It’s a new year and many are planning their goals. If you’re a 21st Century Lawyer, then you’re definitely thinking about the best ways to show up authentically this year and likely looking to be more compassionate with yourself and others as we continue through this pandemic.
As I look ahead and do my own planning, here are five things I believe will help you in your career for 2022:
- Take the time to reflect on 2021 (if you haven’t done so already), and then look forward to what you want to accomplish in 2022. It’s not too late to do this work. I’m still doing my own, and I’m definitely taking advantage of the 2022 Career Planner Workbook for the 21st Century Lawyer. So can you!
- Schedule pockets of time now throughout the year (i.e. 3 hours every quarter) to reflect on your practice. Use these mini retreats (not vacation time) to review your goals and see how you’re doing. You may end up having to tweak your goals, but that’s far better than finishing the year with goals that were maladjusted.
- Don’t leave an associate evaluation meeting up to chance. Take the time to anticipate feedback and start planning now to overcome hurdles. If you’re struggling and don’t know where to begin, work with me over a 1.5 hour one-on-one workshop. You’ll get the 2022 Career Planner Workbook for the 21st Century Lawyer, along with The Associate’s Guide to Creating a Portfolio of Accomplishments, plus a 30-minute follow-up call!
- Be kind to yourself. This pandemic has far-reaching consequences. We can’t always expect to perform the way we want on command. Schedule holiday time far in advance, if possible, and commit to unplugging from work. Remember that metaphor of an oxygen mask on an airplane: you can’t help someone else unless your mask is on.
- Have fun! Get a hobby if you don’t have one already. Many of my clients developed hobbies over the pandemic. I did too! I started playing basketball (after 20+ years) and can’t wait for the weather to warm again.
What’s going to help your career this year?
