July has arrived, and the new financial year is here.
For many of us, this means the most stressful month of the year is finally over. However, rather than grabbing the opportunity to take a breather, we should be embracing July as the perfect opportunity to get a running start on the 2020 financial year.
June is always a busy month for lawyers. If it was looking like you might not hit your budget for the year, you may have spent the last month rushing to make up for lost time. If you’ve been gunning for a step up in the ranks, you’ve probably been putting in the extra work to make sure that all your promotion criteria have been met.
After such a stressful month, a lot of lawyers take July as a time to take their foot off the pedal. Promotions have come through, partners have been made up, and it’s time to pop open the champagne and celebrate.
If you’ve had a good year, it may well be time to take a well-earned break. But July can also be the best time to start working towards a successful 2020.
Take advantage of the momentum you’ve built up over the last month to make an early start on setting goals for the new year. What are your goals for 2020? What do you hope to achieve? Are you hoping to be promoted next July 1, or looking for a move in-house? Do you want to focus on work/life balance, or build a more cohesive team? Now is the best time to really think about what you want from the next year of your professional life.
