How to Make Your Workdays In-House Feel Better Right Now

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Deep Dive

Make your life awesome every day

There are a hundred factors that shape whether you actually love your in-house legal career. The kind of work you do. The people you do it with. Whether you are proud of and invested in the company’s mission and your role in it.

But there’s one piece that cuts across all of that, which often gets overlooked.  And that’s how your days feel.  Because most lawyers spend nearly every weekday (and, let’s be honest, more than a few weekends) at work. That’s a lot of life. 

Do you get the Sunday scaries, or look forward to Monday? On an average Wednesday, when your spouse asks how your day was, do you light up with stories? Or do you shrug and say it was “fine,” “busy,” or “kind of a blur”?

Of course, how your days feel to you is partly about the work itself and your broader environment. But not entirely. Some of the biggest drivers of day-to-day satisfaction are smaller, more personal, and–luckily for anyone who wants to enjoy their days more—fully within your control.

So this week, we’re focusing on small, practical steps you can take to make your days better.  Even if the work itself doesn’t change. Because joyful days might not change your whole career trajectory (or maybe they will!). But they’re a pretty great foundation for building a career you actually love.

Build in Small Daily Joys

One of the quickest, most accessible ways to make your workdays better is to purposefully and regularly build in small moments of joy.  If you do that day after day, week after week, you might be surprised at how much better life starts to feel.

Here are a few of my go-tos: 

• Starting the day with a coffee I truly love. At home, it’s Stumptown Coldbrew over ice with just the right splash of unsweetened almond milk.  

• Stepping outside at a time that feels indulgent, like a 10:30AM walk, when everyone else has settled into meetings, or eating lunch in the sun.

• Playing a favorite song while setting up for the day, or while winding down.

These aren’t “treat yourself” moments saved for special occasions. They’re small, reliable ways to bring a little more joy into the ordinary.

If you haven’t read the previous issue on daily gratitude lists, it’s also worth a look. You can read it here.

What would your version of this be?

Could you take a detour to a favorite view on your walk to work?  Grab a bakery treat as a mid-afternoon pick-me-up? Keep a cozy blanket on your chair for when the AC is a little too aggressive? 

Creating small, intentional delights in a way that brings you joy is a powerful way to make your days (and by extension, your life) feel a whole lot better.

Make Time For Friendship

As an in-house lawyer, it’s surprisingly easy to go days, or even weeks, without spending real time with friends outside of work.

Work friends are wonderful (and I’m so grateful for mine). But there’s something different about time with people who couldn’t explain the difference between a master service agreement and a statement of work if their life depended on it. Or at least, since lawyers often have lawyer friends, don’t know the terms of your master service agreement. 

Lately, I’ve been making a point to see non-work friends during the week. Sometimes it’s during traditional work hours. Other times it’s in the evening when, transparently, I’m often also working. But even short catch-ups make a difference.

A quick salad from our local lunch spot. A walk with smoothies. Frozen yogurt after dinner from the place I’ve loved since high school (if you’re local, you may know it: Truly yogurt in Wellesley. My forever order is cookie delight in a cup with rainbow sprinkles).

There’s always more work I could do instead. And I am not able to make time like this every week.

But each time that I do, I walk away feeling more energized than I would after any hour-long Zoom.  Too often, we treat friendship like a weekend activity or a “nice-to-have.”  But connection is fuel. Especially when work is intense or uncertain.

So this is your reminder (and mine): It’s smart and worth it to prioritize friendship during the week.

Run with a friend at 2PM. Say yes to that spontaneous coffee invite. Or just call someone while you walk home.

Create a Space That Feels Great

As a native New Englander, I’ll always have a soft spot for Vineyard Vines, even if, objectively, their clothes are wildly preppy. But I love their tagline: EDSFG, short for “Every Day Should Feel This Good.” I feel the same way about Gray Malin’s colorful beach photography. His terrific motto is “Make Every Day a Getaway.”

I love the idea that your environment, whether your clothes or the art on your wall, can shape how you feel.  That a little beauty or playfulness can turn a regular Tuesday into something better. I’ve found that to be true, over and over again. 

When I worked in an office full-time, I brought in photos from my travels, pictures of my family, a fancy pen holder, and a cheerful mouse pad to replace the boring company-branded one. In my home office now, there’s a whole gallery wall behind me. There’s a Gray Malin beach photo, a painting of a girl with a hula hoop I bought from an artist in Savannah, and an AI-generated print of the Empire State Building wearing a pink tulle skirt.  I see them every day when I walk into the room, and on every Zoom call.

It doesn’t have to be a full room makeover (or cost any money at all!). Something small can make a difference.

Even just switching your computer background to a photo that makes you feel calm or happy, like your favorite beach or a stunning hike, can make a difference.

Try one thing. Tiny shifts can make a difference.

You don’t have to overhaul your job to enjoy your work more. Sometimes, tiny shifts can drive big results. So try one thing this week. Add a little joy. Connect with someone outside of work. Change something small in your space. Because loving your career is just as much about enjoying the day to day, as being invested in the big picture. 

If you notice a difference, let me know!