Everyday life for a City solicitor can be frantic and intense. Long working hours and long commutes. The lockdown has created unexpected extra time for many City lawyers.
Often in life, people complain that they don’t have enough time, and then when they have it, they don’t know what to do with it!
Make the lockdown count.
What outcomes do you want from the upsides of the lockdown period? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to focus on your career strategy and think about what major changes you want to make in your life and career.
Which of these things would you like to retain once the lockdown is lifted on an ongoing basis?
- More regular contact with family and friends
- Daily exercise
- Home cooking
- Time to think and reflect
- Less pollution
- Greater awareness of health
- A heightened sense of personal space
- A greater sense of community and making a difference
- Acknowledging others and giving appreciation
- Working from home
- Enjoying a creative hobby
- Being actively involved in your child’s schooling
- Noticing nature in all its glory
- Volunteering to help vulnerable people
The additional time as a result of the lockdown is enabling many people to think deeply about who they are and what they want. What changes will you make?
Here are some suggestions on actions to take to come out of the lockdown period on the front – not back – foot.
- VUCA world: VUCA = volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. What qualities (such as resilience) do you need to develop to deal with ‘the new normal’?
- Personal brand: What makes you unique? What three words best express this?
- Trends: What trends are affecting your clients, markets and legal specialism, and what new innovation can you initiate and influence to address changing client needs?
- Specialism: How can you develop your legal specialism to build your competitive advantage and make you more marketable in future?
- Career capital: What public speaking, webinars or thought leadership would build your profile?
- CPD: What training or accreditation if you did it would enhance your credibility and career prospects?
- Spring cleaning: What needs ‘spring cleaning’ in your life or work?
- Career vision: What’s your long-term career vision? How can you make it happen?
- SMART career goal and plan: Most people ‘fall into’ their careers. Did you? What’s your new career goal and how can you now shape your career plan?
We cannot always influence the world – after all, who could have predicted coronavirus – but we can influence our own world, even in uncertain times.
What one decision or change that if you made it during lockdown would have a significant positive impact on your life or career?
Make the most of your time at home. Don’t count the days: make the days count.
More information
Check out the career webinars and case studies in the career advice section and Law Society Learning.
Rachel Brushfield is ‘The Talent Liberator’, and founder of EnergiseLegal, established 1997. She helps liberate her clients’ growth potential and create uplifting breakthroughs at major career and business crossroads. Rachel was a judge in the Marketing and Communications category of the 2019 Law Society Excellence Awards.
Rachel is the author of two books for the Law Society: