Tips For Closing Out The Year As In-House Counsel
There are a few things you may want to consider intentionally doing now that could better set you up for success next year.
With only a week or two left of the year, it can be tempting to get as much done as possible to take things off your to-do list before 2023. At the same time, as business comes to a close, there are a few things you may want to consider intentionally doing instead that could better set you up for success next year.
Gratitude
This is a great time to reflect on your work relationships — and express heartfelt gratitude, especially to those who help make your life easier or more enjoyable. ‘Tis the season after all. This could show up as sending thank you notes or treating a colleague to coffee or a thoughtful gift or sharing positive feedback with someone’s manager. Relationships are everything in-house, and small gestures can go a long way.
Organizing
While this may sound terrible to some, I find that investing time in organizing, especially when it comes to “systems” I use often, pays off in time and frustration saved in the future. For example, you may want to revisit your document management system and organize your frequently used files, especially if you have used them like a “junk drawer,” saving things just in case you need them later. Purge them of duplicative emails and rename emails for easier future searches, especially if their subject line has a lot of “FW” or “RE” in them. While you’re at it, you may want to move documents off of your hard drive to your document management system or cloud-based repository.
Other systems to consider organizing: One Note, One Drive, Teams, Dropbox, Contacts. Think of what you use often and consider how you can optimizing their functions to better your workflow.
Reflection
The end of the year is a good time to check in with yourself, as you review what you accomplished at work or otherwise. From a performance perspective, how would you rate yourself? What impact did your work have? What did you learn? How did you develop? Coming up with a “done” list can help you determine the kind of projects you want to ask for next year. Besides work performance, reflect upon your satisfaction. Did you enjoy the work? Was it challenging? Of course, don’t forget to evaluate how you are feeling mentally. Were you bored? Are you burnt out? Did you use your vacation? While it is difficult to make time to reflect, consider it as an investment in yourself.
Updating
If you don’t already have a regular cadence, consider using the end of the year as an opportune time to revise your resume, update your LinkedIn profile or spruce up your bio. This is a bit like organizing. You don’t want to wait until there is a position that you’re interested in because you may be swamped with work and unable to devote as much time or attention as you would now.
Scheduling
Last, but not least, you may want to go ahead and block off dates in 2023 when you plan on using vacation. For example, for my own mental health, I like to schedule at least one day quarterly just for me (and not family vacation). You may want to go ahead and schedule doctor and dentist appointments, prioritizing your preventative care. From a work perspective, because I also travel to meet clients on a regular cadence, I pencil in when those weeks might be so that my husband won’t also book work travel those same weeks. You may want to include conferences that you know you want to attend.
Here’s to being intentional now so that your 2023 self may thank you later.
Meyling “Mey” Ly Ortiz is in-house at Toyota Motor North America. Her passions include mentoring, championing belonging, and a personal blog: TheMeybe.com. At home, you can find her doing her best to be a “fun” mom to a toddler and preschooler and chasing her best self on her Peloton. You can follow her on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/meybe/). And you knew this was coming: her opinions are hers alone.
