Overcoming Burnout

Bloomberg Law recently completed a survey on attorneys, job satisfaction, burnout, and well-being. The good news? Over half of all respondents reported being between Neutral and Satisfied, overall. That's not too bad.

But when you dig a bit further, there are some themes. Some attorneys work a whole lot of hours - like 80 to 100 in a week (!) - and don't bill for all of those hours. Ouch. Anxiety and sleeplessness increased over the course of the last year, too. As a result, burnout is an issue. 

So, what causes burnout? How do you manage it? And more importantly, how do you overcome it? 

Causes of Burnout

As lawyers already know, long work hours drive burnout. But what seems to drive that burnout higher is the ratio of billing hours to worked hours. From the Bloomberg survey, attorneys generally eat nearly half of their hours worked. Now that is a big downer... But what can be done? Well, a lot actually, but we will discuss that below. The first step is understanding how you are spending those un-billable hours. Keep that in mind... and try to uncover the top 3 or 4 activities that are un-billable. 

Although not covered in the Bloomberg survey, we know that client satisfaction is an increasing area of anxiety and burnout. Clients are evolving in their requests and needs. The drive for transparency, the requests for support and information, not to mention the economic impact of  the last year. Clients are asking for more information. And they are shopping around for different attorneys to find the one that they believe will best serve them. So competition is tough, as a result. So even after you gain a new client, the management of communication and meeting the client needs requires more hours and effort. See the paragraph above. It's a seemingly endless cycle.

Managing Burnout

Sometimes, the answers aren't easy. A real solution either takes time or is simply not available, yet. But managing burnout is key not only for the law firm but for your own well being.

Some tricks that we use are free and readily available. But it does take some effort on your part.

• Take a walk - Even if it's just to your car in the parking lot and back. Get some Vitamin D. Move your body for a bit. It all helps to relieve the tension that builds mentally and physically.
• Take some deep breaths - Easy box breathing, maybe a short meditation, or even closing your eyes and taking one deep breath can all make a difference. There are a lot of free resources for each of these options.
• Exercise - Yeah, we hear you. If you are working a 100-hour week, when exactly are you meant to get your workout in? The reality is sometimes, you just have to make it a priority. Put work aside for 20 minutes. Even that is better than nothing. And, to that end, we have some great workouts that can be done quickly  or you can repeat to put together a longer workout. Again, those free resources are on our Wellness page.
• Look at the big picture - Sometimes, things feel so urgent and so important. The reality is, urgent isn't always important. And important isn't always urgent. Manage that task list in the right priority. And eat the frog first. 

Overcoming Burnout

Well, to put it simply, it's one word. No. You can say it. Saying no will take stuff off your list, reduce your work hours, and reduce burnout. But, hey, sometimes you just can't say no. What are the other options?

Remember in the first section we mentioned looking at how your un-billable time is spent? Consider those areas. What can be done to minimize or even eliminate some of those tasks? Technology has come a long way - much further than most attorneys leverage. Consider automating tasks. Of course we are going to recommend case management software. But if the un-billable time is spent on admin functions, well, we really streamline all of it. Everything from the billing cycle, to empowering the client to complete their own intake form, to document automation, and accepting payments online. Seriously. 

Can you outsource some of the tasks? Again, that's not always an option either. But if it is, consider hiring a legal secretary or a paralegal for some work. Yes, it's an added cost. But reducing the overall amount of burnout is well worth it. 

Being an attorney can be stressful, simply due to the nature of the work. Unless your client just won the lottery, chances are their cases are anxiety inducing for them and therefore, for you, too. Do what you can to minimize the burnout by leveraging technology, outsourcing work, and taking care of yourself.