Big law. I liked it because it provided the panic-like environment that keeps me motivated enough to do work, but I’m struggling because being in a constant state of panic is extremely exhausting physically and mentally. But I’m having a hard time getting motivated if there is no fire drill. Anyone found anything on that has helped?

likehelpful
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

Nope, just over here taking years off of my life either stressing about not being able to work or putting my adrenal system into overdrive to meet a deadline that became a fire drill because I couldn’t get started earlier. Rinse and repeat.

like

This is where I’m at and I’m frustrated because I really want to improve my physical and mental health but I keep nuking myself.

like

I completely understand that. I feel like relying on the state of panic negatively impacted my health before I started to slow down. Sometimes, intentionally slowing down & reminding myself WHY I want to get something done (whether money, advancement, etc.) helps motivate me. I know it seems counterintuitive, but slowing way down seems to help me reset my brain and nervous system, personally. I know it can be different for everyone.

like

What specifically do you mean by “slow down”?

I’ve totally been there and I agree the fire drill—to-lull nature of the job makes us addicted to adrenaline and practically useless when there isn’t any urgency. Also, in terms of ADHD, non-urgent, non-interesting work that takes hours and hours to complete is arguably the hardest kind of task to motivate our brains to start. You need to hack your way through this one. I’ve tried a ton of different “hacks” and still struggle with this issue, but some days are better than others and some hacks do in fact help.

Many people find the pomodoro technique helpful (set a timer for 15 minutes, work during that time, and then take a 5 minute break when the 15 minutes ends). The hack is tricking your brain into just starting the task because working for 15 minutes is much more palatable than thinking about the entire 10 hours of work you need to do for the project. And because inertia creates momentum, usually that first 15 minute set gets the ball rolling into a good hyper focus session for a few hours.

If that doesn’t work for you, another hack I highly suggest is body doubling. You can either use a website like focusmate, or even better, if you have a co-worker friend that you trust, set times on your calendars to be on zoom or teams together and during that time you just work on your own projects. You don’t talk to each other during this time, you just work on your own thing. I love this hack because it’s actually amazing how focused I get when I can see someone else working right in front of me and my camera is on, so there is accountability on my end if I’m goofing off.

See if either of those help!

like

Look at fast paced, quick turnaround transactional work that might (might) have better work life balance in the future after you have accumulated some wealth where you are.

like

Yup. I didn’t know I had adhd when I fell into my practice area (business immigration). It’s super fast paced and always seems like there’s something urgent. And thank god it’s that way or it never would’ve sustained my interest and motivation.

like

I simply ensure i am constantly in a fire drill. But yes i very much relate. I am good at this where im bad at everything else that "requires discipline" because this alone seems to consistently demand hyperfocus.

like

Do the math of how much you need to make before you can consider other ventures. Student loans, house downpayment, decent cash nest egg.

like

@A2, that’s rough. The benefit of in-house isn’t just WLB, it’s the equity comp. Cash goes out quick, but RSU’s silently grow. That’s realistically the only way to buy in a VHCOL today unless you’re bringing in 7 figure comp

like

Totally relate on the panic/fear-based motivation. It’s draining !

like

I was terrible at plaintiff’s and defendant’s civil personal injury litigation that could drag on for years.

Much of what I do now is long-term care Medicaid applications, which moves very quickly. It is much better for me since by the time I am bored with that matter it is over. That being said, I meet with clients in the evenings and weekends often. But, that is at my choice because I am much more likely to have their undivided attention then.

like

I know what you mean. Left BigLaw and almost miss the adrenaline! I keep myself challenged with interesting side jobs when I have time, but like having my much less stressful FT role to fall back on.

Related Posts

My therapist just told me I'm depressed..do you ever feel like they tell you things you hear a lot or could have figured out on your own? Like take care of yourself, it's ok to feel such and such, etc. I'm still newer to therapy so wondering if that's the common experience? Do you ever have moments where you're like wow that actually is eye opening and I wouldn't have gotten that from reading self help books and websites etc?

like

Just want to get a sense of how everyone’s view is like in different countries..
With the surge of monkeypox cases, have y’all pause all the actions until you get the vaccines? (State your country)

like

Quick question I’m new to running - I got some new shoes yesterday and ran in them today is it common to lose some time initially? If so how much per mi. Just trying to see if this was a mental thing?

My Imposter’s Syndrome is making me more anxious and depressed everyday. I know I can do better but I feel like I will never be successful :(

like

I might have to do a 15 minute presentation at a recruiting event tonight if no one else volunteers. I'm a first year and I have extremely bad anxiety especially when it comes to presenting. Im so scared of making a fool out of myself in front of my coworkers and potentially embarrassing the firm if I can't pull it together. Anyone have any advice or had similar experiences?

like

Is it a good idea to tell my lead that I am about to have a mental breakdown? I am going through something personal, and this busy season hasn’t been easy for me. I requested pto, but basically was told that it is not appropriate to use pto in busy season. I am on the edge of quitting , but I think I should at least try to talk to someone before I give my notice. Any advice for this situation?

like

Hi Fellow Fishes,

Did you get your full body check ups done?

Ever since we all started WFH, did you notice any change in those readings?

like

Does anyone know if FIS Global still has a vaccine mandate? Fiserv lifted theirs as of June 1st even for new hires.

like

What's your go-to move to stay up at night and be productive when you are exhausted and just want to crash?

like

Haven’t heard from this girl (potential friend, met on bumble BFF) in a few weeks, since Easter. Said she has covid since last week and was quarantining.

like

Today was day 3 without Adderall (1st work day) & I felt extremely tired and sleepy all day. Any ideas on how to make my detox go easier? My 1 cup of Starbucks cold brew was useless lol

like

Bankruptcy folks—are we gonna get slammed soon? Or are we dealing with another false alarm álá COVID-19/2020?

like

Stressing about my gestational diabetes test Tuesday. I have a lot of risk factors and have been feeling horrible lately after feeling not so bad for the last 2 months :/

like

Diagnosed with ADHD at 40. Tried Vyvanse for a couple of months. It works in terms of depriving grogginess, afternoon post meal crash, and suppressing appetite (at times).

However, I still needed help planning/prioritizing my day,  listening and active note taking, and keeping myself accountable. So decided to replace meds with coffee. Also, the fact that most people on meds had to progressively increase their medication over time did not sit well with me. (cont'd)

like

Haven’t heard from my wife since Wednesday.
She’s a addicted to drugs and I paid for her to go to rehab in Atlanta. She travelled back to California after 2 weeks and has been missing since then.

likefunny

Perhaps a cure for the virus? 🤔

Post Photo
likefunnyupliftinghelpful

Is it normal for the doctor’s office to not tell you how much your visit is before hand?

For context, I saw one derm for a mole and he referred me to a different derm. This visit already cost $350 with insurance. Now I’m scheduling first a consultation with derm 2 and his office is not giving me a quote for the consultation. I’m worried that this consultation plus the removal will run into thousands of dollars.

like

Has anyone successfully dealt with scar tissue? I had a missed miscarriage at 9 weeks and a d&c. Had a 2nd d&c because there was more tissue. Then did an egg retrieval and before the transfer we did a hysteroscopy and found scar tissue. Removed the scar tissue, uterine balloon, and 4 weeks of estrogen therapy. Just did another hysteroscopy and some of the scar tissue came back AND I had an enormous amount of polyps from the estrogen. All of that was removed today and I have another (continued)

like

I realized today that I’ve been struggling with my anxiety and depression more than usual recently. It’s hard for me to accept because for once, I’m not anxious about work - I’m finally somewhere where I’m doing what I love with good, smart people and a team culture that actually puts its money where its mouth is re: work/life balance.
But today I realized that my recent sadness and anxiety has nothing to do with me and my life at all - (cont’d in comments)

like

Received my first prenatal massage at 19 weeks today and the therapist was trained and did a bit of myofascial stretching techniques. Never touched my stomach. Just lower back, arms, legs and feet. I have had cramps in my abdominal area since a few hours after the massage. Not sure if it’s cramps or stretching pains. Drinking a ton of water to flush out toxins, but is this pain normal?

like

More Posts

How are RSM accounting advisory hours?

like
like
like

Hi Fishes,
Anyone whose LWD is in First week of October did you guys receive any seperation session invite yet ?

like

Hi guys... I ll be joining TCS sometime in Feb for LYD project (Lyondell Basell) . Does anyone here have any idea about how good is this project for SAP ? Onsite opportunities available?

like

How many leaves can we take during the notice period?

like

Don't hate me but Brookly style pizza >>> Chicago deep dish, any day, any time.

like

Hi Marketing folks, I have a SEO freelancer blog writer, quote me each 800 SEO blogs = $120, and we need about 10blogs each month. Is this a good price? Should I ask him how many keywords include? And any suggestion on SEO blog length and post frequency? Really appreciate any suggestion, thank you!!

like

Anyone have any luck getting their hands on a new sub no date? Lot of ADs won’t even give a timeline or waitlist option. Anyone having different experience or have any suggestions? Thanks

I've been thinking of selling my chronograph planet ocean. I've had it for probably 10 years but have worn it maybe twice.

Any suggestions on how to best go about this (private vs dealer sale)? Is there such a thing as an online watch market that anyone could recommend?

like

I get matches on dating apps and I never feel like responding. On Hinge for example, I send a like with a message for their prompt. They send back a message and I just look and it and let it sit there. Idk what’s wrong with me. I want to go on dates but thinking about the whole “talk phase” is really off putting. I met up with someone on the apps a year ago and became friends for a while before I ended it because I was overwhelmed with life. I don’t want to redo this again. Dating is so hard 🥹

likefunny

Me, a manly man, when I see a spider:

Post Photo
funnylike

What would you tell your first year self?

like

Anyone have any solid technical analysis suggesting if we re going back to lows?

like

MDs - do you insist that nurses / staff / patients refer to your title as Dr. so and so; or do you allow people to address you by your first name?

like

Is the swimming pool at Amazon's bagmane tech park office free to use for Amazon Employees?

🌟What's happening Wednesday🌟
What's going on in Charlotte? Let's use this thread to share events, concerts, holiday festivities, and other fun things happening in the city this weekend!

like

Full day of activities planned. Thought I woke up late only to realize day lights savings time. Thank goodness😊

like

So I know this will sound crazy ... but I've never really had to have a portfolio, in the conventional sense, but a current offer is asking for one. What's the best way to build one out? Thanks!

likefunny

For consultants that travel often Mon - Thur and have various east cost clients, how is it like to live in Los Angeles or the west coast? I’m trying to decide between NY and LA for office location, and hope to return to LA as it is my hometown, but did hear some horrible stories about 3-4 am meetings, 4:00 am airports etc

like

Additional Posts in Lawyers with ADHD

Well this is new and fun.

Post Photo
like

I’m a 9th year in Big Law and have been struggling to get much work done the last 1.5 months. Mentioned this to my doctor at my recent visit, and she offered to increase my Vyvanse dosage, but I told her I wanted to see if it got better soon. I’m wondering now if it’s burnout. Anyone else experience burnout and see a decrease in the effectiveness of your meds, and if so, how did you overcome it?

like

I know I’ve seen a few similar posts before in the past, but do you guys have preferred/recommended apps to keep you organized and productive with work? I have my work calendar and synced through outlook on my phone, but just looking for suggestions to keep everything as organized as possible.

like

Whelp….came in to the office today to catch up on various projects and instead ended up hyperfixating and spent 4 hours revising a single letter.

like

How do you guys get out of unproductive loops? I'm constantly starting something, staring at it, switching tasks, making no progress, and the cycle continues...

like

What are your best tips and strategies for keeping track of time and billing during the day? I recently went from a practice where my workload and tasks were 6-8 hour blocks a day (primarily taking days long deps) to one where I do a blend of litigation and litigation management. I’m finding that I’m missing huge chunks of time at the end of the day and I have no idea where it’s going.

like

How is your sense of directions? Mine is absolutely terrible and I suspect it has something to do with my ADHD.

like

Life coach/adhd coach - is it worth it? Just for accountability?
For more - can they even help with executive functioning and developing work systems, when they are non lawyers, who don't know what I'm going through or how to navigate the legal system? I see stuff online for adhd coaches for attorneys and I'm afraid I'm going to pay for common sense stuff that doesn't actually help.

All the other attorneys I know are too busy to mentor me through something like this, or hold my hand...

like

I was diagnosed with ADHD in the first grade along with dyslexia and dysgraphia. I’m also positive that I should have been diagnosed with dyscalculia. Sometimes in my work, I say/do/write things that are obvious symptoms of these disabilities but my mentor attorney acts like I’m just making lazy, stupid mistakes. Does anyone else still feel like these childhood learning disabilities are not acknowledged as a real thing by adults?

like

I hate people defending themselves or others who use ADHD meds recreationally. Like I shouldn’t blame them for all the trouble I have to go to every month to get my prescriptions because it’s a bigger societal problem. 🙄

like

Has anyone tried Modafinil for ADHD?

like

Been a rough week here and quitting has crossed my mind more than once. What keeps you guys motivated and inspired on the job?

like

Lit associates-what all do you delegate to your assistant? What do you ask them to do that helps you manage your symptoms?

like