When is the Workday Over?
Aaron Baer
Providing Practical Legal Advice to Clients | Partner at Renno & Co | Co-Founder at 4L Academy | Founder of The Authentic Legal Professional | SMB M&A | Tech | Crypto/Blockchain | Neurodiversity Stuff
By Leo Babauta
At the end of a day of work, there can be a simple practice of wrapping things up and shutting down for the day.
But so many of us feel guilty at simply stopping, and this feeling that we should be doing more … it drives some of us to keep going as long as we can.
This can lead to overwork, burnout, tiredness, and never letting ourselves enjoy a moment of rest.
Do you relate to this guilt of simply stopping and resting?
The thing about this guilt is that it doesn’t have to be rational — it’s simply fear, that we’re not doing enough, that we’re not on top of things, that we’re not going to be OK if we don’t get everything done.
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I know this fear well. I still have it, on a daily basis. It’s not rational, but then fear never is.
This fear will control us if we don’t bring a kind awareness to it, and start to work with us. It will own us, and we’ll always be checking our phones, replying to messages, stuck in perpetual motion. Rest becomes difficult, joy becomes mostly inaccessible.
Here’s how I work with this guilt and fear:
How would you like to practice with this for yourself?
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2 年Aaron Baer great insight! I believe strongly in "book-ending" my client work and tasks. Because there is a never-ending amount of work to do, even if my inbox is blowing up, I know that if it is not time to do client work, it is not time to do client work . .. meaning, I have scheduled times in my calendar to do certain kinds of work. When the work day is done, it is done!
General Counsel @ Malbek - CLM for Enterprise | Legal Tech Speaker and Author of The Legal Tech Ecosystem | Legal Tech Startup Advisor and Investor | Fastcase 50 2022 Honoree
2 年You couldn't be more on point with this powerful piece Aaron Baer. Especially when you write that "Taking rest serves the world." Indeed, it does.
Helping Legal Professionals & Organizations Thrive | Speaker | Educator | Career Strategist | Connector | Optimist |
2 年Having recently laid to rest my 2nd parent in less than a year - I’m reminded more than ever that at the end, we will not wish we had worked more. Work is certainly important. But more so are the time and relationships we develop with family and friends. This part of your post struck a particular chord: “Taking rest serves the world.”
Rainmaker | Energy Disputes Partner (Lawyer) | Arbitrator (KCAB | DIAC | BAC | CAA-I) | Adjudicator (FIDReC) | Appeals Board Member (MND) | Senior Research Fellow (NUS) | Singapore and DIFC Admissions
2 年"The art of truly beginning, the art of truly quitting, and the art of cultivating both a worthy and a relaxed attitude in our dedication to the task that is acquitted between beginning and ending and that here and now lies before us." - Wil Derkse