The Balancing Act
When discussing my participation as a law student blogger with Professor Jessica Slavin, she suggested readers might find the variety of responsibilities and challenges a part-time student faces interesting. I balked at the idea of writing about my own attempt at work-life-school balance. For starters, it’s been done before. Further, I want to avoid portraying my burden as heavier than those around me, as everyone is busy and dealing with pressures of their own. The lawyers, law professors and law students who read this blog are all active people pulled in different directions and I didn’t suspect they would have much sympathy for the schedule I keep.
Then it dawned on me that the challenge of work-life balance is probably one of the few things all the readers of this blog have in common. Full-time students have different pressures than part-time students, litigators face different challenges than estate planning attorneys, who are all under different professional pressures than Law School faculty or administrators. However, we all know what it is like be put in a position to prioritize between professional and family or personal obligations.
Additionally, the birth of my son, Callan, in June brought new weight to the “life” side of the balancing act and makes the topic of work-life-school balance particularly timely and relevant for me. I’ve always known time to be precious, but the stakes are indeed higher with a child in the house. Perhaps it is my Catholic guilt, but the weeknights in the classroom or on the road for work, and the all-weekend study sessions now feel a bit like time I’ve stolen from my family.