Finding Balance Between Client Work and Personal Life

For years, I said yes to client demands, believing that's what "good service" meant. I used to think it meant being available 24/7. But what I've learned is this: when you set no boundaries, you serve nobody well. Not your family. Not your existing clients. Not even the demanding client themselves. I now have a simple rule: I work about 8 hours a day—no more. This isn't laziness. It's deliberate. As Cal Newport points out, there's an infinite supply of work for knowledge workers. The work will never be "done." So I had to make a choice: • Work around the clock trying to finish everything • Or set firm boundaries and prioritize ruthlessly I chose boundaries. When clients now say, "This has to be done tonight," I respond with clarity: "I'm not the lawyer for you. That's not what I do." What happens next? • Some clients fire me (good) • Some adjust their expectations (better) • All get better representation (best) Because here's what I've found: a well-rested attorney who's present with his family makes better decisions than one who's constantly exhausted and resentful. Like Parkinson's Law says: "Work expands to fill the time available for its completion." If I give myself unlimited time, the work takes unlimited time. When I stick to 8 hours, somehow the important stuff still gets done. The clients who stay understand this boundary isn't about laziness—it's about sustainability. And over time, they start respecting my time more than the clients who left ever did. Setting boundaries isn't selfish. It's the only way to serve clients effectively for the long haul. Follow for more insights on building a practice that serves both your clients and your life. #LegalPractice #Boundaries #WorkLifeBalance

I always hear professionals say things like, "My family is most important. If my wife calls, I'll step out of any meeting to take that call." This is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard... Here's why: For years, I struggled with the traditional concept of work-life balance. I thought I was failing because I couldn't neatly separate my day into "work time" (8-5) and "family time" (evenings and weekends). The reality? Legal careers don't work that way. Unlike other jobs where the employee can clock out after a shift, attorneys are mentally "on call" almost constantly. I'd feel guilty answering emails at night, then guilty again for missing family moments during the day. It was lose-lose until I finally realized something important: Work-life balance in law isn't about equal BLOCKS of time - it's about being fully PRESENT in smaller CHUNKS of time throughout your day. Here's what I mean: When I drop my kids at school in the morning, that's family time. I'm present, not checking emails. When I'm in client meetings, that's work time. I'm focused there. If my daughter has a tennis tournament at 3pm, I leave work early. That's family time. After dinner, I might work for a few hours. That's work time again. For this to work, you need two things: 1) A family that understands your career involves trade-offs (sometimes working nights, but also flexibility during traditional work hours) 2) A workplace that trusts you to manage your time (not measuring value by hours in a seat) And here's where many attorneys get it wrong: My wife knows she can call anytime, but I won't always answer. If it's truly urgent, she'll call twice, and I'll step out. But we both understand that an important client meeting shouldn't be interrupted to talk about what we're having for dinner. This isn't about prioritizing work over family. It's about respecting both by giving each your full attention when appropriate. Old-school law firms struggle with this. If a partner walks by and you're not in your seat, they assume you're slacking—never mind the four hours you put in after your kids went to bed. Legal careers demand flexibility. Sometimes emergencies happen during vacations. Sometimes you miss work for family events. Neither means you're failing at balance. Balance isn't about perfectly equal time. It's about being intentional with the time you have, wherever you are.

I Was Drowning In Busy Season! (Then I Found This Mental Hack) Ever felt your brain was being pulled in 8 different directions at once? That was me a few months back. 4 different clients. Long hours workweeks. 1 auditor - Me. And the problem wasn't the amount of work. It was something far more dangerous. My mind was constantly shifting: From Task A to Task B. From Client 1 to Client 3. From urgent email to random ping. Each switch felt like it drained a little more of my mental battery. Until one week, I hit empty. Know that feeling of heaviness in your head? When your thoughts feel like they're wading through mud? That's where I was. But I refused to accept this as "just part of the job." There had to be a better way. And after weeks of experimenting, I found 3 mental hacks that saved my sanity. These aren't your typical productivity tips. These are survival techniques for anyone juggling multiple clients. Here's what worked for me: 1. Your Brain is Not a Storage Device Your mind wasn't designed to remember things. It was designed to GET THINGS DONE. So stop forcing it to be your to-do list. Every time a manager pinged me with a request, I immediately wrote it down in OneNote. Not tomorrow. Not "when I have time." IMMEDIATELY. Then I'd mentally release it. Think of your brain like your smartphone – when too many apps are running in the background, everything slows down. Close those background apps. 2. Treat Client-Facing Tasks Like Hot Potatoes When juggling multiple clients, everything seems urgent. But here's the truth: Not all urgent tasks are created equal. My breakthrough came when I realized this simple rule: Anything that goes directly to a client takes absolute priority. Emails. Deliverables. Meeting preparations. Think of them as hot potatoes – get them off your plate FIRST. Everything else? It can wait for 25 minutes. 3. The 25-Minute Forcefield I started using the Pomodoro Technique – 25 minutes of intense focus, followed by a 5-minute break. During those 25 minutes, I created a mental forcefield around myself. No emails. No Slack pings. No team check-ins. Just me and ONE task. Unless you're in a live client meeting, NOTHING is so urgent it can't wait 25 minutes. The most surprising benefit? This practice didn't just save my work life – it saved my personal life too. Before, even when talking with my parents, my mind would wander to pending tasks. Now, I'm fully present wherever I am. If you're in a client-facing role juggling multiple projects, these techniques aren't optional – they're essential for your mental health. Are you constantly task-switching? What techniques have worked for you? If you enjoyed reading this, it's a snippet from my FREE weekly newsletter where I share everything about my audit lessons and concepts. #audit #productivity #mentalhealth #consulting #clientmanagement

Thinking of trading your 9-5 for the freedom of contract or consulting work? Here are 5 challenges I'm facing and how I'm working to overcome them. 1. Irregular Income 📊 Solution? - Plan for low-income months by saving during high-income months (duh) - Work to convert some of your clients into long-term and ongoing customers. That known income helps make financial planning each month much less stressful. 2. Lack of Benefits⚕️ Solution? - Acquire insurance via self-employed or national marketplaces - Consider moving to your partner's insurance - If you're under 26 (at least in CA) you may qualify to remain on your parents' insurance 3. Market Instability 〽️ Solution: - Keep an eye on trends in favored platforms or skill demand, prioritizing professional learning where you have minimal experience and that allows you to build easily transferable skills. (For example, learning HubSpot really helps you understand the backbone of a CRM and transfers pretty nicely to SF or other CRMs.) - Connect with others consistently. Even if you're not in the market for a new client now - you might be tomorrow. 4. Work-Life Balance 💼⚖️🛋️ (p.s. this is my Achilles heel) Solution? Use your calendar to block time. I even block family time so that I'm not tempted to take a spur-of-the-moment meeting with a client who wants to brainstorm. - Set clear expectations with clients. "I'm available from [time] to [time]." "I'll have an answer by [eod tomorrow]." "You're welcome to text me though I may not get to it until tomorrow." And then stick to them. - If you can, I recommend having your workspace be somewhere that is not in your living space. (My office is in my basement and that has helped... somewhat lol) - If you're really struggling, consider removing some of your client communications from your phone and reserving that for when you're at your computer. 5. Lack of job security 😨 Solution: - Like above, connect with people and learn about their pain points. The more businesses and people you understand, the better positioned you are to understand how you might contribute to their success (and bring in some much-needed cash!). Contract work in any industry can be challenging, but with reasonable expectations and good planning, it can be a great way to work on projects you align with while still paying the bills! How do you navigate contract work in EdTech? Share your experiences in the comments! #EdTech #ContractWork #Consulting #TransitioningTeachers #Entrepreneurs #Solopreneurs

Managing multiple clients solo can be brutal. But it's possible with the right systems. Here’s 4 that help me: 1/ Work with fewer clients I once juggled 5 clients at the same time. The context switching was too much. Even “light” projects drained my energy. Now I charge more, and take on less. 2–3 clients max works for me. 2/ Lean into async communication Slack, Loom, & Figma comments are my go-to. Of course meetings have to happen. But async comms lessen the need. 3/ Stay ridiculously organized Every review = detailed notes and tasks. I don’t rely on memory anymore. It keeps projects moving without confusion. When I sit down to work I know what's next. 4/ Protect my energy My daily gym habit keeps me energized. It gets me out of the house to clear my head. I stop working at 6pm to hang with family. I try to spend as much time outside as I can. Golfing weekly with friends is also a boost. Freelancing gets chaotic fast. But it doesn't have to get out of control. You don’t need more hours. You need more structure.