenge. I wrote about this before in a previous post (“The Deluge”, posted November 7, 2022). Building on that post, here are some additional things I think we should all take into account returning to work, especially in the New Year:
Get Back on Administrative Track
Returning to the office in the New Year after a hiatus gives us all an excuse to reevaluate our business practices and routines to see if any adjustments need to be made or tweaked for the new year. This is the time to schedule that partner or firm meeting and dial in with support staff about how things are working and what things can be done better. Also, this is a good time to review any handbooks or office manuals for temporal relevancy and consistency with current practices. I think doing this helps center oneself and gear up for the new year of work in a positive and constructive way. I look at this task not as a chore, but as a hopeful way to start the year and make positive strides toward one’s goals. It also contributes to the feeling of getting organized before you delve completely back into the grind of things.
Get Together with Colleagues
The New Year is always a good time to reconnect with colleagues and catch up with them about how their year was and their thoughts on how they want their new year to be; what they would like to accomplish. Inspiration can come from anywhere and the words from a colleague you haven’t seen in a minute can always be a good source. Ask how their 2022 was and if they have any goals to make 2023 different, better, or just the same? What excites them about the New Year? What concerns them about the New Year? All of this is good to talk about with a colleague at the beginning of the year to help center you about how you want to start the year on a good solid and balanced footing.
File Your Secured Leave for the Year
We shouldn’t have to wait until the winter holidays to get some much-needed rest and relaxation. The beginning of a new year is a great opportunity to look forward to plan and file for your secured leave. Even if you have not solidified what exactly you will be doing during that leave (whether it is taking a trip or just a good old-fashioned staycation) carve out the time now as the rules of Court require us to give our leave at least ninety days in advance. Nothing in the rule says that you can’t withdraw it and light up your “for hire” sign again if plans change.
One other thing comes to my mind as I write this post: how about we make pledges to ourselves to be better attorneys to one another? One of the reasons I started writing this blog a year ago (I can’t believe it!) was to talk openly about how we all can improve the profession so that we all feel more of an incentive to remain in it. Can we all put that on our to do lists at the beginning of 2023? I have hope that even in these difficult times, every bit of effort counts toward moving the needle in a positive direction. What better way to start the year right, no?
*Image Credit: 33721146 © Yuriy Kirsanov | Dreamstime.com
