Episode 23: Finding Focus

Ever feel like you're trapped in a relentless cycle of billable hours and perfectionism, all while battling exhaustion and imposter syndrome? You're not alone. Join me, Emily Logan Stedman, as I share my journey through the demanding world of big law and uncover strategies for staying motivated and focused. Discover how embracing our shared humanity can help us combat the lie of constant perfection, and learn practical techniques like the Pomodoro Method and the power of noise-canceling headphones to carve out your own grace period amidst the chaos.

This week's episode of The Grace Period is all about breaking down the myth that everyone around us is flawlessly hitting their targets without ever feeling tired or distracted. I share how timers and focus-enhancing music have become my allies in maintaining productivity while prioritizing mental well-being. From binaural beats to jazz, explore the auditory tools that can transform your workspace into a sanctuary for deep work. If you're ready to redefine success in your legal career by prioritizing your mental health, tune in for insights and encouragement to help you find balance and thrive.

Find out more at https://thegraceperiod.substack.com/.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Welcome to the Grace Period where we get real about attorney mental health and well-being and pull back the veil on the high-stakes world of big law. I'm your host, emily Logan Stedman. In this demanding profession, it is crucial that we don't lose ourselves in the hustle for billable hours. On the Grace Period, we have honest conversations about finding consistency, minimizing chaos, developing coping strategies and de-stigmatizing mental health. It is time to prioritize our shared humanity to find our grace period. So far on the season of the grace period, I've talked about the partner track and what I did and didn't do my first year as partner. This week, I want to talk about motivation and focus. Year's partner. This week I want to talk about motivation and focus. Some of you aren't going to believe this, but I'm not 100% focused all day. Every day, my motivation is not steady. I don't hit my billing goals by going full throttle until they're reached. I'm human, not a robot. Like everyone else, I face moments of exhaustion, distraction, procrastination. Some days I just don't want to do it. That's normal. That's human. No one is on 100% of the time. In this profession. We tend to lie to ourselves. We let our brains trick us into believing that it's all or nothing. We're all on or all off. Party work harder, not smarter. Not party harder, not smarter. Work harder, work smarter, not harder. And that's just fake news. We end up telling ourselves that everyone else around us is perfect, they're building their time, they're writing perfect briefs, they're hitting their hours every day, they're never tired, they never have doubts. And that's just a lie. That's a lie that perfectionism, ambition and imposter syndrome tell us. So when I can't focus on days that I let go of that impossible standard and expectation of perfect focus and perfect motivation, what do I do? One of the first things I do is use timers. So I have cube timers on my desk 5, 10, 15, 20 minutes, all the way up to an hour and I'll flip it over and say just write, just write this brief for 15 minutes. You get a break at 15 minutes. Just write, just write this brief for 15 minutes. You get a break at 15 minutes. Just write for 15 minutes. Most time that 15 minutes is enough to get me going. It builds momentum, and then I just keep going once the timer goes off. Sometimes it doesn't work. I take a five minute break and I flip the timer again, and that's actually called the Pomodoro method where you work for a chunk of time and take a small break and repeat, and after a certain number of segments you get a longer break. It works because it tells your mind I only have to work for a short period of time and then I get a break. It also works because sometimes you just need that short burst of time of deep work and focus to build momentum and keep you going.

Speaker 1: 3:10

Another thing I use is headphones. So noise-canceling headphones are not something I had in the office until about a year ago and I really shout out the Younger Millennial and Gen Z Associates for pushing the use of headphones in the office. I especially like using these in the early morning. I put on my noise-canceling headphones, put on some binaural beats or other wordless music and dive in before the office starts to buzz, before emails start to come in and before the meetings pile on. In my office we have glass walls along the hallway. Meetings pile on In my office. We have glass walls along the hallway and so the noise-canceling headphones also act as a signal to those passing by that I'm trying to focus and not be interrupted.

Speaker 1: 3:56

I mentioned binaural beats and wordless music. I do listen to a lot of classical and jazz music, but I also heavily rely on Spotify's focus playlists. There are a ton out there. Dark Academia is a favorite one, jazz in the background but I just encourage you to experiment. If you're someone like me who likes to have a little noise in the background, there's a ton of options out there, even free ones on YouTube and other apps. So check them out and see what works for you to kind of bring some peace to your space and get deep work done.

Speaker 1: 4:30

Another tool I use is rescheduling non-essential and non-time sensitive meetings. I know I have instincts and a gut sense when the volume of work I have is going to keep me from being present in meetings, when I'm so overwhelmed that the idea of sitting in a meeting and having a deep, meaningful one-on-one or call feels impossible. So I apologize and ask to reschedule and then I take full advantage of that, now open time on my calendar for deep work, often using the tools I've already described. If it's a big meeting, like a firm, wide meeting or a practice group meeting where my attendance maybe won't be noticed as much, I simply decline and don't go. Now, this is hard for me. I am a meeting attender. It feels like it's something I'm supposed to do. It's part of my responsibility strength to go and be a good, firm citizen. So I have had to work on this and give myself permission to skip meetings where I know it maybe won't be worth my time or I could do something more meaningful with that block on my calendar.

Speaker 1: 5:40

Another tool you can use is changing scenery or, my favorite, taking a nap After the pandemic or as a result of the pandemic. When we have this flexibility between remote work, working in the office, a hybrid environment, I really take advantage of changing scenery. Maybe I'm working from home and I switch to the office. Maybe I'm in the office and I switch to home or a coffee shop or a library. Sometimes I just give myself a break and I go take a nap, or I work out, I cuddle my dogs, I watch a trash TV show, but when I'm stuck, I will take advantage by switching locations or doing something to reset my brain and body. For all that I really need to get done. Ultimately, I remind myself I'm an adult, my colleagues treat me like an adult, so I can take a break, I can switch it up without rocking the boat or missing things. Having these tools helps me take ownership of my work things. Having these tools helps me take ownership of my work, ownership over my calendar, ownership over my choices. They help me give myself permission to be in charge of my decisions and what I'm doing in any given moment. They also help me pause, regroup and get going again when the wheels inevitably turn off or fall off and they do fall off sometimes and they will fall off again.

Speaker 1: 7:09

Thank you for joining me on this episode of the Grace Period. I hope this discussion has provided some insights about how I'm not a robot. I'm a human whose motivation ebbs and flows, just like everyone else. I'm not a robot. I'm a human whose motivation ebbs and flows just like everyone else, and what I do to cultivate motivation and focus, even on days when I just don't want to. Next week, I'll talk about billing time and billing habits. Remember you don't have to sacrifice your wellbeing for career success. By prioritizing self-care, setting boundaries and seeking support, you can survive and even thrive in the law and in big law. Until next time, take care of yourself and each other. That is the path to our grace period. Disclaimer this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It does not constitute professional advice of any kind, including legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by listening to this podcast.