“Flow.”
It’s the mental state in which you’re fully immersed in an activity, performing it effortlessly, and almost divorced from the rest of the world.
A great pianist might experience the state of flow in the midst of a performance. A great athlete might experience it in the midst of a game. Flow is being “in the zone,” although the “flow state” was actually named by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in 1975, of course. (Have I mentioned that Google is a great gadget?)
What does flow have to do with law?
Because lawyers can be in a flow state, too.
Did you ever argue an appeal, and the only thing that existed in the world was the panel? You were completely focused on questions, and answers, and making your point. When the red light came on, you didn’t know where the time had gone, and everyone congratulated you on the argument. Where were you? In flow.
Or maybe it happens during jury trials (though long trials are a long time to remain in a state of flow).
Some folks are in a state of panic before jury trials. Some are in stress.
But then the trial starts, and a lucky few go into flow, performing effortlessly at an extraordinarily high level.
(Or some people absolutely hate preparing for and trying cases, but they love the ability to tell war stories after the fact, and that’s where they find joy in the game. To each his own.)
Maybe you find flow elsewhere in the law: Arguing tough motions. Deposing adverse experts. Sitting at a desk, pen in hand, marking up an extremely tricky brief.
You look at your watch, and hours have vanished. The work product is great. You were in flow.
At a law firm, the times when you’re in flow are the best times. You’re doing something challenging. You’re immersed in it. You’re performing at your best. And time passes unnoticed.
Sort of the opposite of document review, but that’s another story.
When you go in-house, you still need flow: It’s part of what makes work satisfying. But you’ll probably have to find it in different activities. Depending on where you work, you may no longer be arguing motions or appeals, taking depositions, or trying cases. So you’ll have to find flow elsewhere.
You might still find flow in editing briefs. You might find flow in giving presentations to the Board. There might be some other aspect of your in-house job that has you immersed and performing at your best.
But be sure that there’s an opportunity to be in flow before you choose (or as you decide whether to keep) your in-house job.
Flow is, after all, a big piece of what makes work worth doing. (You may be in flow for only a small percentage of your time at work, but it could easily be those moments that make your job worthwhile.)
If you choose a job that provides many benefits, but strips away the chance for you ever to be in flow, you may have picked the wrong job.
Mark Herrmann spent 17 years as a partner at a leading international law firm and is now deputy general counsel at a large international company. He is the author of The Curmudgeon’s Guide to Practicing Law and Inside Straight: Advice About Lawyering, In-House And Out, That Only The Internet Could Provide (affiliate links). You can reach him by email at inhouse@abovethelaw.com.