Mirror, mirror on the wall….
At my old job, a client required that we submit a quarterly report about one of their biggest cases. It was a template covering the case's procedural posture, the status of discovery, pending and anticipated motions, strategy recommendations, and of course, projected costs and fees. It required time, thought, and analysis. As the junior partner running the day-to-day on the case, yours truly was responsible for the quarterly report.
And I hated it.
It was an absolute bear -- and as every litigator despises -- non-billable, meaning, I did not get "credit" for the time spent drafting, editing, and finalizing it. It was tedious and I had to be meticulous. So, I forced myself to carve out time to draft it. I thought about it when I wasn't working on it and was ultimately proud of the final work product. It wasn't until the end of my tenure at the firm that I realized the quarterly report made me a better lawyer.
Over seven years later, I still think about that damn quarterly report on the first day of a new quarter. That may sound nuts, but what's crazy is that it took me until October 1, 2024 to realize that I should be contemplating an analogous quarterly report in life. In other words, a designated time to take stock, celebrate some wins, reflect on what I could do better, and assess what lies ahead for the next quarter — not to mention, account for the anticipated roadblocks! But I never thought to do it because, well, it isn't client-mandated and that long look in the mirror can be... ugly.
Giving myself grace, here's what I'm thinking about as the last quarter is underway:
How am I doing? Like, for real?
How is my word of the year going?
What is going well and what isn't going so well?
What adjustments can I make to fix the not-so-great stuff this quarter?
What are some anticipated roadblocks for this quarter? How can I fix them?
Is there any cost to keeping the good stuff going?
How can I set myself up for success?
How can I invest in myself?
Deep stuff, right? Well, there is good news: unlike the actual quarterly report, it's ok if some answers are blank, incomplete, or late.
Not to mention, unlike the time spent on my other quarterly reports, these non-billable hours indeed count. They're also priceless because I'm also confident that spending the time on this self-reflection will yield self-awareness and self-improvement. How's the rest of your year looking? Mirror mirror, on the wall... tell me about it all!
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