There are times when I have so much work in my ADR practice it sems I can't possibly get it all done. You know the drill-- you work nights and/or weekends because that's when the parties are available. Or you're praparing for a new round of training you're delivering. Or you're writing an article for a journal or newsletter. You work a minimum of 6 days/week. The phone keeps ringing and you keep saying yes. It's nice to be appreciated.
And then there are times....when the big projects that sustained you the last two years have concluded (successfully, of course), when it's mid-August and everyone is on vacation. No one is thinking about setting up that new program or scheduling mediations. The phone doesn't ring for a few days. The only thing in the mailbox are bills.
Based on my 20+ years in the field, it's during those "slow" times that our spirit is most tested. Sure, we can always fill those time with all the house/garden projects we've put off for so long. Or plan that upcoming vacation in the Southwest. Staying busy is easy.
But I have also come to think of those slow times as unique opportunities-- to make that call to an old friend/colleague you haven't seen for months or years. To visit that dear one in the hospital. To schedule lunch with a potential source of referrals. To add thoughts and postings to your blog. Everything has a rhythym, including your workload.
How do you deal with the ups and downs of your practice?
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