Small Law Firms

A Career Is A Marathon, Not A Sprint

Run, Lawyer! Run! But pace yourself!

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woman lawyer female attorney running ahead of menI had a mentor about a decade ago who told me that a career is a marathon and not a sprint and that I should act accordingly. I’ve heard the expression “X is a marathon and not a sprint” numerous times in my life, and I generally understood this phrase to mean that people need to think of certain matters in the long term and not focus on excelling in short time horizons. A few weeks ago, I ran the New York City Marathon for the second time, which was an amazing experience, although I still have pain when I walk because of the effort needed to complete the marathon! Strategizing for the marathon, and being involved in this long test of endurance, validated for me that people do indeed need to treat their careers as marathons and not sprints to achieve the best results.

Burnout

Each time I run a long race, I have issues with pacing and burnout. I usually run relatively fast for the first part of the race, and then find that I cannot sustain that pace. At marathons, I am usually doing a fair bit of walking toward the end, which never feels good. When I look at the mile splits of friends who had more success at marathons it is clear that they usually kept a better pace throughout the race. Keeping a solid pace prevented those runners from burning out and ensured that they did not sustain significant impact on their bodies too early in the race.

This strategy can also apply to careers within the legal industry. Many people graduate from law school and take jobs in Biglaw in which they may be expected to toil for long hours under less than ideal conditions. Some people might justify this existence by relating that the money earned from Biglaw can help pay student loans and set people up for the next phase of their careers. However, I have also met attorneys who were completely burned out by their experiences in Biglaw, and they exited the legal profession altogether because of the time pressures and stress associated with a Biglaw job. Attorneys should try to pace themselves as well to ensure they do not suffer any issues at the beginning of their careers that can make it difficult to continue in the legal profession for the long haul.

Have A Plan

One important thing about running a marathon versus other races is that you should have a plan so that you can perform at your best. During a 5K or another short race, you probably do not need to think too much about hydration strategies, consuming food, or any of the other matters you need to consider while running for hours in a marathon. Indeed, at this most recent marathon, I did not give too much consideration to how much fluid I should consume, how I would deal with excessive sunshine, or other matters that had a negative impact on my running.

Most people do not give too much thought to careers, and they simply take the first job that pays a set amount of money. However, lawyers should be more deliberate with how they move through their careers and think about how each job might impact their ability to get another job, among other facts. It can be tough to think more generally about a career when attorneys are in the thick of things, but this can ensure that lawyers have the most success at landing fulfilling opportunities.

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Follow A Colleague

One solid strategy for marathon running is to try to keep pace with someone in front of you. This helps motivate people to keep running and can give runners inspiration to continue when they might think about quitting. In careers, it often makes sense to model behavior off of people who are doing well in workplaces and in other settings. For instance, I once worked at a shop where there was a solid associate who had a great mastery of his files without sacrificing work-life balance. He implemented a number of systems to stay apprised of his cases, and he was very generous in sharing his methods. I definitely modeled my practices around this associate, and this had a positive impact on my career.

In any event, experiences we have in our own lives can model behaviors that can make us more successful in our careers. And by understanding that careers are a marathon rather than a sprint, lawyers can implement strategies to improve their chances of vocational success.

Rothman Larger HeadshotJordan Rothman is a partner of The Rothman Law Firm, a full-service New York and New Jersey law firm. He is also the founder of Student Debt Diaries, a website discussing how he paid off his student loans. You can reach Jordan through email at jordan@rothman.law.

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