Work-Life Balance and Wellness

By Bonnie Keen

The legal profession has some of the most overwhelming workloads. It can be easy to get caught up in overscheduling and becoming stressed before the end of the day. Often, the amount of time tasks will take is underestimated, which leaves employees playing catch up or lawyers having to stay late at the office or take work home. The quality of your work-life balance can contribute directly to your overall health and wellness, which, in turn, will help your productivity and work product in the long term.

Healthy Strategies to Improve Work-Life Balance

Exercise

Even if all you have time for is two small breaks a day, get outside and walk or jog. If getting outside for fresh air is not feasible, then walking pads are an affordable alternative. If you can, try to get to the gym three times a week at a time that works best for you. A number of studies have shown that regular physical activity can relieve stress and improve mental clarity, allowing you to think about how to structure your work tasks better for your week.

Prioritize

Devote a certain amount of time to check emails in the morning and afternoon. Frequently stopping your work to address emails as they come in can quickly consume hours of your time, and there are tasks to be done on other matters that need to come first. Set meetings with staff for a certain day/time each week so you can all communicate and know what to expect that week. Each week can change due to different types of cases and deadlines, so weekly meetings allow staff to stay informed of the events going on, if there have been any last-minute changes, etc.

Delegate

The most effective way to delegate tasks is to utilize your case management software to its fullest extent. If you do not have a staff member who can input workflows for your case types, consider asking your attorney about hiring a freelance paralegal who specializes in setting these up, so that your office can run smoothly. Each workflow can be tailored to each case type, so that when you choose that workflow, it will catch all the necessary deadlines from the prep work involved – right down to the last steps in closing the case. This can help provide little reminders where action is needed as the life of the case goes along (i.e., preparation for and post-hearing matters, etc. This especially helps a law office when there is new staff to train, and they are unaware of steps in the case that need action before a deadline).

Self-Care

As silly as it sounds, meditation or sitting quietly for ten minutes helps to reset your mind. Set up to have lunch with a friend once a month to give you that social contact you might need outside of work. Play calming or uplifting music in your office for the afternoon to help you get through any negative energy. If you have a hard time making yourself sit still and relax, you could book a spa day.

Professional Help

In today’s fast-paced world, it is hard to find a friend or colleague who has the same schedule as you. Some days, the only thing that you need might be to have someone to talk to and let go of the emotional stresses of the job. Some companies have professional therapists or counselors who will listen, and they are virtual, so you will not have to leave work or home. Some are covered by insurance as well. NCBA members can also utilize BarCARES. This service is designed to offer no-cost assistance in dealing with problems that might be causing distress and can be used to help with personal issues.

Flexibility

If possible, look for a flexible work schedule. Being able to flex your time in the day allows you to be able to fit in all your life responsibilities, which helps the work-life balance and will overall contribute to a healthy work environment. Being flexible can mean offering different work schedules or being in a hybrid position.

As the world changes and technology continues to advance, the need for work-life balance adjustments will be ongoing. Each week will not be like the other, and each year will be different from last year, so thinking ahead could prevent you from taking on too much and getting bogged down. Overwork and stress can result in your health taking a backslide. Managing the stresses of work will help you to be able to enjoy your personal and family time. If technology scares you, it may be worth trying new features to help manage your workload or office and make your quality of life better. Catherine Sanders Reach in the Center for Practice Management writes excellent articles on technology and provides helpful tips in her pieces.

This list of strategies may be overwhelming at first. Start with one or two of them, see how that goes, and then move on to the next. You have an extreme responsibility and important role to help people with their legal matters, and you cannot be successful unless you help yourself find the right balance and keep yourself healthy in mind, body, and spirit.

Bonnie Keen, a North Carolina Certified Paralegal, is a freelance paralegal and the owner of Lighthouse Paralegal Services, LLC.  Alongside her paralegal business, Bonnie also works for Carteret County Government as a Child Support Enforcement Agent II. She is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Paralegal Division and a member of the Communications Committee.

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