Happy Hour Starts Before 5 P.M.: Strategies for Improving Your Outlook on Work and on Life in General.

• Author: Fugate, Tahisha

You deserve to be happy. Again: You deserve to be happy--even at work. In the fast-paced legal environment, it can be difficult to see the end of the work day. As legal marketers, we are juggling many competing priorities, and the thought of just one of those balls dropping can send the world (as we know it) crashing down on us. Many of us work long hours, feel routinely overextended and are chronically stressed. Yet we are tasked with showing up and giving our best even if we don't always feel our best. Sometimes, we admit, we can't wait for quitting time. But how about being happy before 5:00 p.m.? Yes, it is possible--and it will serve you, your lawyers and your colleagues well to have more happy hours in your day. You can maintain your happy place even during the most chaotic days with a little awareness and practice.

BGTY

One of the rules of safety on an airplane is, in the event of an emergency, putting on your oxygen mask first before helping others. This rule applies in the air and on land. In order to support your lawyers and colleagues, you must first take care of yourself. That's the basic tenet: be good to yourself (BGTY).

Before taking on the world of RFP responses, pitch materials and bio requests, take some time to do something that fuels you first. It could be as simple as actually having breakfast, sitting quietly for a few minutes breathing, listening to your favorite song on the way to the office or getting off a stop early on the train or bus and walking the rest of the way. The point is to start your day feeling as if you've done something to serve yourself before you start to serve others. If there is no gas in your car, it can't run. You must fill your mental tank to take on the day.

Fueling your tank doesn't stop in the morning. Throughout the day, take time to step away from your desk. Use your lunch break to eat and get in a few steps to satisfy your Fitbit goal. You are not doing yourself--or your lawyers--any favors by chaining yourself to the desk. You are more valuable when you are fully recharged and present at the office.

Set Boundaries

There is much power and peace in setting boundaries at work. By identifying your values and finding ways to live your values at work, you teach people how to treat you and set realistic expectations. Speak up for yourself. If education is important to you and you've decided to go back to school, or you have children and need to be available for soccer practice, it is your...