Holiday Reflections – Time to take stock of life
Looking forward to your summer holiday? Can’t wait to get away from work, to spend some time with friends or family? Like most patent and trade mark attorneys, you are probably seriously in need of some time off.
IP Inclusive’s latest mental wellbeing survey reported that levels of stress, anxiety and depression were significant within the IP professions, with more than half of all respondents saying they had been adversely affected by stress in the preceding twelve months. The most significant causes, once again, were said to be related to high workloads. In terms of business impact, the survey revealed that stress and other mental health issues are leading to mistakes (or near-mistakes), reduced confidence, difficulty concentrating and reduced productivity, as well as physical problems such as fatigue and loss of sleep. In many cases they have caused respondents to consider leaving their current jobs and/or the profession.
So if, while you are on holiday, you find you are not looking forward to going back, maybe you should take the opportunity of having the time (and headspace) to think about what you really want to do and how you really want to live.
Here is a book, a TED talk, a podcast and an article that you might like to take a look at:
- “The Seven-Day Stress Prescription” by Dr Elissa Epel
Our lives have become increasingly stressful. Whether it’s our to-do lists, deadlines, difficult conversations or crises small or large, our waking hours are filled with constant stressors. We can’t eliminate stress – it will always be woven into our lives and part of everything from parenting and careers, to reaching big life dreams. However, this book will help you to ‘stress better’ and become more resilient.
- How to triage your busy life (TEDx) – Dr. Darria Long
ER doctor, Dr Darria Long, explains key lessons from hospital emergency rooms on handling stress, chaos, and life.
- The High Performance Podcast (thehighperformancepodcast.com) – Dr. Rangan Chatterje: The Key to Happier Living
In this episode of the High Performance podcast, Dr. Rangan Chatterjee talks about how building connections and nourishing relationships are key to building a more fulfilling and happy life. Two IP is all about relationships and helping people to build a life that suits them, allowing attorneys to spend time doing the things outside of work they care about, so this conversation really resonated with us.
Chronic stress at work can lead to listlessness, fatigue – and a much higher risk of stroke and heart disease. This article looks at some ways to save yourself before it’s too late.
We believe every patent and trade mark attorney should be able to enjoy a proper work-life balance. It is one of the reasons we designed Two IP to work in the way it does.
Two IP consultants have complete control over everything to do with their work – who they work with, how they do the work and where and when they do it. By having a lower workload plus complete autonomy, we believe it is possible to have a much healthier approach to work. Meaning happier attorneys, with the time and headspace to do their best work.
If your holiday turns out not to be the break you so desperately needed, or you are dreading returning to work, then maybe it’s time to join a different team. You can find out more about Two IP here: https://www.two-ip.com/want-to-join-us/
