First of all, I apologize for the spotty posting in “Life of a Legal Post Grad.”  Apparently the real life of a legal post-grad is filled with long days and little-to-no room for creativity.  In fact, I may or may not be dictating this into my iPhone as I drive (JUST KIDDING FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL!!!).

Being super busy in one aspect of my life has forced me to balance everything else, and it is extremely difficult. It’s probably, or definitely, the reason why I’ve gained weight (p.s. if you’re interested those extra pounds that I gained are gone), or spoken to family and friends less, or not really gone out in Miami. After a (very) long day, I’m content to just sit on the couch, watch TV, and turn off my phone.*

Anyway, this balancing act made me think that I need to become more of a self-starter. Self-starters are those who are proactive in the various facets of life: working out, household chores, responding to personal e-mails after a long day, etc.

I, on the other hand, am most certainly NOT a self-starter. When I work out, I need to either (a) have a workout partner to motivate me; (b) have a personal trainer; (c) take a class; or (d) have a really important event on the horizon. Unfortunately, right now, I have none of that, so I don’t really care. Sorry, not sorry.

I attack household chores with the same fervor, aka no fervor at all.

I’m trying! Mark my words: 2014 is the year that I become more proactive and less reactive. More offensive and less defensive! I’m going to do more and sit less!

I promise.

By the end of this year, I will (hopefully) be able to successfully juggle a very demanding job, some semblance of a personal life, a relatively tidy home, and especially be more on top of my baby, “Life of a Legal Post Grad.”

It’s going to be a gradual evolution, but I’ve got seven months to make progress! And so do you…let’s begin this proactive/self-starter/go-getter lifestyle together!!! Please? I need an accountability partner.

Next week, we discuss my co-dependency.

*JK! Post-law school, apparently you NEVER turn your phone off.

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Peter Davidson is a recent graduate of law school who rants about news & politics and raves over the ups & downs of FUNemployment in the current legal economy. Tweet him @PeterDavidsonII

Featured image courtesy of [dodge challenger1 via Wikipedia]

Peter Davidson II

Peter Davidson is a recent law school graduate who rants about news & politics and raves over the ups & downs of FUNemployment in the current legal economy. Contact Peter at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post (Self) Starting Your Engines! appeared first on Law Street.

I’ve been gone for a minute, now I’m back with the jump off.

Where have I been?

I’ve been MIA in MIA for a couple of weeks now, which I’m sure has been devastating for some readers…right? (Editor’s note: YES!)

My job has been crazy recently! By crazy, I mean 12-hour days and weekends. It’s a lot of work, but I actually still like what I’m doing (which is a good thing). Besides, I’ve complained enough about being fun-employed; I can’t start complaining about actually having a job — then I’d sound like a bratty millennial.

This is why we all went to law school, right?  I mean, we were warned that these days would come: early mornings, long nights, busy weekends, and frequent cancellations of previously made plans.

All of this work can be overwhelming. Last Monday night I was driving home from work and called one of my friends. Rihanna* (not her real name) is a second-year associate at a big law firm in New York. Rihanna makes tons of money and works all of the time. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: “Hey, how are you? How’s work? I’m headed home after 14 hours and am so exhausted!”

Rihanna: “I’m good, just busy. I turned in three memos today and got assignments for five more. It never stops!”

Me: “I know! I mean, I’m not complaining, I like my job, but…I miss sitting on my couch doing nothing. It never happens anymore!”

Rihanna: “Correct. It won’t happen for a few more months, either. Just get used to it; you’re the newest person at your job now, but you won’t always be at the bottom. Soon you’ll be delegating your crappy work to someone else. Until then, take your vitamins and try and create some semblance of a routine.”

This was some good advice, and I’m trying my hardest to follow it exactly. I wake up obscenely early to get to the gym and eat breakfast, which usually results in (i) extra energy, and (ii) increased productivity. Jealous?

I’m now fully realizing the major lesson of law school: getting as much out of your body and brain while giving it as little rest and relaxation as possible. The delicate imbalance of physical activity (working) and mental breaks (sleeping) is perfected during the 3-4 years of law school, and by the time we’re done taking the bar we really have it down pat.

I know it won’t always be like this, and in a couple of weeks I’ll get back to sleeping 8-ish hours a night. Until then, I’ll maintain an unhealthy daily intake of caffeine (green tea!) and perhaps invest in some stay-awake pills. It worked for Jessie Spano, right?

But seriously…I’m tired.

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Peter Davidson is a recent graduate of law school who rants about news & politics and raves over the ups & downs of FUNemployment in the current legal economy. Tweet him @PeterDavidsonII.

Featured image courtesy of David Goehring via Flickr

.gifs courtesy of RealityTVgifs

Peter Davidson II

Peter Davidson is a recent law school graduate who rants about news & politics and raves over the ups & downs of FUNemployment in the current legal economy. Contact Peter at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post But This Lawyer is le Tired appeared first on Law Street.