Use Workplace Stress as a Productivity Tool for Your Legal Team

Mitratech’s Eli Schafernak advises legal operations professionals to utilize workplace stress as a productivity tool for their legal teams. When harnessed intentionally, stress can become a tool for growth rather than an unavoidable burden. In high-pressure work environments, boosting productivity begins with managing stress, not ignoring it.

Understanding the difference between eustress and distress is a crucial starting point. While distress overwhelms and depletes, eustress (the motivating kind of stress) can enhance focus and drive. Legal operations professionals should create space for their team to reflect on their stress levels using simple tools, such as color-coded check-ins, which help catch burnout before it takes hold.

Establishing and protecting personal and professional boundaries is another key skill in managing stress. Productivity does not stem from frantic multitasking but from deliberate focus. Legal ops professionals must learn to block off time for deep work, clearly communicate their availability, and model behavior that values boundaries. When this becomes the norm, it creates a healthier team culture and a more productive work rhythm.

Equally important is shifting from the role of problem-solver to coach. Legal ops professionals should avoid being a stress sponge and instead encourage team autonomy through questions that empower problem-solving. Modeling healthy behaviors such as logging off on time and declining unnecessary meetings reinforces a sustainable culture that values strategic effort over constant availability.

Finally, making recovery non-negotiable is essential. Productivity requires rest just as much as effort. Legal ops professionals must prioritize recovery for themselves and their team through daily routines that include movement, mental breaks, and prioritization tools, such as the Eisenhower Matrix, which ranks tasks based on importance and urgency. 

The bottom line is that stress isn’t going away. However, with intentional practices such as boundary setting, empowerment, and recovery, legal ops professionals can cultivate resilience, using workplace stress as a productivity tool.