I’m exhausted. Not burned out—just tired.
This year has been full of good things. New clients. My first grandkid. Real progress. But I keep catching myself adding to the pile. One more thing before December 31st.
So I’m giving myself permission to stop.
Not to quit. But to stop adding to the pile.
December is about finishing well—not finishing strong.
What I’m Hearing
Three conversations this week with managing partners who are exhausted. All said: “I know I should be planning next year, but I just need to get through December.”
They weren’t asking for advice. They were asking for permission.
Permission to focus on essentials—keeping clients happy, finishing what’s started, holding the team together.
Permission to take care of themselves and enjoy what they accomplished instead of dwelling on what didn’t get done.
Permission to acknowledge they already built a successful 2025.
What’s Actually Essential
Finishing well means:
- Serving existing clients well
- Completing what you committed to
- Keeping your team stable
- Protecting relationships that matter
- Taking care of yourself
- Enjoying what you accomplished
Not essential (can wait):
- New business development
- Strategic planning
- Aggressive Q1 goals
- Fixing everything you avoided all year
The Work I Do
I remind clients what they’ve accomplished when they can’t see it themselves.
The deals you closed. The fires you put out. The decisions under pressure. The team members you kept. The clients you served while underwater.
You did all that while the world stayed complicated.
That’s not nothing.
But when you’re in it, all you see is what’s left undone.
That’s where I come in—to help you see what you built when you can only see what’s left to do.
Read the complete reflection in this week’s Beyond the Practice Grind on Substack.
If you need someone in your corner who can remind you what you’ve already accomplished—email me: [email protected]
—Doug Brown, JD
The Law Firm Leadership Coach
