If this week feels hard, you’re not alone

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”

— Maya Angelou

Happy new year!

Who am I kidding? Let’s be real – no one is feeling happy this week.

It’s the first full working week after the holidays. 

For many of us, Christmas and New Year are a strange mix of stress and relief. We spend weeks rushing to get everything done, and then just as we start to relax, enjoying the lie ins, good food and drink, and switching off a little – SNAP! It’s suddenly over.

And then we’re back in work.

Back to emails.
Back to billing.
Back to clients, targets and expectations.
Back to all the things that didn’t get done in December.

It can feel quite brutal. 

So, if you’re struggling this week, I have an important message:

Be kind to yourself.

This week is about getting through, not being an excellent high performer.

No lofty goals. No dramatic new year resolutions (ha, as if!). Just getting through it.

Protect the asset

There’s a phrase I come back to again and again, particularly at times like this:

Protect the asset.

And by asset, I mean you.

Your energy.
Your health.
Your capacity to think clearly and do good work.

This idea comes from the excellent book Essentialism by Greg McKeown, which I honestly think should be essential reading for female lawyers. If you haven’t read it, stop what you’re doing and go and buy it immediately! It’s that good. 

So many women in law are conscientious, capable and committed. We say yes. We step in. We keep things moving. And often, we do that by putting ourselves at the back of the queue.

But McKeown’s central message is a powerful one:

If you don’t deliberately choose what truly matters, everything else will choose for you.

A few ideas from the book that feel especially relevant right now:

• Less but better
  Not everything deserves your time and energy, even if you can do it.

• Boundaries are not selfish
  They’re what protect your ability to show up well over the long term.

• Recovery is not optional
  High performance without rest isn’t sustainable, and January can feel very long if you start it already depleted.

• If it isn’t a clear yes, it’s a no
  Even pausing before automatically agreeing is a form of self-protection.

This way of thinking matters all year, but it matters especially in January, when energy is low and expectations feel high.

Enjoy the rest of your week. Or just get through it. Either way, I will be here, cheering you on.

Rachel