I stress, you stress, we all strive for eustress

In some circles, stress seems to get a bad name but lawyers need stress, good stress, to be successful. This good stress is called eustress. Yes, stress is implicated as a factor in poor health. Stress is also a factor in successful performance and is a necessary ingredient in a job well done. Herbert Benson, MD in his The Breakout Principle: How to Activate the Natural Trigger That Maximizes Creativity, Athletic Performance, Productivity and Personal Well-Being writes about two researchers Robert Yerkes and John Dodson working back in the beginning of the 20th century; they showed "conclusively in 1908 that as stress increases, so do efficiency and performance." To a point! "When stress becomes too great, performance and efficiency tend to decline, the Harvard researchers discovered." Here's a diagram showing the Yerkes-Dodson Law, their stress-performance curve. And another Yerkes-Dodson diagram.

The good stress level is individual to each of us. How do we know when we have gone from good stress to bad stress? Benson says:

Most of us have experienced this "backfire" quality when such factors as excessive hard work, anxiety, or insomnia begin to cut significantly into the potential for superior achievement.
. . .

[T]hose under significant stress at work must back off before the stress begins to undermine productivity and creativity.

How's your productivity and creativity these days?

Any lawyer seeking a stress-free workplace is seeking a success-free workplace. And wouldn't stress-free be boring? Excellent client service requires defining and inviting your own personal level of eustress.