A drive to succeed is what got you through law school. You worked incredibly hard, stayed up till dawn, studied and crammed until your brain tissue began to melt a bit, and went neck-to-neck with thousands of other bright, determined young people. That motivation worked wonders for you then.
But refocusing your motivation as a solo attorney can feel a bit different. Now, instead of only competing with others, you’re competing with your own energy levels, drive, and attention alongside other local attorneys. Doing so the right way can mean the difference between punishing yourself and burning out or truly thriving professionally and personally.
So what’s the difference between masochism and momentum? How do you stay energetic, and what warning signs indicate that you’re pushing yourself a bit too hard? Let’s break down some key sticking points below.
I’m an introvert. I need to recharge by sitting in the backyard and staring at bugs, reading, and listening to bluegrass on an old MP3 player. Large social events exhaust and terrify me. But there’s a key difference between being an introvert on a personal level and being an isolationist professionally.
While I feel more energized when alone, I also work professionally with a team of bright, creative, and wonderfully helpful people. If I’m struggling with something, I can ask questions or reach out. If I need a resource, I send an email requesting it. Attempting to do every single thing alone on a professional level would be exhausting, frustrating, and disorienting.
When you have support, work feels more enjoyable. Doing everything on your own? You might feel like you’re accomplishing a lot, but your momentum won’t last. Your brain will simply overload and begin to power down after a while. Soon, you’re misplacing files and sending letters to the wrong clients while staying up until 2 am most days.
A better solution? Allow others to help you. Delegate less central tasks to a trusted partner, keep your momentum healthy, and reserve your enthusiasm and energy levels for representation, client meetings, strategizing, and evidence review. That’s where your talent, education, skills, and qualifications will truly shine.
I remember a (somewhat) funny shirt I saw years ago that read “Technically, alcohol is a solution”. And while beer and whiskey are soluble, they’re not meant to energize a career, numb professional stress, or make an impossible workload more manageable.
Neither is caffeine. Neither are other (perhaps less legal) substances. The harder you work yourself without the right support systems, the more likely you are to turn to alcohol or drugs for help and energy. And the more serious your dependency on these substances becomes, the less well you work.
It’s a terrible cycle, and the loneliness of being a solo attorney with no one to help shoulder the burden certainly doesn’t help. Momentum is not meant to be sustained artificially or chemically. Real momentum comes from an interest in your work, the desire to continue working, and the bandwidth to handle central tasks with attention and genuine interest.
Masochism begins to set in when you refuse to slow down, stress yourself beyond your mental limits, and resort to chemicals to keep your energy levels up or anxiety levels suppressed. Real solutions begin to take shape when you adopt a workflow that is sustainable, get enough rest, and don’t tax your mind and nervous system beyond what they can handle.
Psychologically, the term “masking” means “concealing your true feelings to fit in or conform to social expectations”. In a professional context, this often means hiding exhaustion, dismay, dread, or a growing discomfort with workloads.
A new case is supposed to bring a sense of excitement. If it brings up a feeling of anxiety (“Oh, man, not more work…”), you can begin to try to hide that anxiety between a false cheer, enthusiasm, and the lie that “everything is ok”. Pretending that you can handle excessive mountains of work, however, is not going to sustain or improve your momentum.
If you’re already tired and feeling worn thin, pretending you’re enjoying the pace will lead to burnout even faster. If you’re not ok, you’re not ok. You can not generate genuine momentum from false levity.
You can, however, face your negative feelings, admit to the dread, and get support systems in place that can help you breathe, clear your desk, and actually enjoy meeting a new client.
Some attorneys genuinely believe that the harder they work and the less free time they have, the more valuable they are professionally. They’re working six, seven days a week. They never take time off. Birthdays, sporting events, or anniversary parties? “Sorry, can’t. I’ve got this case I’m working on.”
Their excessive workload makes them feel needed, irreplaceable. And while you’re certainly irreplaceable on a human level, refusing to take any time off isn’t a sign of a healthy pace or high momentum. It’s a sign that you’re confusing busyness with genuine professional value.
The reality is that actual momentum is generated through rest, not by avoiding it. To keep working at a healthy pace and maintain a love of what you do, your body and mind need downtime. It doesn’t matter how old you are. 30. 48. 61. At every age, an adult needs several hours a week to rest, take their minds off work, and recharge for the week ahead.
But this isn’t possible if you’re doing 20 or more hours of administrative work per week. You’re running your mind and body ragged in an attempt to do more, be more, and prove your worth. A better solution? Work 40 hours per week. Go home. Rest. Take Saturdays off. Head to a music festival. Reconnect with your interests outside of the office.
The added energy you get from reasonable working hours will fuel actual momentum, allowing you to head back to your clients with drive, interest, and the energy levels to truly work at your best.
So here’s what fuels actual momentum:
Interestingly, actual momentum isn’t generated by doing more. It’s generated by realizing patterns, taking action, and freeing yourself to do less, but with greater enthusiasm and focus. In the process, you achieve far more.
More court wins. Better plea deals negotiated. Stronger and more detailed estate plans for clients. And better outcomes for fathers and mothers facing a divorce.
Need to rebound on your momentum and toss away harmful self-torture for good? Let an ILA help. You’re already an excellent lawyer. You just need the support system in place to regain your energy.
Grace Singh is a writer and editor for DocketWorks. She enjoys bridging services and client needs in ways that are meaningful, memorable, and human-focused, even as technology continues to change. When she’s not at her home office, she enjoys nature walks, reading, and brewing coffee.