Making The Hours of Your Life Worth More ™

Issue # 2 - Part 1
"It's URGENT!!"
(If you don't have time to read this you need to read this.)

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This issue of BEYOND THE BILLABLE HOUR ™ will be
delivered in two parts so that reading it will fit
more easily within the time demands of your life.

Part 1:  THE DANGERS OF CONSTANT URGENCY

Part 2:  YOUR URGENCY MANAGEMENT "TOOL KIT"

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                     It's URGENT!!

            Part 1:  The Dangers of Constant Urgency


"It is only when we realize that life is taking us
nowhere that it begins to have meaning."
                            P.D. Oupensky


"I really do my best under pressure.  I love that
adrenaline rush.  When I don't feel it, I feel bored.
I don't really feel like I'm working unless there's
an urgent deadline."

A woman attorney recently expressed these sentiments
to me.  Have you heard yourself say or think something
similar?

Urgency is the norm in legal practice.  You are 
expected to overwork and probably have come to expect 
yourself to be constantly busy. These days, the more 
urgent the project the more important it seems to us 
as well as to others.

There is a "rush" that accompanies addressing urgent
issues.  Adrenaline is a source of energy - as it
rushes through your blood stream you feel exhilarated.
And every time you effectively solve a crisis
you feel successful, competent and valued.  
Urgency can provide a great temporary high.

But when you reach the point where you believe
you're at your best when you work under this
much pressure, or find that you're bored when 
you're not experiencing an adrenaline rush, 
then you're probably headed for trouble.

THE DANGERS OF CONSTANT URGENCY

1. Chronic hyperarousal and stress-related illness

   When you're running on adrenaline all the time
   your body is in a constant state of distress.
   You're actually in a state of physiological
   hyperarousal.  Stress hormones like adrenaline
   and cortisol are produced; your heart, respiration 
   rates and blood pressure are elevated.
   Your immune system is compromised.

   This kind of chronic stress puts you at risk
   for all kinds of stress-related problems including
   heart disease, hypertension, headaches as well
   as all the risks associated with an inefficiently
   functioning immune system.

2. Compromised effectiveness

   Although you may believe you are at your best
   under pressure, this is a physiological 
   impossibility.  You simply cannot be
   thorough, clear-thinking, imaginative, optimally
   effective or efficient when you are in a state
   of hyperarousal.  In fact, this is when you
   are most likely to make those mistakes that
   can result in malpractice issues.

3. Damage to Important Relationships

   When faced with an urgent task, we tend to
   push everything else aside. How often have
   you sacrificed time with important
   people in your life in order to handle a crisis?
   When we disappoint the people we love in
   order to deal with a work emergency, we expect
   them to understand.  We explain that we just
   can't help it. But over time, these relationships
   become eroded. There's a limit to how much
   disappointment our friends, lovers, spouses
   or children can tolerate before the relationship
   begins to deteriorate.

4. Losing Control Of Your Life

   Perpetually putting out fires leads to feeling
   like your life is out of control.  And in many
   ways, it is.  You can become a slave to billable
   hours, the demands of clients, the expectations
   of partners.  After a while, your career can
   feel like a runaway train, pulling you along
   at terrific speed, giving you no time to decide
   if you really want to go down this track.

5. Urgency Addiction

   When your life is controlled by urgency, it's
   unlikely that you're spending much time doing
   other things that restore you.  Your personal
   needs get submerged. It's no wonder the only "high"
   you experience is the one you feel when you're
   under pressure at work. Once you're in the habit 
   of neglecting other needs and sources of enjoyment,
   your only reliable source of excitement becomes
   this adrenaline rush.  

   As Stephen Covey notes, "Urgency addiction is
   a self-destructive behavior that temporarily
   fills the void created my unmet needs." (1)



Notes:

1. Covey, S.R., Merrill, A R. & Merrill, R.R.
   (1994). "First Things First." New York: Fireside.


Find solutions in Part 2: YOUR URGENCY MANAGEMENT "TOOL KIT"


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BEYOND THE BILLABLE HOUR ™ is published monthly by
Ellen Ostrow, Ph.D., founder of LawyersLifeCoach.com.
She brings 20 years of experience assisting women
attorneys to her work in Lawyers Life Coach ™.

LawyersLifeCoach.com is a professional and personal
coaching firm specializing in working virtually (by
phone with email and fax backup) with women attorneys 
interested in developing strategies to find greater
satisfaction in their careers within the law or 
in exploring career alternatives for lawyers.

Ellen Ostrow, Ph.D. established LawyersLifeCoach.com
to coach busy lawyers who might benefit from the
insights gained from 20 years as a psychologist
combined with her experience and familiarity with
the legal profession.

Ellen holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
from the University of Rochester and is a managing
member of Metropolitan Behavioral Health Care, LLC.,
a multispecialty, multidisciplinary psychotherapy
practice in Washington, D.C. and suburban Maryland.

She is a member of the International Coach Federation
and a graduate of the Mentor Coach Program ™.

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NOTE:  BEYOND THE BILLABLE HOUR ™ is intended
for informational and educational purposes only.
It is not a substitute for a personal consultation
with a mental health professional and should not
be construed as a form of, or substitute for,
counseling, psychotherapy, or other psychological 
service.

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CONTACT INFORMATION

Ellen Ostrow, Ph.D.
LawyersLifeCoach.com
Phone: (301) 578-8686
email: Ellen@LawyersLifeCoach.com
Web:   http://LawyersLifeCoach.com

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(c)Copyright 2000 Ellen Ostrow.  All rights reserved.

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