Its only the fourth day of January -- but first official day back in the office -- and I remember why I hate January. Its the month of anxiety for me.
It doesn't matter how you finished last year. You could have run for daylight, struggling to make your 2,000 billable hours, or been grinding it out after a long year at 2,400 billable hours. Makes no difference. January means you start at zero. When I was a first year, I remember a more senior associate telling me that she always tried to work a little on New Year's Day, that way no matter what, at least she'd start the year positive. I thought it was crazy at the time, when my hours didn't count. Now, I see the wisdom of that advice.
This year, while I currently have work, it has an expiration date at the end of the month. That means I need to rustle up enough new work to keep myself busy full time in the next three weeks.
January also means reviews. Or, at least, scheduling of reviews. With the exception of my first year, I've never enjoyed my review. Its the only time of the year we get any actual feedback and its intentionally critical (veiled as constructive or flat-out), which is rarely good for your self-esteem. This year my review was scheduled in December -- a first -- for January 20th. The dread had already kicked in when I got a phone call re-scheduling it to February 3rd. As usual, right before my birthday. The firm's gift to me.
Between that and some usual annoyances, it was not my best day but it was typical of January.
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