Progress, not Perfection. Move through procrastination - just keep starting.

It’s been a while and I’m excited to dive back into the #betterlawlife newsletter!?

You may have noticed that I made a big career shift this summer. I transitioned out of my in-house counsel role and back to private practice. I've joined GwC, a boutique startup and venture capital law firm where I represent startup companies and venture investors through formation, financings and exits? - and all that happens in between. ?

The last 4 months have been an exciting whirlwind! I have more time and location freedom (100% remote) and more flexibility to work on other projects that are important to me. With all things, there are tradeoffs, and #entrepreneurlife requires me to lean into those “better” versions of myself. This career shift has required me to answer some tough questions, and to re-evaluate some core assumptions I made about my career.

Along with questions, this shift is showing me how to transform uncertainty into opportunity. I've been leaning into the lessons I learned from reading Beginners (by Tom Vanderbilt) in navigating some of the uncomfortable feelings that can come with new experiences. I've been reminding myself that I don't need to be perfect in order to accomplish my goals. Instead, I'm aiming for consistent progress. Practice makes progress, so I treat uncertain situations as an opportunity to practice. An opportunity to experiment. To see what works and what can be improved. It feels good to take some unnecessary pressure off myself and have more fun on the journey!

What else am I up to??

One important lesson I’ve learned is the value of getting out and getting more visible! So that’s what I’ve been doing. It’s been great having more capacity to attend startup networking events, speak at venture-focused events and hosting wellbeing workshops. I’m curating a career with more joy, more authentic connections to others and more pathways to be of service in ways that are unique to me.?

Speaking of visibility, I recently had the pleasure of being a podcast guest where I shared my thoughts on getting visible and staying motivated when growing a new business. The release of this?podcast?episode?of Just Start: Get Visible with Jacqueline M. Baker is so important because I share the story of how I gave myself permission to start, start over and start again with?wellness in mind!

I invite you to listen here:

(You can also listen on Apple, Spotify or YouTube)

Spoiler Alert: My advice to get traction on building any new project is to JUST KEEP STARTING. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by big goals and get stuck in analysis paralysis. I must admit that procrastination is one of my coping strategies when perfectionism rears its head.?Being a full-time entrepreneur has required me to address this bad habit head on.

I recently read The Now Habit (by Neil Fiore) where he presents strategies and tools to overcome procrastination, improve work quality, and free up guilt-free time to play and relax.? He shares that procrastination is a coping mechanism that we use to deal with the stress and anxiety associated with doing certain tasks.

People don’t procrastinate just to be ornery or because they’re irrational. They procrastinate because it makes sense, given how vulnerable they feel to criticism, failure, and their own perfectionism. - Niel Fiore

Per Fiore, we use procrastination as a tool to:?

• Express resentment or resistance toward authorities and our sense of powerlessness. (“Fine. I have to do this [task I don’t want to do], so I’ll take control by doing it when I want to”).?
• Avoid the fear of failure or disappointment, which often comes from perfectionism and self-criticism. (“I’m afraid I can’t do this “perfectly” and I could be embarrassed, so I will avoid doing it do this for as long as I can”)
• Avoid our fear of success. (“Things may change if I’m successful, and I’m afraid of the uncertainty of change”)

Procrastination is counterproductive to progress, but it's not a moral failure! It is just a bad habit that can be replaced with better habits.? In addition to prioritizing guilt-free play, The Now Habit encourages making a habit of just starting every day. Focus on?“when is the next time I can start?”?and keep taking one small step at a time. Don’t try to finish an entire project, or work non-stop for hours. Just aim for just 30 minutes of quality, focused work. Rather than getting overwhelmed in the details of trying to create a “perfect” end-product, shift your focus on getting the ball rolling. And each day, just keep starting.?

Keep on starting, and finishing will take care of itself. - Niel Fiore

I’m curious to know whether you’ve also struggled with perfection or procrastination?? If so, what strategies do you use to move forward??Send me a message and let me know!

Law Student Mental Health Day is October 10, 2024.

How will your law school support the wellbeing of its students?

Karissa Wallace is wellbeing coach, speaker & trainer. Law students are facing unprecedented stressors, and many lack the skills to cope with stress in healthy ways. Law students need to know that wellbeing is critical to their success and it is impactful for them to connect with successful lawyers modeling wellbeing strategies. Invite Karissa to host a workshop at your law school. Whether virtual or in-person, Karissa delivers highly-rated workshops inspiring attendees to improve their wellbeing in practical and actionable ways.

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