The Lawyer’s Well-Being Brief. . .Why now is a great time to start our 2026 well-being journey!
“Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems.”-Rene Descartes
Welcome (back) to the Lawyer’s Well-Being Brief! Each week, I try to share insights and practical strategies to help us cultivate well-being and thrive — both personally and professionally. Live well! Lawyer well!
Now is the best time to start our 2026 wellbeing journey — not on January 1st, not “when things slow down,” but in the final stretch of this year. The weeks before a new year are a secret window where small, intentional moves can completely change how we enter the next one.
Why you should start before 2026
Most “new year, new me” goals fail because they start under pressure and perfectionism. On January 1st, people try to overhaul everything at once while exhausted from the previous year. Starting now removes the drama and gives us a test period instead of a performance.
Beginning early gives us three advantages:
We get real data about what actually works in our real lives, not in a fantasy version of our schedule.
We enter 2026 with momentum, not with guilt or panic about starting from zero.
We build identity first (“I am someone who takes care of my wellbeing”), so habits feel like follow‑through, not punishment.
Define what wellbeing means for you
“Wellbeing” is broad, and vague goals die quickly. Before we can change anything, we need to define what wellbeing would look like in our live s— not in an ideal world, but in our actual calendar.
Ask:
What would “feeling well” look like on a random Tuesday?
What do we want more of in 2026 (energy, presence with family, focus, calm, connection)?
What do we want less of (reactivity, exhaustion, doom‑scrolling, resentment, overcommitment)?
Turn this into a simple wellbeing vision, for example:
“I wake up with enough energy to get through my day without crashing.”
“I’m not constantly replaying work in my head at 2 a.m. and 4 a.m.”
“I feel like a person, not just a job title or a to‑do list.”
This becomes our filter. If a habit doesn’t move us closer to this, it’s optional — not essential.
Do a gentle end‑of‑year audit
Before adding anything new, look honestly at where our energy is going now. This isn’t about judgment; it’s about clarity. For a week, we can track our days with one simple question in the background: “What is draining me, and what is restoring me?”
You can scan your life in four quick areas:
Body: Sleep, movement, food, tension. Where do you feel it first when you are not okay?
Mind: Overthinking, focus, mental noise. What keeps looping at 3 a.m.?
Heart: Relationships, connection, resentment, loneliness. Who leaves you more grounded — and who leaves you depleted?
Work: Boundaries, recovery time, expectations. Where are you saying yes when you mean no?
Choose just three drains and three restorers and write them down. This is our starting map.
Choose one tiny habit in each domain
Most people fail because they try to change ten things at once. A sustainable wellbeing journey starts with small, almost laughably easy moves. Think of December as your “prototype month.”
Pick 1 habit in up to three categories (not all of them if your life is already full):
Body habit examples:
Go to bed 20–30 minutes earlier on weeknights.
Walk for 10 minutes after one meal a day.
Mind habit examples:
Two minutes of intentional breathing before opening email in the morning.
A 5‑minute “brain dump” at the end of the workday to get tasks out of your head.
Heart/connection habit examples:
One undistracted 10‑minute conversation with someone you care about each day.
One weekly “no‑work talk” meal with a partner, friend, or family member.
Work/boundary habit examples:
Set a daily “last work send” time for emails — even if it’s late — so your brain knows when you’re done.
Choose one meeting or obligation this week to decline or shorten.
If you can’t easily remember and do a habit when you’re tired, it’s too big. Shrink it until it feels slightly under‑ambitious. That’s how you build consistency.
Build a simple rhythm, not a strict routine
Strict, all‑or‑nothing routines break the moment life happens. Instead of designing the “perfect day,” create a light rhythm you can flex inside your real obligations.
Try this three‑part daily rhythm:
Morning: One “anchor” action (breathe, stretch, step outside, or set an intention for the day in one sentence).
Midday: One “reset” (a short walk, glass of water, boundaries around eating at your desk, or 5 slow breaths between tasks).
Evening: One “release” (journal 5 lines, read something calming, or practice a short shutdown ritual from work).
This rhythm lets us adapt without losing ourself when a day doesn’t go to plan. When we miss something, don’t “start over on Monday.” Just pick up at the next anchor.
Set process goals, not perfection goals
Outcome goals sound like this: “In 2026 I will lose X pounds, sleep X hours, meditate every day.” They’re fragile and can trigger shame quickly. Process goals focus on what we’ll repeatedly do, not what we’ll eventually get.
Instead, try:
“On four days a week, I will move my body for at least 10 minutes.”
“On weeknights, I will be in bed by a certain time 4 nights out of 7.”
“Before opening my work email, I will take three intentional breaths.”
Measure consistency in percentages over a week, not as pass/fail per day. If we hit 60–80% of our process goals, we are building a real wellbeing foundation.
Create tiny guardrails around time and tech
A huge part of modern wellbeing is learning where our attention goes. We don’t need a digital detox; we need clear edges.
Experiment with one or two of these in December:
Choose a “no scroll” window: for example, no social media before 9 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
Move the most distracting app off your home screen.
Have one tech‑free micro‑space (bedroom, dinner table, or commute).
Small guardrails protect our nervous system more than a “perfect” morning routine that collapses under stress.
Use December as our laboratory
The point of starting before 2026 is not to be “ahead of everyone else.” It’s to remove pressure and build our wellbeing plan from lived experience rather than wishful thinking.
Every week in December, ask:
What helped my energy?
What didn’t matter as much as I thought?
What is one thing I can simplify for next week?
Final Thoughts
By the time the calendar turns, we’re not scrambling to invent a new self, we’re simply continuing what we’ve already begun. Our 2026 wellbeing journey won’t depend on willpower; it will rest on the small, honest commitments we are making now, while everyone else is waiting for the “perfect time” that never comes.
Forward Always!
