| November 2009 | e-Newsletter |
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Greetings from TBH: Not Into Legal Humor Cards? Take a Look at Our Expanded Selection of "Traditional" Holiday Cards
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Last month, we shared our most popular legal humor holiday cards with you. A few weeks ago, in The Advance Sheet, we showed you some of our Thanksgiving cards (in case you missed it, you can find our Thanksgiving cards here.
The new and improved Billable Hour Card Store offers a much larger selection of Christmas and New Year's cards than ever before. You can choose from Christmas cards that are humorous (general humor), modern, religious, traditional and whimsical. We also have New Year's cards. Here are a few of our favorites:
Remember, this is just a small selection of the hundreds of holiday greeting cards available from The Billable Hour Card Store.
We want to hear from you: take this quick poll about your holiday card purchasing plans.
After you vote, you'll be able to view the poll results.
Feature Article: Top 10 Tips to Overcome Overwhelm
by Julie A. Fleming
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Overwhelm can tank a day faster than just about anything else. When you have more email than you can handle, an out-of-control task list, and phone calls that just won’t stop, it’s almost impossible to operate effectively. Even if you manage to limp along, you may find that you’re distracted and that things are falling through the cracks. Over the years, I’ve honed in on a variety of methods to beat overwhelm, and these are the top 10, based on my own experience and client feedback:
1. Move. Overwhelm tends to cause paralysis, and the fastest fix is a quick burst of activity. Walk around the block or your office floor, dance for 30 seconds (close the door!), or do 10 jumping jacks. Get your blood pumping.
2. Lift your mood. Overwhelm brings a heavy energy. Use music, fresh flowers, aromas, or whatever works for you to get a lift. I keep a bottle of orange essential oil at my desk because I find that a drop or two perks me up almost instantly.
3. Focus intently for a short time. After my computer and telephone, my most-used piece of equipment is a digital timer. When I feel stuck, I’ll set the timer for 45 minutes and power through that time, knowing that I can take a break as soon as the timer beeps. I also compete against myself using the timer to see how quickly I can sort through papers or complete other dreaded tasks. The timer gets me going, and I usually keep going (thanks to momentum) after the alarm sounds.
4. Clean it up. Clutter reduces productivity and creates overwhelm. If your desk is messy, set aside 15 minutes to clear it off, even if that means stacking papers and moving them to the floor. If your email in-box is so full that you feel anxious when you open it, set aside an hour to tame it. (Don’t know how to accomplish that in an hour? Help is coming soon.)
5. Call in the reinforcements. Find the right help for your source of overwhelm. Perhaps your assistant can help you clear your desk, or a colleague may be able to give you feedback to help cut through the mental clutter. When you feel overwhelmed, it’s hard to see outside the bubble of stress. Get some help.
6. Dump it. One common source of overwhelm is the mental task list. When you’re juggling "must do" items in your head, fighting to remember all of them, you’re pulling energy away from productive activity to simple memory maintenance. Do a brain dump and get the tasks on paper and free up your mind for more useful work.
7. Get out of the office and do something else. Admittedly, you can’t always implement this tip, but it can be very effective. Have you ever noticed how often brilliant ideas strike while you’re in the shower, running, walking the dog, or doing other activities unrelated to work? When the body is working and the mind is free to wander, creativity flourishes.
8. Access a different part of your brain. One litigator I know uses art to focus himself before a trial. Art allows him to pull back from the logical, analytical side of his brain and bring forward the emotional and creative parts. What can you do to bring another part of your skills to the table?
9. Mind map. If you’re searching for an elusive link between facts or trying to form a creative argument, try using a mind map. Get a clean piece of paper, draw a circle in the middle of the page and label it with the problem or circumstance you’re contemplating. Think about related subjects, actions you could take, and people who might be helpful in addressing the issue, and draw lines and branches to represent the ideas that come up. If you’re really stuck you may find a mind map more useful than an ordinary list. Click here for a video on this technique.
10. If you’ve tried several of these approaches unsuccessfully, you may be exhausted. Think of your energy as a pitcher of water. If you pour and pour and pour without replenishment, the pitcher will empty and nothing you try (except adding more water) will allow it to pour more. If a quick break or quick spurt of energy doesn’t refresh you, your pitcher may be dangerously close to empty. Identifying that spot and taking action is a critical professional competency.
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Julie A. Fleming, J.D., A.C.C. provides attorney development coaching and consulting to law firm associates and partners, focusing on topics such as leadership, client, and professional development; career strategy; and work/life integration. A certified leadership coach (Georgetown University), Julie publishes the weekly email newsletter Leadership Matters for Lawyers and posts often on the Life at the Bar Blog. Learn more at www.LifeAtTheBar.com or by contacting Julie by telephone at 800.758.6214 or by email to jfb@lifeatthebar.com.
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Cartoon: Stu's Views
by Stu Rees
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©Stu Rees. All rights reserved.
Like this cartoon? Send it to friends, clients or colleagues on greeting cards. To order, visit The Billable Hour Card Store.
Questions about ordering greeting cards from The Billable Hour Card Store? Check out our greeting card FAQs.
Did you know that Stu licenses his artwork for use in newsletters, presentations, print publications and on websites? He even offers special rates for student and teacher use.
You can also purchase original artwork and custom prints (framed or unframed) from Stu.
Timesheet readers get 15% off all licensing orders, original artwork and custom prints (use coupon code BILLHOUR). Click here for information on licensing or purchasing Paralegal Extraordinaire, or any of the hundreds of images Stu offers. For more information on original artwork and custom prints, click here.
Cartoon: Courtoons
by David Mills
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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
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Video of the Month: Space Lawyers
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To watch more hilarious law-related videos from around the web, join us at The Video Venue!
Lawtoons
by Suzan Charlton, Esq.
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©Suzan Charlton. All rights reserved.
Like this cartoon? Send it to friends, clients or colleagues on greeting cards. To order, visit The Billable Hour Card Store.
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: A Million Christmas Trees
by Lawrence Savell
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(sample)
Available on Legal Holidaze
Well I went to law school many years ago
To be like Perry Mason on that TV show
The king of the courtroom, the duke of depo
These were my dreams but what the heck did I know.
But real law practice is a whole different thing
They sit you in a conference room and cartons they bring
Responding to discovery, well that's what I do
Subject to your objections, got some answers for you.
Is it responsive: Well Baby, you tell me
Confidential: That's between you and me
Is it a privilege: Well it is to me
'Cause I've got more paper than A Million Christmas Trees.
Life is a production in more ways than one
Rule thirty-four means twenty-four hours of fun
One broad request interpreted literally
Calls for every document since Code of Hammurabi.
Run some foil through the shredder and tinsel we'll make
Redact that frown, insert a smile in its place
You've got my Bates number Baby, but before you proceed
A few interrogatory answers I need.
Is it responsive: Well Baby, you tell me
Confidential: That's between you and me
Is it a privilege: Well it is to me
'Cause I've got more paper than A Million Christmas Trees.
I'm compelled to admit some people think I'm nuts
I wear rubber fingertips, show off paper cuts
But while they search for a sweetie in the snow and sleet
I'm warm and toasty here between my sheets.
Is it responsive: Well Baby, you tell me
Confidential: That's between you and me
Is it a privilege: Well it is to me
'Cause I've got more paper than A Million Christmas Trees.
Just one of the hilarious songs on
Cartoon: Law and Disorder
by Paul Brennan
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Like this cartoon? Send it to friends, clients or colleagues on greeting cards. To order, visit The Billable Hour Card Store.
Litination: Lawyer takes Decoration of New Office a Bit Too Far
by Court Jester
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Susan McCutchen has always had a knack for interior design. Her college dorm room was inspired by her favorite designer, Lilly Pulitzer, and was a big hit with the preppy crowd at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. In law school, she was the only student who redecorated and re-painted her apartment based on the time of year. So when McCutchen walked into her new office at Holland & Knight, she had to take a moment to let the disappointment subside.
Already bored with her first assignment later that day, she had to stop to determine just what she could do to spruce up the white walls and beige carpet. Four hours later, she had a plan to create a "more inspired workspace." After a quick trip to Pottery Barn, Target, and Calico Corners, she was ready to roll. First, she covered most of the carpet with throw rugs. Second, she put cushions on her window sill to make a comfortable reading nook and hung matching valences over the windows. Third, and finally, she installed lamps in every corner of the room.
After pulling an all-nighter getting the place "up to snuff," McCutchen walked the floor to see how the other lawyers had designed their spaces. She was disappointed to find that most had opted for a couple of plants, pictures of friends and family on the shelves, and a painting or framed picture hung on the wall. Only one lawyer had anything close to a stylish work space and that was a guy named Javier in Corporate who had a dozen or so stuffed animals in his office, kept the overhead lights off and had something constantly generating a smell of incense and Indian food.
McCutchen’s efforts were initially a big hit on the floor as she has enjoyed a steady string of visitors to her office. When Holland & Knight’s managing partner found out about the "shenanigans" however, the customization efforts took a turn for the worse. She was initially told that the decorations must be taken down and everything restored to institutional bland in 24 hours, but after a long meeting with firm management, McCutchen was able to negotiate a compromise. She could keep the decorations as long as she agreed to live in her office three days a week.
Court Jester is a member of the Litination who believes that the practice of law requires a sense of humor. His goal is to provide an entertaining diversion from the regularly scheduled billable hour or law school seminar. He provides fake legal news and links to real headlines at www.Litination.com. His hope is that one or the other will provide you with a laugh in an often unnecessarily stressful day.
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