My top tips to be more zen at work

We often talk about finding efficiency in legal teams on here.

There’s one huge efficiency drain which is often overlooked though. And it’s largely self imposed.

My own worst enemy

Whenever I feel ‘wronged’ in some way, all my intentions to work efficiently go out the window. It takes every fibre of my being to not take the bait.

And what I really want to do is sit on my chair and just fume! And then go over it again to feel that juicy outrage once more.

It can be something as simple like receiving a contract mark-up with completely ridiculous positions in it - casually adding two months to our time-to-close.

Or someone joining a call with an arrogant and aggressive tone.

Or my internet service provider being absolutely useless when the Wifi is down. Etc.

It can drive me up the wall.

And yet.. yet.. I know I’m only messing up my own day, not theirs, they’re typically oblivious!

And it’s hardly a unique occurrence. Unless I lock myself away, people are going to step on my toes day in day out. So why am I still so outraged when it happens?

Marcus Aurelius once said:

“To look for the fig in winter is the act of a madman.”

Expecting consistently solid and rational behaviour from other humans is a bit like looking for a fig in winter. You’ll always come away disappointed.

So weirdly enough, simply controlling my own emotional response is one of the most efficient things I can do. Plus there’s a real happiness booster there.

After all, we all prefer to work and live with a clear head and a calm soul.

How to control our response

I’ve tried to do some work on this over the last year, and this is what has worked for me:

1. Get Super Curious: Instead of getting mad, ask yourself, “Can I come up with a scenario how their behaviour makes sense to them? Maybe they feel hurt themselves, or have trouble at home?” — note: you don’t have to actually find out what is going on in their life, just coming up with a theory that makes it understandable helps.

2. Be Thankful: Shift your focus to something good in your life. I try to come up with 2 specific things I’m grateful for that day. I try to not just say the same few things every time. This forces me to think. Could eg be the flowers on the trees, or the warm sunlight on my face on my morning walk. It just helps me snap out of the rage!

3. Find Your Happy Place: Have a few go-to actions that help you shift your energy. Here are a few that work for me:

   • 10 min meditation (I typically just search for one on YouTube)

   • Look at videos of my baby daughter laughing.

   • Practice gratitude – it deserves a second mention because it’s that good.

   • Watch a 5 min clip of a favourite comedian on YouTube.

   • Listen to an audiobook that gives perspective. Eg when I’m stressed about work, Eckhart Tolle helps me more than any business advice.

Anyway, these have worked for me, but would love to hear recommendations of anything that has worked for you!

Thanks for being here,

Daniel

CEO at Lexoo
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