I stared at this computer screen for at least 20 minutes before I even came close to putting something on it. Then I checked my Facebook for 15 minutes and when I was finished with that, I stared at the blank screen some more. In fact, just the mentioning of Facebook has reinvigorated a desire for me to check it again (this time I was able to resist).

It’s funny how easily we can be distracted by simple thoughts when we’re afraid to continue with something or even begin something. It’s so much easier to tell ourselves that we’ll get to it eventually – and genuinely believe that we will – but we end up sweeping it under the rug.

Getting things done

Despite my inability to get things done without at least a little procrastination at some point during the project, my view on starting and finishing things fall in line with something Pablo Picasso once said: “Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.”

You may delay, but time will not.
Benjamin Franklin

In fact, I’m sure most of us feel this way. We all understand the importance of completing a task and we all understand that that task most likely won’t be completed unless we take the time to complete it.

Rarely do we come home to find an essay we’ve been putting off magically completed. Rarely do we go to work to discover that we have nothing to do because it’s already been done for us. Rarely does the great work get written without the writer.

Historically procrastination has been viewed as a negative thing, both theologically and societally. Though, at some points in history (particularly the aristocratically driven French culture of the 17th and 18th centuries) not doing things was considered the height of gentlemanly “pursuits.”

Excuses in All the Wrong Places

We procrastinators look for excuses for not doing things as often as we possibly can. These excuses range from the simplistic (i.e. “I can’t make all of these party invitations right now because I’m sick”) to the insane (i.e. “I can’t write this report that may cost me my job because I have to play with my cats all day”).

The simple fact of the matter is that whether the task is easy and unimportant or complex and very important, we usually have the time to do it or, at the very least, the ability to make the time to do it.

Stop psyching yourself out by convincing yourself that you can’t run because you don’t have the right kind of shoes or that you don’t have enough time in the day to work on that book you’ve always wanted to write. Chances are there’s a shoe store right down the street. Chances are that the reason you don’t have enough time in the day is because you spend a good chunk of it watching reruns of Friends or catching up on Game of Thrones.

So ask yourself what’s more important: What happened to Tyrion this week on my favorite show? Or…where could I be if I’d sit down to write that book?

You see, excuses are just that: excuses. It is defined as “to release from an obligation or duty.” Excuses were created to take the blame of not doing something or doing something wrong and removing it from ourselves.

We have more control over our lives than many of us like to believe and that is why we need to take the time to think and reason out how we can do things rather than stubbornly giving them up.

It’s about time we became a little more stubborn about persevering and a little less obstinate about opting out.

As anyone who has been in a job search for a while knows, being invited to a job interview is not something easily achieved. Becoming one of the few “job candidates” rather than being part of the usually gigantic crowd of “job applicants” is a major victory.

Unfortunately, too many job candidates blow their interview opportunities, wasting all that time and effort. Don’t be one of those candidates. Never assume that the job offer is “in the bag” simply because you were invited for an interview!

Avoid these common mistakes to land that job

What you do during a job interview is viewed as a “sample” of your work. Everything you do is being judged because they don’t know you (unless you are one of the lucky referred candidates).

Show them you would be a great hire. Don’t make these mistakes:

Mistake #1: Appearing uninterested.

This drives employers crazy. Most employers have more applicants than they need or want.

If you aren’t demonstrably interested in them, they certainly aren’t interested in hiring you.

Instead: Demonstrate your interest in the company and the job. Show up on time, appropriately dressed. Turn off your cell phone.

Mistake #2: Being unprepared.

Obvious lack of preparation is an opportunity crusher. And, lack of preparation usually becomes obvious quickly.

Instead: Be prepared! Preparation will help you demonstrate your interest in them and the job. You will also perform better in the interview when you are prepared.

Mistake #3: Being angry.

Angry people are NOT people employers want to hire. Angry people are not fun to work with. They may frighten co-workers and/or customers or clients. They may also abuse both people and equipment (computers, cars, etc.). Not good contributors to a happy workplace or a prosperous business, even if they don’t “go postal.”

Instead: If you are angry over a job loss, horrible commute to the interview, earlier fight with your kids or spouse, or anything else, dump the anger before the interview, at least temporarily.

Let’s face it, a lot of the career advice out there is generic, false or otherwise unhelpful. Early on in school, we’re told to pick something we’re ‘passionate about’ or ‘good at’ – but how can an 18-year-old or even a 25-year-old have any clue if things they seem to like are going to fit into a good career?

The truth is that they don’t, and the result is that there are tons of people out there who actively dislike their jobs. This problem is particularly acute for lawyers because a legal education can put people on a specific, predefined path. Hence the legal industry has become somewhat notorious for dissatisfaction.

Don’t fully believe us? Consider the following:

• A study by Johns Hopkins found that of 100 occupations studied, lawyers were the most likely to suffer depression – 3.6 times more likely than the surveyed average.
• Seven in ten lawyers responding to a lawyer’s magazine poll said they would change careers if the opportunity arose.
• An ABA Young Lawyers Division survey indicated that 41 per cent of female attorneys were unhappy with their jobs.

This data may be based on the US, but things are no better in Australia, and there is little reason to believe that these trends will change. In light of these statistics, the premise of this article takes on an even brighter shade of significance.

Finding a place where you feel good (or at least not terrible) within the law or outside of it is imperative if you want to live a happy life.

Meaghan Lewis, a recent guest on the Beyond Billables Podcast is all too aware of this. But Meaghan’s story has less to do with unhappiness-forced change and more to do with initiative, bravery and staying true to herself – things that ultimately led to her finding the right spot.

Meaghan started off as a solicitor practising in New Zealand, but she moved to London, changed jurisdictions and learned a lot about herself in the process. She returned to Australia and continued her trajectory as a senior associate with Corrs Chambers Westgarth. But her perspective and needs had changed, she was no longer motivated by the excitement of the deal or the grueling pace of corporate law. She needed a change, so she quit without something else lined up.

By taking a leap of faith and listening carefully to her intuition, Meaghan landed a role as general counsel with The Law Society of NSW. She now works a 3-day work week and has seen a significant change in the qualitative and quantitative measures of her work. For Meaghan, finding the right place wasn’t drastic, it was going with the flow when it was right but not getting boxed in and never losing sight of what was important.

This is one example that can be emulated, but what else can you do if you’re feeling lost or stuck in your career?

Hone in on your best qualities.

Leading with your strengths is a great way to not only succeed but feel more fulfilled in your professional life. Start with a piece of paper and simply list out the areas where you feel you excel the most. If you need a mental jog, try reading StrengthsFinder 2.0, it’s excellent. There is, of course, the famous Myer-Briggs personality test, which can provide some insight as well. The bottom line is to figure out what you’re good at and how that correlates with your values. Having this information in your back pocket will prove a useful navigational tool.

Define what it is you’re after.

A huge issue for lawyers is that they put in incredibly long hours in high-stress environments and often find themselves asking for what. Salary alone is not a great motivator, if it were lawyers would not suffer from demotivation the way they do. So, define what you’re after. Your issue may be not that you don’t want to be a lawyer but that you want more time for yourself. Some people want freedom, some want prestige, some want to help others, some want more challenge – find that thing that you crave and incorporate it into your life.

Review your past.

As cliche as it may sound, one of the best ways to have a more successful future is to learn from the past. Hit yourself with a battery of questions like: What was the best/worst thing about past jobs? What was the best/worst thing about past cultures you worked in? What was the best/worst thing about past managers? What made me the happiest and proudest at work? What do I regret the most? What kind of people do I get along with best? Going through a reflective process like this allows you to clarify the environments and characteristics of a job that mean the most to you (and the ones that drive you crazy). Sussing this out is one of the first and most important steps towards finding your place.

Mix it up.

Sometimes, finding your sweet spot can be a bit of luck as much as it is careful planning. In this sense, the search for this type of thing can be like throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks. We encourage people to get creative, change roles, professions and industries until something clicks. This can obviously cause turmoil, so it must be approached within the confines of your financial responsibilities and risk tolerance. But if your happiness and fulfilment are at stake, isn’t it worth it?

We all want to have lucrative, respected careers that make us grow as people and fulfil us emotionally. Some people get lucky, but far more are left searching. The good news is that, with the right approach and enough diligence, it’s possible to find a sweet spot. Be like Meaghan, find your 3-day workweek and don’t settle until you do.

Every professional has been guilty of making a mistake. Small mishaps are easier to overlook, such as a typo in a document or a formatting error in a spreadsheet. Other mistakes are harder to fix, such as accidentally sharing confidential information with the wrong client or realizing you did the math on your department’s yearly budget incorrectly and it’s already in use.

Whether the mistake is large or small, the important thing is to focus on how you can recover from it. Keep in mind that, no matter the situation, your reaction to the error will play a large part in how effectively you survive the mishap. The following steps can help you to be proactive and get ahead of your mistake.

Step back and assess the situation.

This is the first step you must take when you realize you’ve made an error. This is an important step because it will help you clearly determine what you will need to do moving forward. Immediately taking a breath and a step back and assessing what happened will help you look at the situation objectively to avoid overreacting.

Take a few moments and ask yourself: How bad was your mistake? How many people will be affected by it? Can you just apologize and move on or are there very serious consequences? If you are having trouble analyzing the situation without getting emotional, ask a close friend or family member to help you (without revealing any confidential information, of course).

Processing your emotions with them first can help you become objective about the situation more quickly. And, they may even give you some great advice. The key is to not have a knee-jerk reaction. Step out of your office or take a walk outside for a moment if you need to, in order to clear your head first.

Take responsibility.

Once you have assessed the situation and determined what the next steps are to rectify it, own up to the mistake. If you determined that all that is needed is an apology, make sure it happens as soon as possible, with the right people. If you made a simple mistake, the situation may only require you to notify your team. If it was a more serious error, in most cases you will also need to inform your boss.

When speaking with them, don’t beat around the bush. Get right to it. No matter what the circumstances, when taking responsibility for your mistake it is important to be clear about what happened and avoid trying to minimize your error. It will be easier to correct the mistake if you provide accurate information from the start and offer possible solutions. Admitting to your boss, team or client that you made a serious mishap can seem scary, but they will appreciate your honesty in the long run and it will preserve your professional relationship and brand, even if their first reaction isn’t a positive one. When you offer a solution, you offer a sense of comfort that you can handle rectifying the situation.

Prepare for damage control.

This is another important step to take, and the quicker you can start damage control, the better. Are you able to fix the situation on your own? If it was just a typo, it may be as simple as sending a new copy asking the recipient to disregard the previous version of the document.

Has this mistake happened to someone else on your team before? They may be able to share helpful steps you can take to remedy the situation. If you have made a serious mishap, you will most likely need to decide on a plan of action with your boss.

If the mistake is so serious that your job could be on the line, don’t go into the meeting already assuming you will be fired. Do your best to come up with a solution (or several) before you walk into your boss’s office and decide on action steps you will take in the future to prevent the mistake from happening again.

Manage the issue.

Again, it’s important to be proactive, especially if you have made a serious error. Develop a three-month and six-month plan of action to prevent any additional backlash from your error. If the mistake was large enough that you have been put on probation, don’t passively wait for the time to pass. Use the opportunity to not just learn from your mistake but also build your resilience muscle.

Keep track of everything you do to improve the situation, and check in with your boss or team frequently to let them know what steps you are taking. This will help build trust and confidence in your abilities moving forward. Maintaining your confidence after your error, and taking responsibility for it, will help demonstrate you are resilient in difficult situations.

Don’t let your mistakes define you. Famed former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden said, “If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything.” So don’t let making a mistake discourage you and paralyze you on your career path.

It’s important to focus on the future and identify what lessons can be learned from the situation. Determine how the mistake can help you – perhaps you need to be more cautious or detail-oriented moving forward. No matter what the mistake, remember to take what you can learn from the situation and keep moving forward.