It's time to report on my happiness project again! Well, I mentioned before that I spent two months on my work-related projects. Since I spend most of my life at work (they never tell you that when you're a kid or even in college....but it's true so choose that job wisely!), I guess it makes sense I would have a lot to do there. I don't ever talk about work on the blog......I think that is a pretty good policy for me to stick with. But, I'll break it today since there's nothing paticularly juicy going to be shared. Here were my projects....
1. Set up my candle lamp. Those of you who know me are probably thinking, "Wow, this is what a lawyer really has to worry about all day?" And no....I have much more important (although maybe not more exciting) things to think about. But, it's my happiness project so I'll do what I want! I hate being stuck inside all day every week day. I'm a farm girl at heart and being stuck in a stuffy office just about makes me crazy.
So, I decided that I needed to get a candle set up to at least make it smell good in my stuffy office. My mom gave me a great candle lamp for Christmas---you just plug the lamp in and the light melts the candle (without any fire) and your office smells like homeade apple pie (or any other flavor...but I don't know why you'd chose anything else!) I have to admit...it improves my mood when the apple pie scent fills the room!
2. Sign up for an ag law conference. My law firm is wonderful and I love working there. But I am the only one with an agriculture background. So....I'm the only one specifically interested in agriculture law. Luckily, they are very supportive of my interest and have encouraged me to take certain steps to try and make connections and learn about building my own ag law practice. One of those steps was signing up for an ag law conference.
I finally got all my ducks in a row and I will be attending the conference this fall and am looking forward to meeting the people and spending a couple of days learning about the hot issues in agriculture law. Because this is something I'm passionate about and really interested, being able to have my firm support me and encourage me to pursue my goals is wonderful!
3. Organize, organize, organize! You probably remember the extreme happiness boost I got during the first month of the Happiness Project when I organized my life. Well....work was about three times that exciting for me! Let me explain. As a young associate, I always have partners sticking their heads in my office saying things like, "Hey, what's that state court case that says you can't blindside someone in discovery?" or "Hey, what are the elements of tortious interference with an existing contract?" The most annoying thing EVER for me is when I know I've reasearched this issue before, but I don't remember who it was for or what case it was in to find it. So.....I knew that a key to my happiness at work was going to be getting organized and developing a system for this kind of thing!
I ended up doing a few different things. First, I did an email folder called "My Research" that I have all sorts of subfolders with case citations and reasearch I have emailed previously. That way, the next time someone wants to know the elements of something I've already researched, I have them just a click away. I've also decided to build a "brief bank" of sorts. This means I'm going to try and collect everything I've written in the last year and organize it. So when I need to write another Motion to Compel, I have about 15 examples all at my fingertips.
Okay---be honest---this blog was boring. My friends will attest to the fact that my being a lawyer can be pretty unexciting! But....for me, these simple steps really have made work easier and more enjoyable! So....if you've decided to follow the happiness project, maybe this will inspire you to make some changes at work that will increase your happiness level.
Or, if nothing else, it will make you happy that you're not a boring lawyer and your life is more exciting than mine! :)
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