It depends. (I know, such a lawyer answer.)

It’s the week of the Fourth of July. Maybe you’re with family or friends. Maybe you’re finally on that hard-earned vacation.

And then . . . an email.

Just a “quick” assignment. “It’ll only take a few hours.”

You feel a knot in your stomach. An inner battle begins.

Part of you wants to hold your boundary—to be present to your family or friends, to fully enjoy the vacation you worked so hard for, to get some much-needed rest and recreation.

But another part feels the urge to say yes—to be dependable, to be your client’s go-to, to avoid disappointing anyone.

As a practicing attorney for 15+ years, I’ve been there. So have many of my coaching clients. It’s tough.

Here’s a perspective that may help:

The longer we let this inner battle play out, the more drained we become.

In this place of indecision, we tend to get preoccupied with our thoughts, neither fully present to our family or our work. We may feel anxious or irritated.

I think of this as an app running in the background on our phone, draining its battery. It’s best to make a choice and close out the app.

Consider:

• If I say yes to the assignment, what am I saying no to?
• If I say yes, what am I giving up?
• If I say no, I’m not available, what am I saying yes to?
• How will I get to spend my time if I say no?
• If I say no, can I trust the discomfort of setting a boundary will pass?
• Which cost am I willing to pay?
• Which cost would future me in 10 years tell me to pay?
• What are my long-term career and life goals and which choice brings me closer to those goals?

If your long-term goals are to make partner or keep your clients happy if you’re already a partner, you may choose to say yes.

There’s no right answer.

It’s about clarifying what’s most important to you and making the choice that honors that.

And if this kind of moment happens a lot, it might be time to consider:

• Am I consistently honoring what’s most important to me?
• Does my current job allow me to honor what’s most important to me?
• If not, what can I change?

If you’re ready to reclaim your time, energy, and joy, I created something to help:

7 Keys to Succeed Without Burnout

If you’ve navigated this challenge before, I’d love to hear from you. What worked well for you?

In your corner,

Jessie