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I’m lucky to work with some truly incredible lawyers: brilliant, driven, genuinely good people. They’re all incredibly busy, yet always worrying about whether they’re doing enough.. to get the next case. to land a new client. to be given the new challenge or promotion. to successfully lead the team through the ranks. to be liked and respected.
Even the most outwardly successful lawyers feel this constant low-level anxiety that they’re somehow behind. No time for more but the fear of not getting more is often overwhelming. ( The rationale is there, somewhere.) You’re measuring your progress by the wrong metrics. Law firms reward output, not insight.
Hours, not impact.
Responsiveness, not reflection. That means most lawyers never actually define what enough looks like for them. So the anxiety never ends. Here’s a quick reset I teach in Beyond the Billables™: Define “enough” in three categories: Performance (What does excellent work mean for you? How are you on your best day?) Presence (How do others experience you? Where do you want visibility? Why do you want it there?) Progress (What does meaningful growth look like month to month?)
When you reclaim those definitions, you stop chasing the expectations set by other people (and your inner critic) and start leading your career, instead of reacting to it. Take 5 minutes today and jot down your responses to the above - Be honest with yourself and leave your inner critic at the door! You’re doing more than you think.
And you’re further ahead than you realise.
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