Most attorneys don’t wake up one morning feeling overwhelmed.
It happens gradually.
One difficult employee who never improves. One client who should have been fired months ago. An inbox that’s always full. A conversation that keeps getting postponed. A health appointment that gets pushed to next month, again.
None of these problems seem significant on their own. Together, they quietly consume attention, energy, and focus until running the firm feels heavier than it should.
The problem isn’t always the workload. It’s often what you’ve been willing to tolerate.
Every Toleration Has a Cost
A toleration is anything that no longer matches your standards but remains unresolved. It could be an underperforming team member, outdated technology, poor systems, clutter, financial issues, neglected relationships, or simply avoiding a difficult conversation.
Most attorneys stop noticing these problems because they become part of everyday life. But unresolved issues continue competing for mental attention, making it harder to think strategically, make decisions, and lead effectively.
The result isn’t just stress. It’s a constant feeling that something is unfinished, even when the workday ends.
Name It Before You Solve It
The first step isn’t fixing everything. It’s identifying what has been quietly draining your energy.
Start by looking at the major areas of your life:
- Team
- Clients
- Finances
- Office and technology
- Health
- Relationships
Then ask yourself one question:
What have I been meaning to deal with that I keep putting off?
Write down every answer. You may discover fifty. You may discover one hundred. That’s okay.
Once something has a name, it becomes a problem you can address instead of a source of constant background stress.
Progress Beats Perfection
There’s no prize for eliminating every toleration overnight.
Instead, pick one.
Choose the easiest item on your list or the one draining the most energy. Schedule the appointment. Have the conversation. Replace the outdated software. Delegate the task you’ve been avoiding. Small actions create momentum. Momentum restores a sense of control. And control is one of the fastest ways to reduce overwhelm.
The attorneys who build exceptional firms rarely do it through one dramatic breakthrough. They simply stop tolerating the things keeping them from becoming the leader and building the practice they set out to create.
To hear Mark Powers and Steve Riley explain how to identify, prioritize, and eliminate tolerations, listen to the full episode of Great Practice, Great Life: What Are You Tolerating?
