Cultivate Work-Life Synergy: A Guide For Women Lawyers

Arnie Herz of Legal Sanity fame wrote a really useful article at the Complete Lawyer:  Cultivate Work-Life Synergy:  A Guide For Women Lawyers.

In it he discusses ways in which to assess your current career satisfaction and ways to pinpoint areas that might need change in order to increase your wellbeing. 

Rather than "balance", he prefers the term "synergy".  I've toyed with the idea of "elasticity", which is sort of in keeping with his concept of synergy.  I think I like the idea of work/life synergy.

How about you?

From the article:

Women lawyers have been on the leading edge of this larger cultural and professional trend. Acknowledging that they want work that’s rewarding on all levels, they’re seeking what I call work-life synergy.

Work life synergy is not the same as work-life balance (a highly-charged topic that’s garnered a lot of media attention and brings people off the sidelines to debate the business and practice of law)...

(T)he American Heritage Dictionary defines “synergy” as the interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects. Seen through this lens, work and life aren’t separate and competing forces: they intertwine. There’s no duality that compels statements like “live to work” or “work to live.” Synergy results when you infuse your life with meaning...

With a healthy dose of self-inquiry and candor, you can gain insight into what’s meaningful to you by investigating how your work as a lawyer typically impacts your energy state. Like a detective, examine how your daily professional doings—including the people and issues you engage and the interactions you have—augment or deplete your energy. Do they make you feel upbeat, positive and excited or bring you stress, anger, resent ment or even physical illness?...

If your work-life connection is out of sync, you need to reassess what you’re doing, how you’re doing it or who you’re doing it for or with. Keeping this energy-meaning connection in mind, it’s easy to see that you can experience work-life synergy when you:·

Manage your time effectively
Form mutually energizing relationships
Perform tasks that you’re passionate about...

When you hone your skill set and cultivate this synergy in your life, you maximize your experi ence and effectiveness as a legal service provider. You also send the important message that you won’t tolerate professional and workplace environments that fail to support your intention to find and sustain meaning in your everyday pursuits.