Feature Article: Plan Ahead to Avoid Summer Meltdowns!
by Barbara Nelson
May! Gateway to summer. Time to re-balance your plans for the next couple months. I'm a stickler for monthly results reviews and planning, but June, July and August require special consideration. Don't think summer months aren't any different than any other month. They are. You might think you can stop reading here if you don't have kids, but, no—you’re still at risk of a summer derailment.
Three things come into play:
schedule changes and unpredictability—yours, your clients', your colleagues', your vendors'
forget spring fever, summer fever shows up on a weekly basis for some of us and it can be harder than ever to self-motivate
play gets a higher priority; maybe it's the residual effect of all those "what I did on my summer vacation" essays
As usual, if you look at the facts and plan for them, you have a much better chance of meeting your goals. What’s a successful lawyer to do? Sometime before the end of May, block time in your schedule to add summer ingredients to your plan. Pull out or pull up or print out your monthy calendars for June/July/August.
First, account for the exception items that show up in the summer:
Whether it's weeks or long weekends, block off vacation time and create a tickler for your early warning system activities—who do you need to notify? What do you want to reschedule? Is your calendar clear? (Tip: block open days as bookends before leaving/returning to the office. Don't schedule yourself the first day back.)
Any graduations or special events?
Any conferences or meeting schedule changes?
Are you driving your kid to sleep-away camp?
Anyone coming to visit?
...
Second, think about any modifications you want to make to your summer weeks:
Do you have any unusual early or late day activities to account for? Playing in a summer tennis league? Adding a daily child care or camp drop off or pick up?
What hours and days are you going to work? Do you want to block off an extra half day off? Work late one night? Close the office early on Fridays?
Any summer traditions to make time for? My neighborhood has a rotating "porchfest" every Friday evening in the summer. I put a few of them on my calendar.
Any additional outdoor activities to add? A bike ride? How about a new tradition—the Tuesday morning kayak?
...
Lastly, check in with people you deal with on a routine basis:
Set up a vacation calendar for your office. Ensure that vacations are scheduled and approved in advance so that your office operates seamlessly.
If you outsource or work with vendors, check in with them to see if they have any vacation plans that you might want to work around. Share yours. Do this proactively, your contacts might just appreciate it.
Create a mini-communication plan for clients, so they aren't surprised when you’re not available during vacation. Everyone deserves vacation: as long as your service to your clients isn't impacted, don’t be shy about telling clients you're taking a break.
That's it—a simple little summer planning exercise to add to your standard monthly planning process in May. Be realistic. You know what you need to get done and, on the other side of the ledger, how much time you'd like to carve out for yourself. Even if you can't take the time off that you'd like, you can block out an early day here or there to be sure you've got a little summer in your schedule.
As always, life is short, struggle is optional. And in June, July and August, whether it's an impulse ingrained in us from grade school or simply a result of all the summer propaganda we're exposed to, life is supposed to be different. More fun.
Don't let summer happen to you, connect it to your calendar. If you plan ahead, you'll be much more likely to create the summer work/life balance you want and a great starting point for the year-end stretch.
Barbara Nelson is a business coach who helps lawyers take action to get what they want at the same time they learn to enjoy the journey. She blogs at http://www.SuccessfullySolo.com/blog. You can reach her at barbara@successfullysolo.com.
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Cartoon: Courtoons
by David Mills
Courtoons are the creation of David Mills, an Ohio appellate lawyer who works with litigants and law firms involved in civil and criminal cases in federal courts across the country. Visit David's law firm website at www.MillsFederalAppeals.com
Video of the Month: The Curious Lives of Law Students
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Suzan Charlton is a professional cartoonist who is rumored to practice insurance coverage law as a hobby for a major Washington D.C. law firm. Her cartoons cover a wide range of law-related topics, from law school grades to law firm romance.
Song of the Month: Make Up Your Mind
by the Bar & Grill Singers
Tell me what I must do, please Your Honor
I only want you to rule, please Your Honor
It’s yes or no; gotta be this or that
If you ain’t wrong, you’re right
If it ain’t black, it’s white
If you ain’t sure you might
gotta be this or that
If it ain’t in, it’s out
If it ain’t clear, there’s doubt
If you can’t hear, we'll shout!
Gotta be this or that
What can it be, if it ain’t free
Of prejudicial error?
Can’t you see, it’s gotta be
One way or the other?
Tell me what I must do
Just to get you to rule
Time doesn’t stop for you
Gotta be this or that
Granted, denied, yes, no, say so
You say you will and then you won’t
You say you’ll rule and then you don’t
You’re undecided now
So what are you gonna do?
First you say you do, and then you don’t
And then you say you will, and then you won’t
You’re undecided now
So what are you gonna do?
What are you gonna dooby dooby do do?
You promised to decide a year ago
And after this delay, you still don’t know
You’re undecided now
So what are you gonna do?
What are you gonna do do?
You’ve been sitting on the fence
And it doesnt make much sense
‘Cause you keep us in suspense without a ruling
Your job is to decide
But you’re letting this one ride
Our complaint is justified and you know it (make up your mind!)
If you know the facts and if you find
The precedent is there, make up your mind
You’re undecided now
So what are you gonna do?
What are you gonna do?
You hem and you haw you hem and you haw you hem and you haw you hem and you
First you say you do, and then you don’t (no you don’t)
And then you say you will, and then you won’t (no you won’t)
You’re undecided now
So what are you gonna do?
Well, what’s it gonna be?
You promised to decide a year ago (year ago)
And after this delay, you still don't know (don’tcha know)
You’re undecided now
So what are you gonna do?
What are you gonna do do?
Yes, no, say so
You hem and you haw, you hem and you haw, you hem and you haw, you hem and you haw, you hem and you haw, you hem and you haw, and you hem and you haw
You’re so indecisive!
If you know the facts and if you find
The precedent is there, make up your mind
You’re indecisive now
So what are you gonna do?
What are you gonna do?
You say it’s yes, and then it’s no
You say you will, and then you won’t
You’re undecided now
So what are you gonna do?
Do-wah, yes, no, say so, hem haw do-wah do-wah
Just one of the hilarious songs on
Cartoon: Law and Disorder
by Paul Brennan
Cartoon: Jonny Hawkins Collection
by Jonny Hawkins
Did you know that Jonny licenses his artwork for use in newsletters, presentations, print publications and on websites? He even offers special rates for student and teacher use.
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