Unstring your bow

I was scrolling on LinkedIn the other day and saw a suggestion for law students: do work over Christmas break! Your employer will admire your pluck and you will get good experience! No doubt that can be a good option for some under some circumstances. Many students have families and could use the extra money. Many are home, far from friends and with few things to do. I get it. I am terrible at taking breaks. I get bored after about one day of having nothing to do. As a default, I would usually fill up time with work. But I’ve learned that’s not good long-term.

Lawyers are particularly prone–by predominant personality and by legal culture–to workaholism. Being busy feels virtuous and important. It feels like you’re going somewhere. But busyness is a counterfeit for true accomplishment. They can go together, of course, but getting somewhere requires planning, reflection, and time away. 

The title of this post comes from traditional archery. A classic recurve bow, when strung, is under constant pressure–the string pulling against the bow. It’s that pressure that gives the bow its power. But if you never give the bow a break by releasing the tension, the bow starts to give in to the string and loses its curve and effectiveness. If you’re forever working without reflecting–without thinking about why you work and what you want–you’ll lose your motivation and your edge and be a mere tool of someone else’s ends. 

So how to do it? Find meaning and challenge outside work. Be with your family–actually be with them, not in their presence with your mind elsewhere. Call up an old friend just to say hi. Read something without any holdings or objections. Listen to and play some music. Then think about what you really want out of life and out of your career. You might be surprised by what you learn. Maybe you’ll discover that you actually hate your job. Maybe you’ll rediscover a love for it. Maybe you’ll even plan to work more for a particular goal. But you can’t figure out where to go without stopping to think for a bit.

None of this is new–there are plenty of country songs and movies and cliche social media posts about it. But it’s a recurring theme because its true. A world-class musician has to play the rests. A world-class weightlifter has to rest for muscles go grow.  Take a break, and everything you do will be better and more enjoyable.