Independent lawyers need vacations to support stamina and longevity in their business

Lawyers have never had a reputation for knowing when and how to clock out, but independent lawyers need vacations and other breaks in order for their law businesses to succeed.

Why hustle mentality doesn’t work

A lot of advice to both lawyers and business owners seems to boil down to “work harder and hustle to get ahead,” but research shows that success most often doesn’t come from that mindset. Working too many hours, days or weeks without a break could also lead to serious burnout or even business failure.

Leaders.com reports on the hustle culture trend and its known downsides, including significant risks of burnout:

“Exhaustion is normalized in hustle culture, but this mindset has proven to be profoundly unsustainable and can lead to burnout and health problems such as suffering a mental breakdown. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that work-related fatigue is commonly associated with nonstandard schedules, such as night shift work and extended hours. Additionally, a study published in the Journal of Occupational Health found that compared to a 40-hour workweek, the risk of work-related burnout doubled after 60 hours of work.”

Studies show that overworking can lead to:

  • Poor sleep, which is essential to overall health and mental clarity
  • Reduced productivity
  • Increased risk of stroke and heart disease
  • Mental health impacts
  • Fatigue
  • Poor eating habits and general decline in physical health
  • Irritability and conflict in personal and professional relationships

While you need a strong work ethic and dedication to run a successful law business, that doesn’t mean devoting long hours to work every week. It means creating a law firm culture that supports you and any staff in working regular, focused hours with intention and then leaving work at work.

Why business owners need a break

We get it. Your business feels like your baby, and it’s largely up to you whether it grows and soars or falls flat. For many business owners, a desire to succeed can lead to an unhealthy need to be on all the time.

Here’s the surprising truth: A vacation could actually provide a success boost to your business.

Ramsey.com, the website of money advisor Dave Ramsey, highlights just a few of the benefits a vacation can offer a business owner, including:

  • Finding more meaning in life by spending time with family and friends and enjoying preferred activities
  • Changing your perspective and allowing you to think through challenges in new ways; creativity and innovation bloom in novel settings away from routine
  • Improving your planning and processes. Taking a vacation requires planning ahead to cover client needs and gives you a chance to fine-tune your processes and systems.

That article also underscores how a leader’s time away allows team members to step into more levels of responsibility and fosters an overall healthier firm culture.

If you work alone and don’t have staff, you may need to refine your client communications and processes to allow for vacations and breaks. Communicating far in advance that you plan to be out during a certain period gives you time to create a work plan for before and after your vacation, and it will allow you to truly log off while you are away.

Return to a welcoming community

As a solo lawyer or leader in a small law firm, working alongside others with a healthy work-life balance can have a positive impact on your own. When you see other successful business owners take breaks and vacations, and pursue interests outside of work, you realize that both business success and real life can occur simultaneously.

When you choose office space or networking groups, gravitate toward spaces where others prioritize healthy work culture. A coworking community, for example, can expose you to other business owners who have achieved a better balance. Leave the hustle culture to others; you can succeed without that burnout-prone mindset.

Learn more about our collaborative communities for independent lawyers who are seeking better work-life balance.