“The most precious resource we have as humans is time, and as a leader, it is all the more valuable.”
Virginia Pirkle
University of Tennessee College of Law Class of 2025
The most precious resource we have as humans is time, and as a leader, it is all the more valuable. For lawyers, managing time is something that is constantly at the forefront of life (thank you, billable hours). But how can we as lawyers, law students, and leaders make sure we take full advantage of our most valuable asset?
While there is no perfect formula on how to make the most of your time, there are five things I like to remind myself that you may find helpful too.
- It’s Okay to Say “No”
Let’s be honest – as law students and lawyers, we’re often overly-ambitious and strive to be over-achievers. If you’re like me, you frequently find yourself committing to as many things as possible to help boost your resume and build your personal brand. While it’s definitely a good thing to be eager, it can sometimes put you in a position where you’ve obligated yourself to too many things.
When this happens, it becomes much easier to make a mistake, miss a deadline, or just underperform. It’s much better to do a few things extremely well than to stretch yourself too thin and do a multitude of things in an only average manner.
Because I often want to achieve so much, I find it extremely difficult to say “no” when asked to participate in a new organization, event, or activity. However, I’m learning that saying “no” is just as important as saying “yes.” If I want to put my best foot forward in all aspects of my life, I have to remind myself that I need to know my limits. I’ve realized it’s difficult for me to say “no” because I don’t want to let others or myself down, but developing this skill is not something to fear. Learning how to say “no” can allow you to better commit yourself to the things you have already said “yes” to and will help you become a more trustworthy leader.
- Delegate Where Necessary
As a leader, people will often come to you with a myriad of tasks. It’s important to evaluate those tasks and determine which require your full effort and attention or which can become a shared effort with your team. As the leader of an organization, if you surround yourself with a qualified and hard-working team, delegation should not be something to be afraid of, but rather something that is embraced. Delegating can help you become a better leader and ensure you are intentional about your time.
Delegation may not be appropriate as a junior associate, but I have observed that as you become more senior in your career, delegation becomes a necessary skill to sharpen. As a senior associate and especially as a partner, clients expect you to assist them in a large number of matters. Although you may be fully capable of completing all the tasks they ask of you, there are certain tasks that only you can be trusted with. Learning how to differentiate these tasks from others will allow you to devote your time to things that require your full and undivided attention and commitment. Then, you can trust your team with the rest and feel confident in your ability to complete your portion to the best of your ability.
- Prioritize Wellness
As lawyers, law students, and leaders, so much of our time is focused on our career. This means the majority of our time is focused on helping others. While that is extremely important, we cannot make the most of our time that is focused on others if we do not also take time for ourselves.
Today, there is a lot of focus on “work-life balance” and how we can prioritize wellness. However, these are not buzz-words that we should just glaze over. Wellness is an essential part of being a successful leader. If you do not take time to take care of yourself, how can you properly take care of others?
While I realize this is much easier said than done, it does not have to mean dedicating large amounts of time to personal wellness. Wellness can also be small things, such as reading a book before bed, exercising, going outside, or prioritizing a bedtime. Of course, it is crucial to periodically dedicate longer times to rest and relaxation through a vacation or even a stay-cation. The important thing is to ensure you are mindful about making time for yourself and doing things that make you happy so that you can be your best self as a leader who prioritizes others.
- Build Your Legacy
This semester I took Lawyers as Leaders with Professor Lewis and one of the main takeaways was the importance of building your legacy now. As other students enrolled in the course have highlighted, you don’t want to be nearing the end of your career when you realize you have not built the legacy you want for yourself. At that point, time is limited, and you may not have the time or energy to build the legacy you hoped for yourself.
So, spend time now building your legacy and focusing on things you want to be remembered for. This could mean being intentional about participating in pro bono, dedicating specific time to spend with your family and friends, volunteering in your community, or a multitude of other things. Find what you are passionate about and what you want to be remembered for. Then, be intentional about making time for those things now so that you do not find yourself regretting how you spent your time in the past.
- Live in the Present
Part of being a leader is planning ahead and focusing on future goals. Nonetheless, how you spend your time in the present will shape your future, so it is important to remember to live in the moment. I often find myself fixating on future plans and arranging how I will spend my time in the future. It is definitely important to plan ahead, but spending too much time planning can take away from precious time in the present. Also, things change, so taking the time to plan too far ahead may prove to be futile.
You never know what tomorrow will bring, which is why it is important to remind yourself to live in the present and make the most of the time you have today.
