The new year is all about embracing new experiences. The whole point of New Year’s resolutions is to do something that incites change and personal development. Even if you don’t keep each resolution, you still get to embrace those new experiences. And for many people, the biggest change they can make in their personal development is a change in work life.
Shifting away from your old law firm to a new, innovative virtual law firm can seem daunting at first. To help it feel less daunting, we’re sharing 13 new experiences you can embrace when you take the leap.
13 new experiences you can have in this new year
1. Take up a new hobby
Do you have a set of golf clubs collecting dust in the garage? Or maybe an old guitar that’s been out of tune a few years too many? Picking up a hobby takes time. Time is one of those things that seems to run out faster than anything else. When you finally have the freedom and flexibility to work on your schedule during your most productive hours, you’ll find you have more time to do things like golf or music. Not only is it fun for you, it’s also a new experience that helps you connect with clients.
2. Pick up your kids from school
School pick up is an experience in and of itself. Emotions run high, chaos ensues, and it can sometimes feel like a game of demolition derby. But, you get to be the first person your kids see right after school. You immediately know how their day went and hear all the ups and downs. Some of your best conversations are in those few uninterrupted minutes during your drive home.
3. Enjoy family breakfast
If you’re the type that grabs a thermos of coffee and rushes out the door while the family is just starting their day, you know you’re missing out on precious experiences. Start your day with your family when you work at a virtual law firm. Enjoy experimenting with new coffee creations at home while talking about what’s coming up in everyone’s days. Experience being present at all times of the day, instead of that short hour or two after you get back from the office.
4. Explore new areas of law
It’s easy to get forced into a narrow lane at a big firm. As you practice longer, you may realize you’re interested and skilled in other areas of law. You want to gain more experience, but that isn’t what the law firm envisions for you. At Practus, you have the autonomy and opportunity to focus on the areas of law that you know can best help your clients. Collaboration is a big part of our culture, so you know you’ll be working with some of the highest-caliber lawyers around.
5. Travel with family
The concept of Practus was founded while John Lively moved his family abroad to Argentina working as a fully virtual attorney. The experiences, memories, and growth that they had while living together in another culture is just something that’s not possible when you’re limited by PTO and lack of virtual infrastructure. Maybe you haven’t traveled as much as you’d like because you’re part of the 55% of Americans that let PTO lapse each year. Whatever your reason was before, travel is coming back and can be an amazingly enriching experience for you in this new year.
6. Build a business
If you have an entrepreneurial drive and have been on the fence, use this year to finally take that leap. You know how to serve your clients, you know how to make connections: imagine embracing that drive with the support of a back-office team. You get to focus on finally having the autonomy you need to launch your entrepreneurial side while we take care of the behind-the-scenes work.
7. Train for a half marathon
When you spend most of your life in the office, it’s challenging to set time aside to do something just for you. By the time you get home, you’re tired and just want to relax, spend time with family, or even get right back to work. Imagine if all your commute time could be spent training for an epic feat like running a half marathon or hiking your first 14er – that’s an experience worth exploring.
8. Attend school sporting events
Whether your kid is an allstar athlete or just starting out in a new sport, you can be there to support them at each event. Most traditional firms don’t give the flexibility to attend games, matches, etc. every single week, let alone travel to away games. You can finally have this experience while making memories with your kids.
9. Learn a new skill
Venture out this year and try something different. Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn how to crochet or speak a new language. This year can finally be the time where you expand your horizons by learning something completely new.
10. Grab happy hour with friends
When you’re in the office, it’s hard to get out early enough to enjoy happy hour with colleagues, family, or friends. But when you’re in the driver’s seat and your schedule has built in flexibility, you can now experience delicious food in your community with people that you enjoy.
11. Create a work of art
People who do creative projects in their free time perform 15-30% higher on performance evaluations and are more likely to come up with creative solutions. Who knew arts and crafts could actually make you a better lawyer?
12. Volunteer
Between work, family, and self-care, it can be challenging to find time to help others. It becomes a lot easier when you’re in control of your schedule. And as a lawyer, you have amazing skills that can help the community around you – sitting on non-profits’ boards, giving your time through pro bono hours, or even volunteering at your kids’ school. This is one of those new experiences that keeps on giving.
13. Bring your pet to work… every single day
One in five US households got a dog or cat during the pandemic – that’s 23 million American families. Maybe you were one of those 23 million, and now going into the office leaves your new pup, Bentley, sad and alone. The great thing about making the shift to a virtual law firm is that you can now experience what it’s like to bring your pet to work every day.
A lot has changed over the last couple years. Work-life balance is more important than ever as we lean into the unknown of what 2022 will bring. While you might not know exactly which new experiences you’ll have, you now have some insights into just how much is possible when you have an entrepreneurial spirit and a work-life balance that you’ve always wanted. It’s up to you to have the new experiences you want in the new year.
Contact me at Stephanie.Recupero@practus.com if you’re interested in joining Practus and embracing all your new experiences.
