Advocacy-Matters-Summer-2023
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“Don’t book a flight for the<br />
evening that your trial ends.”<br />
MENTORING<br />
Word to the Wise: How to<br />
Set and Respect Boundaries<br />
for Vacation Time<br />
Megan Keenberg (she/her), Keenberg & Co<br />
Rest is not the reward for hard work – it’s an integral part of hard work. We need to rest and reset<br />
regularly in this marathon profession so that we don’t burn out. We know this. Yet so many<br />
of us rob ourselves of much-needed rest and relaxation in service to our clients’ never-ending<br />
legal problems. When faced with the choice between taking vacation (and actually enjoying the<br />
time spent on vacation) or taking care of your client’s urgent issue, your service mindset and<br />
professional obligations may force you to prioritize your client and not yourself. For that reason,<br />
we need to set ourselves up for vacation success with some advance planning and boundary<br />
setting.<br />
First, let’s get real about boundaries. Boundaries<br />
are rules we place on ourselves about<br />
how we choose to react in particular situations.<br />
Contrary to what Jonah Hill might think,<br />
boundaries are not rules we impose on others<br />
and get to enforce against them. We don’t get<br />
to dictate others’ actions, only our own reactions.<br />
So, let’s assume you’ve set the intention:<br />
you’ve booked two weeks off this summer,<br />
and you want to actually unplug from work<br />
while away. For those blessed with a manageable<br />
practice, collaborative and well-informed<br />
teams, and clients who have the patience of<br />
Job, it might be enough to simply leave the laptop<br />
at home and turn on the out-of-office message.<br />
For the rest of us mere mortals running<br />
around with our hair on fire, this is going to<br />
take some extra planning and communication.<br />
Here are my top tips for setting yourself up for<br />
success with true holiday time:<br />
1<br />
Plan your holiday in advance and book it in<br />
a shared calendar with other members of<br />
your team. Don’t overlap with time previously<br />
booked off by other team members, especially<br />
not with your assistant.<br />
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