5 Daily Mindfulness Practices
As lawyers and legal professionals, it is our job to put others before ourselves. As attorneys, we take an oath to bring truth and justice into our communities, and that does not come without some level of self sacrifice.
But it is easy to forget that you cannot fill the cup of another if your cup is empty. As legal practitioners, we must reframe our thinking; in order to provide the best services for our clients, we must ensure our health is in check. That means all that Internet “self-care” talk applies to you.
Now, I am not saying start dedicating hours of your morning to the perfect mindfulness routine. I am definitely not suggesting you tell the judge you cannot attend that hearing because it is in conflict with your daily scheduled meditation, non-negotiable. In your daily practice of the law, prioritize your wellbeing. Here’s what I mean:
Regularly Check In with Yourself
Do you wake up 5 minutes before your 8AM meeting and just dive right in? Or, are you that person with an extended morning routine that you have not reassessed in weeks, months, maybe years? Perhaps the start and end of your day are the only times you take a moment to acknowledge: man, I am TIRED. Let’s change that.
Make it a habit to check in with yourself throughout the day to determine what is and what is not working with your routine or lack-there-of. It can be as simple as giving yourself 10 minutes in the morning, during lunch, and near the end of your day to ask yourself: how am I mentally, emotionally, and physically? Note that data without judgment and plan to move forward accordingly.
Schedule Breaks
You’ve probably heard this one before, but do you practice it? Add breaks directly onto your schedule as a priority. You wouldn’t skip that client call when the calendar notification interrupts your lunch. You probably would skip lunch just to ensure you were ready for that call. Give that energy to your breaks.
When breaks pop up on your calendar, they deserve the same level of attention. Finish up that last task and take a precious 5-20 minutes to meditate, move your body, eat, or simply just exist.
Set Realistic Goals and Boundaries
The legal profession is guilty of perpetuating hustle culture; always push through, never complain, come out on top. The truth is you don’t have to do the most every single day to be successful. When your schedule is packed without wiggle room, you set yourself for failure. Be realistic about what you can achieve in a day and set the appropriate boundaries to meet those goals.
My hot tip? Take an hour ahead of the start of your week to schedule daily to-do lists based on that week’s deadlines. With this method, you plan based on the whole week and set realistic expectations for each day. No need to wrack your brain to remember every deadline coming up that week, and you don’t need to squeeze in that motion you forgot was due tomorrow—you’ve already planned for it.
Ask for Help
We do not have to be the best at everything, nor do we need to go at this profession alone. I am first to admit that I am terrible at asking for help. I always go looking for answers myself instead of just tapping a paralegal or a partner who can certainly give me an answer faster than I will find one.
Trying to do everything yourself is wasting time—literally. Lean on your team and colleagues, because they need to lean on you, too. This is a two-way street: you wouldn’t judge a colleague for reaching out to you for help, and they probably won’t judge you either, but in the end, you both need each other to be successful.
Take Time Off
When was the last time you took time off? Are you waiting for the perfect moment to use vacation days? Here’s my advice: take time off. You do not need to wait until you’ve “earned” time off, you already deserve it and need it to perform your best. And when you do take time off, remember you are unavailable. You read that right, no emails, no calls, no texts, no messenger apps. Don’t confuse your free time with availability. Take the time off and mean it.
