Understanding Boredom: How Mindfulness Can Help

I’ve been grappling with boredom recently. This may surprise you, but I hate being bored. Yes, I know I meditate daily and teach mindfulness. My role is to help other people face restlessness as they learn meditation.

But I have to be honest. Like most lawyers, I prefer being active and engaged. I want to be juggling many things. I like having a lot to do. When I don’t have enough stimulation, I struggle.

This is a common problem for many lawyers and professionals. The good news is that mindfulness can help. This post will explain what is going on when we are bored and offer a few steps to help you cope.

What Is Boredom?

Have you ever stopped to really take notice of what is happening when you’re bored? For most of us, the answer to this question is a clear “no.” Who would ever look closer when they feel restless?

The reason we don’t do this is that restlessness usually arises when we are sick of our present situation. For this reason, boredom can manifest is several ways. It can trigger anger, frustration, sadness, or even depression or low energy. All of these emotions arise to tell us we want a change–any change–from our present situation.

On the other hand, when we decide something is boring there is always a judgment. When we are bored, we have implicitly decided that a situation or pastime to be inadequate. The source of this alleged deficiency could be anything at all. Regardless of what it is, when you’re bored, there is some aversion to your current situation.

Recognize When Boredom Arises

The first step to dealing with restlessness is to recognize when it arises. Sometimes this is obvious. Sometimes it’s not. Most of us know the classic signs when we find things tedious. These can include fidgeting, distractibility, evasive behaviors, and even agitation.

We can also have more subtle reactions to being bored. This can be an issue for lawyers because we often deal with dry and tedious subjects at work. Some of us may train ourselves to not pay attention when we experience boredom.

Even though a situation without much going on seems like it should be safe to ignore, it’s not . Chronic boredom can lead to other problems, including mental health challenges, and risky behaviors. It can also be a symptom of bigger concerns.

Is Boredom Really Bad?

When you see that you are bored, the first thing you may want to do is seek out something more stimulating to do. If that’s an option, go ahead and take it as long as the activity is a safe and healthy one.

If your restlessness doesn’t dissipate so quickly, though, you may need to dig deeper. This may first require you to clarify what is making you feel bored. This may sound a sit silly but it’s a literal question. As I said earlier, when we feel bored we are implicitly judging a situation, task, or aspect of our lives. In doing so, we are assuming that something is wrong or bad.

But is it truly always bad when we encounter a situation that is less stimulating? To be honest, many lawyers (myself included) probably need a slower pace from time to time. Even so, we may not enjoy it when slower times arrive. This can be from habit, anxiety relating to productivity or billable hours, or any number of reasons.

So one really simple question to ask when you are bored is this: is it truly bad? In other words, separate the facts, the reality of less activity and stimulation, from the judgment that less stimulation is inherently bad.

Image with mindfulness check for lawyers about boredom which asks if a period of less stimulation or activity is truly a bad thing?

Can Lawyers Accept the Gift of Extra Time?

Boredom can be very hard for lawyers because our time is literally money. If things slow down at work, it can create real worries about financial issues and the health of our firms. Even so, law practice ebbs and flows just like other things in life. If we never slow down, that can create huge problems in our health, personal life, and eventually at work.

In periods where I have been bored, I have usually come to see those times as gifts. I won’t lie to you and tell you that I did so swiftly or gracefully. No, in general I have whined and complained for far too long until finally accepting that things were outside of my control.

When I did, though, I usually saw that the slow period was a great opportunity. It gave me a chance to focus on business development efforts, tackle projects I had put off at home, spend time with family, or cultivate hobbies that mattered to me like writing. Or perhaps the slowness was just a chance to catch up on much needed rest.

Taking advantage of the gift of time in this way is only possible when we let go of our judgments. In this way, at least bringing a sense of neutrality to the experience of boredom can help us move past it.

Let Go of Judgment to Identify the Real Issue

Sometimes, though, it isn’t enough to simply reframe a lack of stimulation as an opportunity. That’s because stimulation and activity are human needs. If in response to the question above about whether the situation is truly bad, your answer is “yes” then you should address the problem.

The good news is that taking the time to separate habitual reaction from practical need will help you do that. If your restlessness is a function of temporary preference, it may be easily resolved by simple patience.

When the situation lasts longer, you may have to evaluate personal needs and craft a plan for meeting them. This could mean having a conversation at work about tasks, work load and priorities. It could also mean looking at your personal life to consider whether you need to plan more engaging activities for yourself.

Either way, taking a closer look at boredom is what can help us determine how to meet our own needs. This can mean feeling the emotions that arise when we are bored and evaluating the circumstances that lead to restlessness. Doing these things can help us meet our own needs and address the culprit underlying our restlessness.

Boredom Is Tough for Lawyers but Mindfulness Can Help

Boredom is a challenging experience for lawyers since they are accustomed to being busy and engaged in life and work. Mindfulness can help us look closer at this tricky experience to learn about ourselves, meet our own needs, and cultivate comfort with a slower pace.

Want to learn more about mindfulness and compassion? Check out my new book, How to Be a Badass Lawyer, for a simple guide to creating a meditation practice of your own in 30 days. And to share mindfulness with your little one, check out my new children’s book, Mommy Needs a Minute.

Like this post? Subscribe to the blog here or follow us on social media:

New Book Update: The Manuscript Is Done

I completed the next major step on the way to publishing my second book. Today, I sent in the manuscript to prepare the files for publication. This is great news for several reasons.

This will be a short post because I’ve been busy editing. Even so, I wanted to share the reasons why this is such a big step.

I Made the Book Publication Deadline

The book is about mindfulness, of course. Based on this, you might think that a book like that could be published at any time. Not in this case.

As I shared before, this one is my first attempt at fiction. It’s a mindfulness fable inspired by Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol. Although my story focuses more on the New Year than Christmas, it’s still a holiday tale.

Based on this, I plan to publish before Thanksgiving this year. Doing the math backward, that means I got the manuscript finished right on time.

Done with Editing!

Having never written fiction before, I wrote this book in part to learn and grow as a writer and mindfulness teacher. Writing the book taught me so much about writing.

Editing the book taught me ever more. I went through 5 drafts of the book. That means I read and edited myself several times.

I also included detailed edits from an editor, coach, and several beta readers. Each level of review taught me something new. But let’s be real. Editing a book can be tedious and it can inspire a lot of self-doubt.

The good news is that I persisted and got to see how much better the book got because of my efforts and all the great feedback I received. Still, I am so glad to be done and am celebrating getting to move on to the next step.

The School Year Is Here

If you didn’t notice, I set the manuscript deadline with some intention. The majority of my law practice is devoted to school law. This means, the academic year is my “busy season.” As the mom of two girls, that means that the new school year rush hits me two ways at once.

Because the summer is usually not so hectic, I had planned to edit the book then and be done before school started. To be perfectly honest, I had hoped to be done even sooner but summer was a bit less chill than I had hoped. Regardless, I made my drop dead date, so the project is still right on time.

And now I can devote my full attention to getting my kids back in school and keeping my educator clients on track.

I’m Proud of the Book

And the best part of sending in the manuscript? The best part is that I’m proud of the book I wrote. As my first attempt at fiction, I don’t have illusions that the book is perfect.

Even so, it tells a story with heart. It conveys teachings about mindfulness that I couldn’t convey in a webinar, talk, or even a blog post.

It also combines so many things I love, including writing, teaching mindfulness, and good stories. This project was also supported by many people I love and respect. I have already had really great conversations with friends and family members who have read it. It’s so neat to hear what people focus on most when they read a story.

When and How Can You Read the Book?

Image of a book cover with the the title "A New Year's Present" and the announcement that it will be released for the holidays in 2026.

I don’t have a specific date set just yet, but the title is final. The title of the book is A New Year’s Present. I hope you hear the rhythmic similarity to A Christmas Carol there, because that’s intentional.

It will be released in November. Like my other books, you will be able to find it on Amazon, BookShop, and other online retailers.

I will definitely let you know when it is published. I may even bang pots and pans and set off fireworks just like on New Year’s Eve!

Like this post? Subscribe to the blog here or follow us on social media:

Letter from the Future: Lessons from 300 Blog Posts

Editor’s Note: I’m proud to celebrate 300 posts this week, but I’m also finalizing the edits on my new book. I was at a loss about how to recognize the occasion, so I researched some of my old posts. When I reached the 10-year anniversary of my mindfulness practice, I wrote this post with a letter from my future self. It made me proud to read it and I decided to write another. This letter is written to myself back in December 2020 when I launched the blog. Please enjoy and if you are thinking of starting writing and need a pep talk please reach out to me!

Dear Claire,

This is you from the future again. I know I wrote you a few years ago. I found that letter again recently and liked it so much that I decided to write a new one. Sorry if this is annoying. I promise I won’t start texting you or messaging you on LinkedIn.

Instead, I’ll keep my messages restricted to milestone moments. You have another one this week. You hit 300 posts on this blog! Can you believe it?

How Did 300 Blog Posts Happen?

I bet you can’t. I know when you started this blog in 2020 you weren’t sure what would happen. You didn’t know much about blogging. You just liked writing and and mindfulness and needed a a place to put your words.

Remember how you used to worry that you were making a big mistake by starting a blog? You were always so worried that you would run out of time or ideas.

Way back when, even before the blog, do you remember how you worried about whether you could write one blog post a month? For the last six years, you have been writing almost 1 post every week. And you have written and edited books along the way too?

You Managed the Blog Week by Week

It’s pretty amazing what can happen when we let it. Isn’t it?

I hope that I’m not making your head spin by talking about 300 blog posts. I know you are new to this whole blogging thing and taking it week by week. Claire, I want you to know that is exactly how you should take it.

Your schedule, like the schedules of other lawyers, is irregular. It can change on a dime. It will change wildly as you go through two job changes, raise kids, and become a popular speaker.

The blog may seem hard to manage now at the beginning, but just wait until you have even more things to manage. But don’t be scared. I’m not trying to warn you here. Instead, I’m saying that you will grow.

Writing Became a Calling

Writing isn’t a chore for you. It’s not a job. It’s something that is a part of you. Or at least eventually it will become that way. In fact, I’m going to go ahead and use an arguably cheesy term here. Writing for you is a calling.

For many years, Claire, you refused that call. You doubted yourself, and told yourself you were too busy. You believed the lie that, as a lawyer, you were only allowed to bill hours. Or you fell prey to the related lie that any free time should be devoted exclusively to your children.

But somehow, you pushed through all that crap. Somehow you saw the truth that those lies swirling in your head were just doubt. They were the same doubts you’d had your whole life.

Blogging Became an Essential Practice

I won’t lie to you. This blog does not make those doubts go away. I actually just wrote a post about doubt last week. It’s still alive and well. But you know what? You have learned that writing a blog post is a great way to work through big emotions.

In addition, Claire, you should know that the doubt arose because you are editing your first novel. Yes, you wrote a novel or at least a fable about mindfulness. This means that doubt keeps arising because you continue to take risks and try new things.

How were you able to try writing fiction, which was very new to you? You were able to do that because you haven’t just been training the skill of writing all these years. Instead, you have been training discipline, self-confidence, and listening to your inner voice.

Quote that says "Thank you for reading" to celebrate writing 300 blog posts about mindfulness for lawyers

Just Keep Writing, Even When It’s Hard

I know that this blog is still new to you, Claire. I know you aren’t sure where it’s headed. I’m writing to tell you it’s headed in a good direction. You just have to keep writing.

Will it be easy? Absolutely not. You will write many – if not most – of the posts last minute. You will lack motivation and inspiration some weeks and sometimes feel like you are just going through the motions. Some weeks, you will skip writing a post because you just can’t deal with it. Sometimes it will feel pretty lonely.

But of course, you know that’s okay. You have already learned how to get off track and came back, over and over again, with your meditation practice. So don’t stress when that happens. Don’t worry that the magic you found in writing will somehow leave you.

Instead, you’ll take breaks. You’ll live life for a while. And the ideas will come back when you are ready. And you will have so much fun.

Blog Posts Can Lead to Good Things

You’ll also meet people through your writing. People will find you on the internet and reach out to chat. You will make friends by showing up as yourself in your posts. You will also discover the writing will make networking and marketing your law practice so much easier.

Claire, let’s be honest, I can’t tell you that the blog will make you famous. I can’t say it will make you rich. I don’t promise that it will always be fun and you’ll never wonder if it’s too much work.

But I can say one thing with absolute confidence. People don’t do something 300 times because they get nothing out of it. They do a thing 300 times for a reason. You kept writing post after post because it was good for you. You kept writing because it brought you joy.

I know you probably feel unsure now at the beginning. It’s okay to feel unsure. It’s no big deal if you don’t have a clear plan. Just keep writing.

Thank you for trusting yourself and the rest of the world for starting this blog. Thanks for taking the time to build something new. It’s been a fun ride over these years. I can’t wait to see how many more we get!

With gratitude, Your Future Self

Like this post? Subscribe to the blog here or follow us on social media:

How to Manage Doubt: Mindfulness Tips for Lawyers

As a mindfulness teacher, writer, and lawyer, I am no stranger to doubt. I used to regard it with fear and loathing. Now, I see it as my faithful friend. No matter what I do and how much I meditate, I can’t make doubt give up on me.

While that is oddly comforting in a way, it’s also super annoying. Even worse, this mental pattern of mine likes to show up at the worst possible times. If I am doing anything remotely challenging, new, or courageous, doubt chimes in at strategic moments to throw me off balance.

I’m currently working on finalizing the manuscript for my first work of fiction that I plan to publish later this year. Right on schedule, I had an attack of self-doubt this weekend.

Knowing that I am not alone with this mental habit and that my fellow lawyers share this trait, I will share the steps that I took to address my self-doubt attack.

Recognize When Doubt Arises.

Many of us know that naming emotions is really helpful. It can provide needed distance and clarity about our experience. This can help us avoid over-identifying with our fleeting emotional experiences.

This is essential for doubt. One problem with this state of mind is that it isn’t simple. Instead, doubt is a often a complex combination of emotions and thoughts. The emotions can distract, dis-empower, and stun us, while the thoughts pretend to the be the voice of reason.

As I have written before, though, doubt is a mental pattern that can rob us of motivation and courage when we need it most. This is why seeing doubt for what it is – as a mental pattern – can really help.

This may require patience to allow for sufficient time for self-investigation. However, I have come to learn that the feelings of fear, vulnerability, and overwhelm plus a series of despairing and negative thoughts are the calling cards of doubt for me. Another strong sign is that they usually show up when I about to do something meaningful, challenging, or innovative.

When I can name this melange of suckiness as doubt, I take the first step towards recovery. Though this doesn’t feel good, at least my guard is up and I know it’s time to fight back.

Image listing the 5 mindfulness tips to help lawyers handle doubt as shared in the blog post

Lawyers May Need a Self-Care Check.

Though I’m a lawyer, I’m still a mindfulness teacher. So when I say “fight back” I use that term metaphorically. As a younger and more foolish person, my doubt would sometimes prompt me to pick fights or argue to discharge the energy created by my fear.

My older, wiser self has learned that the better way to fight doubt is to disarm it. Instead of racing to discharge the fearful energy, I put it to good use by taking care of myself.

One of the most essential steps when it comes to doubt is to do a basic audit of my self-care needs. From experience, I know that doubt comes up for me when I feel overwhelmed, afraid, tired, or isolated. Most often this happens for practical reasons.

If I am working on a big project, I may not be sleeping well. I may also be skimping on social contact. Or I may be striving in pursuit of a goal and wearing myself out.

Returning to the basics of my self-care practices, including good nutrition, rest, exercise, and social support, helps put me in a better position to face whatever challenges come up in life. They also remind me that support and care, rather than force and pressure, are the best ways to achieve the goals I set for myself.

Don’t Face Doubt Alone.

If doubt were a person, it’s ride or die best friend would be shame. These two emotional besties have worked a number on me over the years. As an introvert who loves to overthink, they kept me on the ropes until I learned a tried and true strategy for driving a wedge between them.

That strategy is asking for help. Look, I know that lawyers and other professionals may hate doing this. As competent and highly skilled people, we may see ourselves as helpers. We may feel awkward and terrible when we have to “burden” someone else with our problems.

But here’s the thing. It’s hard to challenge doubt on your own. It’s even harder when shame jumps in and make you feel like you have to hide your feelings of vulnerability. One of the only ways to cut through this is to stop hiding by asking for help.

The biggest shift I have made to get over my attacks of self-doubt is that I now share my feelings with a friend, colleague or loved one. In the past, I used to try to deal with these emotions all on my own. Though meditation is a formidable tool, social support works better and faster.

Image sharing quote from the post which says "If doubt were a person, it's ride or die best friend would be shame. Drive a wedge between these emotional besties by getting help."

Engage Mindfulness and Allow Your Feelings.

Once you feel ready to face them, it also helps to just feel the feelings that come up with doubt. I suggest this after getting social support because these feelings can be overwhelming, but you can decide what works best for you.

Sometimes with doubt, there can be an inclination to ignore it or push it to the side. As I mentioned, these feelings can be dis-empowering and vulnerable. It can seem like they are getting in the way of our goals and the vision we have for our lives.

Even so, I have found it worthwhile to honor my feelings even when they are inconvenient and annoying. The most common way I do this is in my meditation practice where I have time and space to let the emotions rise, crescendo and fade away. Though this experience is often intense and unpleasant, I find that allowing them as they are inspires courage.

When I give myself a moment to feel fear, face anxiety, and wade through overwhelm, I remember that I am strong enough to hold all of these things. I also remember that none of these emotions last forever and that I can find calm, stability, and kindness again. Once I experience them and let them deliver whatever message they have for me, I can move on with my life.

Return to Your Place of Strength.

Another benefit of feeling emotions, even the tough ones, is that they help to clarify what matters most. As someone with anxiety, feelings of fear are common for me. I used to be afraid of these feelings until I finally flipped them on their head.

One magical day, I realized that a lot of my fear and anxiety was a confused way of expressing deep longing. I was often afraid of being alone or being judged, which signified my desire for connection. I was regularly anxious about making a mistake, which revealed my deep desire to produce good in the world and avoid harming others.

When I was able to feel the fear, I could finally see what was hiding beneath it. The things hiding there were my deepest values and the things I wanted most in life. These things didn’t make the fear and doubt go away, but they made my struggle worth it.

In other words, when doubt comes up, the answer isn’t to banish it away. The answer is not to pretend that it isn’t there. Instead, it works better to acknowledge that risk is inherent to life and connect with the values that make the risk feel worthwhile.

By reconnecting with our values and deep aspirations, we can find strength, motivation, and courage even in the face of doubt.

Picture of post author, mindfulness teacher, and lawyer Claire E. Parsons with quote "When I was able to feel the doubt, I could finally see what was hiding beneath it. The things hiding there were my deepest values and what I wanted most in life. This didn't make the fear and doubt go away, but they made my struggle worth it."

Doubt Is Challenging But Mindfulness Can Help You Face It.

Doubt is a common affliction for many lawyers and professionals, but it does not have to be something that holds you back. With mindfulness and self-compassion, you can learn how to recognize and care for yourself in the face of doubt. Doing so takes time, patience, and is best with social support. The good news is that it may also help you harness the strength, confidence, and motivation you need to keep pursuing goals and building the life you want.

Like this post? Subscribe to the blog here or follow us on social media:

Why Lawyers Should Prioritize Joy and Practices to Help Them Start

I admit it. The word “joy” used to make me cringe a little bit inside. For a while, it was plastered on the walls of so many homes along with signs reading “Live. Laugh. Love.” and showed up in the titles of countless self-help books.

The frequency with which I saw that term used, often inaccurately, gave me the distinct and bizarre impression that “joy” was somehow omnipresent, yet also mythical and unattainable. After all, how could conflict, unhappiness, and social problems be so prevalent when everyone seemed hellbent on praising joy?

Don’t Let the Misuse of the Word Fool You. Joy Is Powerful.

More recently, though, I have come around to the “joy” camp. The transition had nothing to do with all those signs and books. Instead, it happened when I started to study suffering and the response to it. When I learned about compassion practices and saw their impact in my life, I realized something I had previously overlooked: joy is powerful.

The overuse of the word had made joy seem frivolous and meaningless, but when I feel it—especially in response to suffering—it is nothing short of magic. Joy has a potential to connect us in good times and to bind us, to ourselves and others, in hard times.

Image of celebrating professionals with quote that says "Joy has the potential to connect us in good times and to bind us, to ourselves and others, in hard times."

Joy Is More than an Emotion.

Many of us may think that joy is an emotion that simply arises without warning and lasts only a moment. This is true but also incomplete. We can cultivate joy and in so doing, cultivate compassion and a greater sense of well-being. For many of us, joy may seem like a temporary and elusive state because we aren’t accustomed to staying present with the experience of strong emotions.

Regardless of the type, emotions are sensory experiences in the body. Even positive emotions like joy can feel uncomfortable, if not overwhelming, so we may unconsciously register them as stress that induces a mental flight reaction. For this reason, many of us may need to learn to sit with and savor even positive emotions.

Joy Can Be a Practice and Meditation Can Help.

This is just one of the reasons why meditation practice can be so powerful, because it may provide a rare opportunity to experience emotions in the body.

Whether in meditation or otherwise, sensing emotions as they are cultivates a capacity to accept the true and full experience of life. This can mean greater courage to accept the hard parts of life, as well as welcoming in those joyful emotions that provide a respite from our struggles and energize us to keep going.

As a result, savoring the good aspects of life and taking the time to celebrate can be some of the most powerful things that lawyers can do to improve our mental health for the long-term.

Image with quote from post that says: Savoring the good aspects of life and taking the time to celebrate can be some of the most powerful things that lawyers can do to improve our mental health for the long-term."

Why Lawyers Should Learn to Savor Joy.

Despite this, many lawyers and other professionals may worry that savoring victories and positive experiences may lead to resting on one’s laurels, apathy, or cause a reduction in drive. Leading self-compassion researcher, Kristin Neff, has found that, while this is a common fear, it isn’t true.

Self-compassion is not an impediment to a good work ethic; it is positively correlated with attainment of goals. Far from causing people to lack ambition, self-compassion practices, including savoring joy, result in higher motivation, more courage in taking risks, and increased stamina to persist through difficulty.

Simple Ways to Savor Joy.

Some simple ways to savor joy in life are to remind yourself to mentally “check in” during a good time. Notice what you hear, feel, taste, smell, and see and notice what that experience causes you to feel in your body. For instance, if you are playing with your kids, hear them laugh, see them smile, and notice what reaction those things elicit in you.

You can also be on the lookout for joy in your daily activities. One of my favorite savoring activities is to watch the kids run to the parents at daycare pickup time. Watching their love and excitement turns what might have been wasted time into a joy break for myself and it prepares me to greet my own kids with love.

Image showing that self-compassion practices, including savoring joy, are linked to increased motivation,courage, and persistence,

Lawyers Can Even Savor and Share Joy at Work.

In the work setting, one simple way to savor experiences is to acknowledge a win and congratulate your team. When the praise is directed to you, you could practice savoring joy by learning to simply say “thank you” when you receive a compliment and allowing the warm feelings just wash over you, instead of deflecting or talking to hide your embarrassment. If you struggle with paying or giving compliments, a simpler place is to establish a habit of internally congratulating yourself for a job well done.

For example, after a difficult deposition, you might reflect on how you handled yourself and appreciate the discipline, organization, and restraint you showed in hard circumstances. These practices generally don’t take much time, but research suggests that the cumulative effect over time can yield major benefits for your motivation, outlook, stamina, and capacity to handle difficult moments.

Prioritizing Joy Makes Life Better.

So, does this mean that I am telling you to go put a big “joy” sign on your wall? Not quite, unless hanging a sign like that reminds you to cultivate joy in your own life. The object here isn’t the performance of joy or convincing others that you feel joyful. Instead, the power of joy comes in when we fully experience it and prioritize it in our lives.

Because when we open to joy, in all its overwhelming glory, we’ll find courage, energy, and strength care for our families and ourselves, serve clients, and make more joy for the rest of the world. So, I don’t care if you put a big “joy” sign on your wall, as a long as you make space for it in your heart.

Image with quote: "The power of joy comes in when we fully experience it and prioritize it in our lives."

Here’s a Guided Meditation to Help Lawyers Practice Joy

If you want to experience the power of practicing joy for yourself, check out this new guided meditation. This ten-minute guided meditation walks lawyers (and anyone else who wants to try it) through the process of noting and experiencing joy in the body. The first reason to do this practice is that joy feels good. It may be a great way to rest and relax.

In addition, though, lawyers may find this practice beneficial for other reasons. First, as a practice that trains sustained attention in a directed way, it is a practice that cultivates mindfulness. Second, the practice is also likely to cultivate wisdom. It’s hard to do this practice and not have insights about what causes joy for you, so you can get more of it in your life.

You can check out the meditation here or find it on my YouTube channel:

Are There Other Ways for Lawyers to Practice Joy in Meditation?

The answer to this is a definite “yes.” The direct experience of joy in the practice shared above is one way to cultivate it. Other options include:

Embedding a joy practice into your normal meditation session as offered in this guided practice;
Practicing and reflecting on gratitude;
Cultivating mudita or appreciative joy for other people. This may sound weird but the best way to increase your odds of happiness is to learn to feel happy for others.
Practicing joy by showing it on your face with this smile meditation.

There are so many ways for lawyers to bring more joy into life and meditation. Try them all out to see which one you enjoy the most.

Like this post? Subscribe to the blog here or follow us on social media:

This Fable about Time Management Is Great for Busy Lawyers

Founder’s Note: I wrote this book review years ago on a different blog, but I thought about it recently because I am in the process of finalizing my own fable on mindfulness. After reading this book, I reached out to Laura Vanderkam via email and her response and encouragement stayed with me for many years. I am sharing this post here because Laura’s work is essential for busy lawyers and we all sometimes need a good story to help us see the possibilities for change. I hope you enjoy it.

If I suggested that you read a “time management fable”, you’d probably think I was losing my mind. A phrase like “time management fable” calls to mind a litany of business-speak phrases or the holier-than-thou preaching of someone offering “hacks” offered to help you achieve more in a day than you have time to do.

Though it is indeed a fable intended to offer insights as to time management, Juliet’s School of Possiblities by Laura Vanderkam avoids those issues. Rather, it is just a story about a young professional who, like many of us, needs a mentor to help her figure out how to manage her time.

An Expert on Time Management

I’ve liked Laura Vanderkam since I read I Know How She Does It years ago, when I was an overwhelmed new working mom. Her approach, in this most recent fable and in the wider variety of content she offers, is practical and based on facts. She isn’t holier-than-thou. She doesn’t pretend time management is easy. But, she also refuses to fall into the trap of throwing up her hands in disgust at how daunting it can be to manage a professional and personal life in today’s world.

In all honesty, when I read Vanderkam I am reminded more of the ancient Greek philosophers I studied in college than the business self-help gurus available now. Just like Aristotle offered ideas about how to find “the good” in life, Vanderkam offers practical solutions that one can use to live a good life. Her suggestions tend to be good ones because, like many of the ancient Greek philosophers, she is a scientist as much as she is a theorist.

An image with a question "what is a business fable?" and an answer that says "A business fable is a fictional story told to teach a business, corporate, or leadership lesson. Business fables motivate and inspire by inviting the reader into a story, instead of persuading with facts, figures, and arguments."

Time Management Is Seeing All Possibilities for Life

Vanderkam does not merely think about time; rather she has studied the use of it for several years. As she’ll tell you in her books, articles and podcasts, she has tracked her own time in 30-minute increments and has studied the time logs for thousands of professionals, including busy lawyers. In other words, her philosophy on time management is rooted in a painstaking study of countless uses of it in a variety of contexts.

Knowing that Vanderkam has studied time in this way, it makes sense that she sees it as an array of possibilities, rather than the obstacle against which so many busy professionals rage.

How a Fable Can Teaches Time Management

That view comes through in Juliet’s School of Possibilities where the smart, ambitious, but overworked protagonist, Riley Jenkins, meets a mentor, Juliet, who shows her the divergent possibilities created by each decision she makes as to the use of her time.

It is by seeing this divergent path that Jenkins learns she needs to think more about expectations, setting good personal boundaries, and rethink priorities. She sees the divergent path on a beach (rather than a yellow wood), but still you’ll see it makes all the difference.

An image with a 5-star book review of Juliet's School of Possibilities by Laura Vanderkam as shared in the post as a great read on time management for lawyers.

Why This Fable Is Ideal for Lawyers

I’m sure there are lots of books out there competing for your time. This fable from Laura Vanderkam is a quick, charming read with a good message and more heart than you’d expect. In fact, the book at times is deeply spiritual since it forces the protagonist, and in turn the reader, to examine the merits in how we spend our waking moments.

This theme comes through when mentor Juliet offers readers the following prayer: “Expectations are infinite. Time is finite. You are always choosing. Choose well.” Though new book choices seem to be infinite and time certainly is finite, Juliet’s School of Possibilities is a good choice for lawyers or any busy person looking for practical and worthwhile insights about time management.

Like this post? Subscribe to the blog here or follow us on social media:

Five Reasons to Stop Judging Yourself for Using Guided Meditations

Image of woman meditating with headphones on in a living room with title of post "Five Reasons to Stop Judging Yourself for Using Guided Meditations"

When I speak to lawyers about mindfulness, I’m sometimes asked about guided meditations. I’m not sure why, but some people have the idea that using guided meditation is somehow not “real” meditation. Allow me to set the record straight: that’s not true.

At least, I don’t think it’s true. Don’t get me wrong. There are advantages to meditating without guiding. I have written about that before. But the fact that unguided meditation offers benefits does not imply that guided meditation is somehow not enough.

If you are giving yourself a hard time about this, keep reading. Here are five reasons why guided meditation is a valid way for lawyers to practice meditation.

1. Guided Meditations Can Help You Explore and Learn Various Practices

I don’t rely on guiding too much in my personal practice anymore, but as a beginner I used them as much as I could. The reason for this was that I did not have very much experience with different practices. And even when I found practices that I loved, like loving-kindness, I hadn’t memorized all of the steps.

After a few years, that changed but only because I had used been practicing so much in recorded mindfulness sessions. That’s my point here.

Guided meditations can help lawyers explore and learn various meditation practices. While I do recommend a simple approach to meditation in general, exploration is great for lawyers too.

Mindfulness is a trait and a tool for life. The best way to figure out what styles and practices support you the most is to experience them. Guided meditations offer this to lawyers and other professionals who want to learn.

2. They Can Help You Keep Your Session on Schedule

One of the biggest issues that prevent lawyers from meditating more is time. A great thing about most guided meditations is that they have built-in timers. Most recorded practices cue you when you are done, so you don’t overstay your session.

This is a real issue with meditation because it is a practice that can encourage spacing out or falling asleep. Because most lawyers access guiding in the form of audio recordings, the end of the practice will usually wake you up.

Some apps, including Peloton, also allow you to put your practice on your calendar. You can select your practices for the week and schedule them so you don’t miss a sit. This is huge for lawyers, who are often motivated by our calendars.

Image of person meditating with headphones on listing 5 Reasons Why Guided Meditations Are Great for Lawyers as discussed in the post

3. Guided Meditations Can Make Practice More Enjoyable

The best kind of meditation is the one that you will do consistently. Based on this, it makes sense to enjoy your time meditating at least a little bit.

Guided meditations can do this in several ways. They may offer background music or soundscapes that can block out distracting sounds. This is important if you live in a noisy part of town or with people or pets who don’t always keep quiet.

The voice of another person guiding you make make practice feel less lonely. Along the same lines, the voice of another person may be soothing and help you relax. If you use meditations from someone you know and trust, following their guiding may help you feel more confident in your practice.

This may help you rest in your practice instead of feeling like you are working too hard. Meditation is hard enough on its own. Using guiding to make it a bit easier is not a cop out. It can be a smart way for lawyers to sustain their practice.

4. Lawyers May Need Practice Accepting Support

If you don’t like the idea of guiding in meditation, it could be possible that you have some issues around accepting help. This is common for many lawyers and it was definitely an issue for me.

The good news, though, is that you can learn to work out of this mindset. Independence is a wonderful virtue. If you are exploring mindfulness, though, I bet you already have this trait. Meditation will not take it away, but it may help you see the various ways in which you do better when you have the right support.

A guided meditation is a tool to support mindfulness practice. It works just like a mat, block, and blanket support a yoga practice. If you use props for yoga or another physical fitness practice, you are likely to see that they don’t detract from practice. Instead, they often make practice better.

Trust me, learning this lesson in meditation is one that translates into life. This is yet another reason why lawyers can feel good about using guiding to support their mindfulness practice.

Image of man meditating outside in headphones with social media post that says "Lawyers, avoid coming up with reasons why your mindfulness practice is not good enough. Using a guided meditation is real meditation."

5. Trained Teachers Offer Guided Meditations for a Reason

As a final attempt to convince you that there is nothing wrong with supporting your practice with guiding, I will appeal to authority. If you take a meditation course or attend a retreat, you are very unlikely to practice in silence on your own the entire time. Instead, most teachers offer some sort of guided meditation.

If you search the internet, you will easily find guided meditations from some of the best meditation teachers in the world. This includes people like Sharon Salzberg, Tara Brach, Jack Kornfield, Thich Nhat Hahn, Pema Chodron, Ethan Nichtern, and more.

Along the same lines, I offer several guided meditations for lawyers on this blog. And I guide virtual sessions for lawyers with the Mindfulness in Law Society at least once a month.

Trained teachers offer these practices because they encourage students to practice and learn. Implicit in this is the idea that using guided meditations is still meditation.

Bottom Line: There Is Nothing Wrong with Using a Guided Meditation

If you are taking the time to practice mindfulness, please do not be hard on yourself. Be wary against listing all the reasons why your practice is not good enough. Practice is hard enough, especially for busy people like lawyers.

As long as the guiding is helping you practice, there’s nothing wrong with it. Just keep practicing and doing what works for you. You can always explore other styles of practice over time if needed, but you shouldn’t feel pressure to do so. Using guided meditations is a legitimate way for lawyers and everyone else to practice mindfulness.

Like this post? Subscribe to the blog here or follow us on social media:

How Lawyers Can Practice Body Scan Meditation

It’s been a while since I recorded a new guided meditation for lawyers, but I just recorded a new body scan practice. I like doing them. It’s just been busy with other projects lately, including editing my upcoming book.

This week, though, I am pleased to be offering an introduction to mindfulness course for my law firm. This course will track the practices taught in my first book, How to Be a Badass Lawyer. Week 2 of the course for lawyers and legal professionals will be about body scan meditation.

As I will explain in this post, there are numerous ways to do body scan meditation. I prepared a new guided meditation to offer a different option: one that starts in the bottom of the body and moves up. This post will share the new practice, as well as explain its advantages and potential risks for some populations.

What Is Body Scan?

As I have written before, body scan meditation is the practice of systematically scanning through the body to feel sensations. This is not a practice of thinking about the body or its parts. Instead, the practice is to intentionally direct your attention to sense the body.

To many, it may seem only natural to start a body scan from the top of the body and work your way down. After all, many lawyers live in our heads so that is often a great place to start.

The point of doing this practice is to build awareness of and familiarity with sensations in the body. This is essential for several reasons. One is that our emotions often register as sensations in our bodies. Another is that body awareness can help us to remember that there is life outside of the thoughts in our head.

Finally, learning to linger in sensations in the body, is an important way to cultivate mindfulness as a trait. Bodily sensations offer us a direct and tangible link to our present moment reality.

Image sharing 5 ways that lawyers can try body scan meditation as shared in the blog post

Options for Practice

Because body scan meditation is about feeling sensations in the body, there are multiple ways to do the practice. This can include but is not limited to:

Top down: head to toe;
Bottom up: toe to head;
Sides of the body: left and then right or vice versa;
Categories of body parts: limbs, torso, head, etc.:
Cycling approach: jumping from one part of the body to another; or
Varieties of sensation in the body: examples include temperature, pressure, space, relaxation.

In addition, these practices can be further modified and customized by adding different techniques. Some body scan practices might be quick, including a simple check in with body sensations. Other body scans might be lengthy and lingering, including deep exploration of bodily sensations.

Finally, it is also possible to add movement or pressure to body scan to foster awareness of sensation or relaxation. Progressive muscle relaxation is commonly paired with body scan. With this strategy, you may tense and relax muscles as you move through each body part. As another option, some people move their hands to rest on the bodily areas to help themselves feel sensations more strongly.

Advantages of Bottom Up Body Scan for Lawyers

Many lawyers would hear these options for body scan and ask which meditation style is the best. My answer, as always, is that the real question is which one is best for you. The only way to truly know this is to explore different practice styles and learn which one supports you most.

This is why I recorded a bottom up body scan guided meditation to allow for another option to try. The reason to explore this practice is that it can provide a faster route to relaxation. Many lawyers, myself included, are often stuck in our heads. We think a lot and habitually live in our thoughts as a result.

Starting a body scan at your toes or feet may help you feel relaxed and grounded more quickly. It also may help draw your mind out of your thoughts and into your body faster.

In my normal sitting practice, I tend to use a top down approach to body scan as a matter of habit. However, if I struggle with sleeplessness, I more often start a body scan in my toes. It often helps me relax, remember how good it feels just to lie down, and avoid thinking so I can get back to sleep.

Image with warning that says "Bottom up body scan may offer advantages for many lawyers but it can present risks for those very new to meditation, with severe anxiety, or past trauma."

Warnings and Potential Risks

Importantly, though, there are some potential risks for any mindfulness practices that draw you quickly into your body. Because emotions register in the body, a faster connection to the body can imply the potential for overwhelm. For this reason, some people may struggle with starting a body scan meditation at their toes and may do better with a top down approach.

This includes people who are very new to meditation, people who have severe anxiety, or anyone with a history of trauma. If that is you, it does not mean that meditation or body scan is off limits. Instead, it may mean that a top down approach may be preferred or that you should consult a healthcare provider or trained teacher first.

The real question with any mindfulness practice is whether you can feel safe, supported, and alert so that you can do the practice. If this is true for you, then bottom up body scan meditation is one to try.

Where to Try the Bottom Up Body Scan Meditation

You can try the Bottom Up Body Scan Guided Meditation on the Brilliant Legal Mind YouTube channel here:

Like this post? Subscribe to the blog here or follow us on social media:

Laughing Through Meditation: Lessons from Josh Johnson

I have always been a big fan of stand-up comedy and recently this world has collided with my love of mindfulness. It’s now becoming common for comics to talk about meditation in their sets. Most of the time, I can turn my meditation teacher brain off for long enough to get a good laugh out of them.

But when one of my favorite comics, Josh Johnson, took on meditation I couldn’t resist writing about it. I’m a huge fan of Josh Johnson. I’ve seen his tour, watched his comedy special on HBO, and love his appearances on the Daily Show. Johnson is an excellent storyteller and can make you laugh at the tiniest things.

Recently, my husband sent me one of Johnson’s short clips where he talks about trying meditation. It’s quick and hilarious. You should watch it just to laugh. The other good news is that Johnson’s bit points to several very real struggles in meditation practice.

For those of you who want to laugh and learn, this post walks through Josh Johnson’s two-minute clip on meditation. Then it offers teachings to address the problems he mentions.

Don’t Beat Yourself Up When Your Mind Wanders in Meditation

Johnson starts off his bit by correctly mentioning the teaching that you should avoid beating yourself up when your mind wanders from the breath. Of course, he exaggerates the teaching for comic effect. He says that “you should not, you cannot” beat yourself up when your mind wanders.

In reality, this teaching is offered because it is common for people to berate themselves when their minds wander in meditation. It happens to all of us. For this reason, the teaching is not a prohibition like Johnson implies. Rather, it is a guidepost and an invitation to learn self-compassion.

Stated in a more precise way, the teaching really is that meditation is much easier and more effective when you have a kind inner attitude. If you notice yourself getting upset or engaging self-criticism, that’s okay. There is no need to feel like a failure or criticize that. Instead, the answer is just to recognize that you are doing something hard and go back to the breath.

Image with quote that says "meditation pro tips: don't try too hard. Don't expect a clear mind."

Don’t Expect to Have a “Calm Mind”

About 25 seconds into the clip, Johnson correctly describes the practice of bringing one’s attention back to the breath repeatedly during meditation. But he ends it by saying that the goal or the expected end result is a “calm mind.”

Johnson is doing comedy here, so he doesn’t explain what he means by a “calm mind.” If you watch on, though, you can tell that he is equating a calm mind to a clear mind. Stated more directly, this means a non-thinking mind.

In fact, this is not necessarily the goal of meditation.

Some traditions may make this the goal and some teachers even talk about “clear minds” on occasion. For many teachers and traditions (myself included), though, meditation is not about removing thoughts. It does not make thoughts magically disappear and they are not off limits during practice.

Instead, the goal is making peace with thoughts, getting clarity about them, and creating wisdom around them.

Don’t Try Too Hard When You Meditate

With this foundation laid, Johnson dramatically declares that he’s “Going to try to meditate.” He closes his eyes and assumes a stern posture to show how serious he is about it.

Again, this is clearly for comic effect. Even so, it raises a really important point. Johnson is suggesting that good meditation is about being super serious. He’s suggesting that it’s fundamentally about discipline.

If you watch, pause the clip at about 37 seconds and take a look at it. You can see Johnson sitting with his eyes closed tight, appearing like he is trying to force himself to concentrate. Aside from the comic value, this is how a lot of lawyers think meditation is supposed to look.

As I have written before, relaxation, play, and even joy are better approaches. Why? Because you will focus best and learn the most when you are relaxed instead of trying too hard. Discipline matters insofar as you do the practice. But, once you do, ease up, relax, and crack a smile.

Image with quote about meditation that says "Focusing on the breath is not the same as thinking about the breath."

Lotus Pose Is Not Required in Meditation

Next, Johnson attempts the hilarious and impressive feat of demonstrating getting himself into lotus pose while sitting on a stool. This is for laughs and to show how awkward he felt forcing himself this pose for meditation.

Johnson quickly notes, though, that he struggles because he’s not as flexible as he used to be. Then he says his leg fell asleep. Anyone who has meditated for even a few minutes has had these same struggles.

Here’s the truth: meditation can happen in almost any posture. Using a cushion or sitting with legs crossed can be great, but they aren’t required. You can meditate in a chair or you can do so standing or lying down or even walking. Any posture works as long as you feel safe, relaxed, supported, and can stay alert.

In addition, you are allowed to move when you meditate. If your leg falls asleep, the classic teaching is to just notice it. But if it is distracting or uncomfortable enough to really bother you, you are allowed to move. It’s truly okay.

Focusing on the Breath Is Not Thinking about the Breath

Johnson next hilariously showcases a subtle misunderstanding of the directions for breath focus practice. Once he gets himself into position, he says that the object is to “just think about your breath.” He exaggerates this by saying you should “hold onto the ideas of your breath; that’s how you stay present!”

Some teachers and traditions may differ on this, but meditation is not thinking about the breath. Instead, breath focus meditation is about keeping one’s attention with the breath. I teach this to mean feeling the physical sensations of the breath. Other ways of practice also include noting the cycles or parts of the breath.

Thinking about the breath is different than feeling the breath and observing its aspects. When you think about the breath, your awareness is principally in the mind. But when you feel sensations of the breath, your awareness is in the body.

As Johnson comically demonstrates, this distinction matters a lot. All of his thinking about the breath leads inevitably to a long train of thoughts about everything but his breath. This is why it makes a difference to know what your anchor is in meditation. If you know the anchor very precisely, it is easier to stay with and return to your anchor.

Image with quote that says "You probably aren’t doing meditation wrong. The practice is hard. Struggles may be signs you are doing it right. You just might need some support."

What to Do When You See that Your Mind Wandered

Perhaps the funniest part of the clip is when Johnson demonstrates his wandering mind. He goes off on a tangent for about a minute sharing his anxiety about world events. As you can hear, the audience immediately gets it. This is a very relatable thing.

Mind wandering is exactly what you can expect to experience if you try meditation. When you start to notice it, it can be just as hilarious as the mental rant Johnson shared in his clip.

And he announces in dramatic form at the two-minute mark of the clip, “I wandered.” Of course, this is a comedic reckoning. Johnson uses it to show that his pursuit of a calm mind was futile all along and to laugh at himself.

Here’s the thing: the moment where you notice the mind wandering is not a failure. It doesn’t mean you are doing the practice wrong. It means you are doing the practice right because you have seen that your mind is wandering.

In that moment, Johnson woke up from his anxious mental rant. He stopped it. That’s a good thing and a powerful thing once it becomes a trait. The problem was, he didn’t stay with the practice and return to his breath. He judged (in hilarious fashion) the mental pattern. The teaching, of course, is just being kind and going back to the breath.

You Probably Aren’t Doing Meditation Wrong

Of course, Johnson doesn’t do that, at least not in the clip. Instead, he says that “I went ahead and I stopped meditating.” Over the laughter of the audience, he explains that he at least stopped for the time being “Because I was doing it wrong.”

As mentioned above, I think Johnson should give himself more credit. For one thing, his joke make me and lots of other people laugh. In addition, I think he was doing meditation just fine. I don’t think he was truly doing the practice wrong. Instead, as mentioned above, he may have had some expectations about practice that made him think he was doing it wrong.

In addition, the truth is that meditation is not an easy practice to sustain. It’s a simple practice to learn, but it can be hard to sustain. This is because it forces us to confront uncomfortable thoughts and sensations for extended periods of time. For these reasons, struggles in meditation don’t mean you are doing it wrong or it doesn’t work. Struggles can sometimes indicate the opposite.

You Can Always Try Again Later

Johnson says he may try meditation again in the future. Of course, trying again is the only way to learn the practice and see what works best for you.

Because all the struggles Johnson pointed to are common issues, here are a few tips that may make meditation practice a bit easier if you ever decide to start or start again:

Start small;
Make your practice enjoyable;
Find a community;
Find a teacher; and
Consider finding some resources or taking a course.

Like this post? Subscribe to the blog here or follow us on social media:

Can Lawyers Be Convinced that Laziness Does Not Exist?

You can’t ignore a book with a title like Laziness Does Not Exist. It’s bold. Many lawyers might argue that it’s controversial. As soon as I heard it, I knew I had to read it.

Most of you probably aren’t surprised that a mindfulness teacher was interested in a book about laziness. After all, I encourage other lawyers to spend more time doing nothing in this blog on a weekly basis.

But, of course, idleness is not something we lawyers take to easily. As I will share in this review, I loved Laziness Does Not Exist (“LDNE”) by Devon Price because it helps us unpack why we dislike and fear laziness so much. (paid link) It also offers sound practices for gradually unwinding our individual and societal issues around laziness.

Keep reading to learn more about why I liked the book so much and what it may offer to you.

The Book Offers Deep Insights for Lawyers who May Fear Laziness.

Despite it’s seemingly simple title, LDNE is more than an argument about the nonexistence of laziness. Instead, it’s more of a conversation about our cultural and individual feelings about work and effort. It posits that a collection of values around work and productivity have congealed into “the laziness lie.”

These assumptions, asserting that passivity is bad and activity is good, often manipulate us all into a pattern of overwork. As a mindfulness practitioner and teacher, I was already attuned to many red flags of this nature. For instance, I understand that rest is essential and not a reward for good behavior. I have written many times before about the connection between overwork, exhaustion, and striving for perfection. And I have even talked about the idea that doing nothing can sometimes be a power move.

Even so, as I read LDNE, I was repeatedly impressed by how much Price offered deep insights on these subjects. He didn’t skim the surface by making a generic plea for us to appreciate the importance of self-care. Instead, he went deep in explaining how laziness got such a bad rap in our culture. Then he invites each of us to explore how our own fear of being regarded as lazy causes each of us to overwork, whether at work, with our personal habits, or even in our relationships.

In various ways, the book is full of insights. It reframes fundamental issues that will change your mind, whether you start off believing in laziness or not.

Image of question that asks lawyers how often do you call yourself or someone else lazy?

It Also Shares Useful Tips to Help Lawyers to Set Boundaries.

More significantly, the insights in LDNE weren’t offered just to produce “aha” moments. Instead, they are intended to help each of us give ourselves a break. LDNE does this by offering a variety of useful strategies and practices to get oneself out of the grind created by the laziness lie.

Most relevant to lawyers, these include tips and strategies for managing one’s work day and work life. For instance, it explained that small breaks at work can actually boost productivity.Th

Quite correctly, though, the tips are not just restricted to work. In this age of political polarization and upheaval, I found the chapters four and five to be the most useful. In these chapters, Price discussed the traps we can set for ourselves when we get too invested in world and political events or when we try to maximize our achievement even in our leisure time.

I found these chapters useful because I have struggled with both of these things. Despite my busy and stressful law practice, I have still found it a challenge to not take on every social cause as my personal mission. It also can be tough for lawyers to turn our competitive and goal-oriented personas from work when he get home.

This can cause us to track and document on social media every activity in our lives to the point where we leave ourselves no place to rest. It was helpful that the chapters both offered permission and practical strategies to gradually find more ease with these life activities.

A summary of the book review shared in this article of Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price

Encourages compassion and understanding for yourself and others

Perhaps my favorite thing about LDNE is that the overall mission of the book is one that encourages greater compassion and understanding for oneself and others. In the end, the big message that you may get from reading LDNE is that calling someone, including yourself, lazy is often the result of failing to look closely or clearly at a situation.

Price encourages us all to stop reflexively calling ourselves or others lazy when we struggle. Instead, he asks us to look more closely to understand what may be causing the problem. In many situations doing so may help us identify a very logical reason why effort, work, and motivation are a challenge.

But I also appreciated that LDNE also addressed the reality that many of us, especially lawyers, tend to criticize ourselves more than anyone else for alleged laziness. Though I would not call LDNE a self-help book, it does offer some helpful strategies in this regard. It wisely discussed the value of meditation, simply feeling one’s feelings, and even writing about one’s experiences as helpful ways of confronting our own personal hang-ups and self-judgments when it comes to laziness.

Laziness Does Not Exist Is a Good Read for Lawyers

Overall, Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price is an easy to read, insightful, and well-structured book that will change your mind. It will help you identify the ways that worries about laziness come up in your own life and work. It may help you develop strategies to work a little less in ways that aren’t consistent with your values. But the end goal isn’t lazy at all. It is courage to look more clearly at the world, yourself, and other people so that you can act with greater kindness and compassion.

Like this post? Subscribe to the blog here or follow us on social media: