I have been observing JoeDay for four years. Like the Constitution, it is a living thing. Unlike the Constitution, all of us sworn to protect it take the charge seriously. Perhaps if there was a reference to arms in JoeDay, it would be even more sacred. Unfortunately, the only arms are mine, crossed over my chest during my naps.

JoeDays don’t bring quite the same exuberance as an unplanned Windfall day. That is part of their charm. I can expect the calm of a nothing morning and relax. Windfall days are still wonderful, they just don’t always happen when I could use one.

For those who are unfamiliar, JoeDay is a planned day off, typically Wednesday. Taking a day off in the middle of the week gives me more energy the rest of the week. The fact that Thursday has become a de facto second Monday is countered by Tuesday standing in as a second Friday. It has taken some time, but I have learned some things about JoeDay.

 

Remember JoeDay and keep it. Wholly.

As a sole practitioner, it is sometimes difficult to take a day off in the middle of the week. Motion hearings and depositions occasionally sneak into the calendar and JoeDay is skipped. When that happens, the Universe requires that the JoeDay be rescheduled. One ignores a JoeDay totally at the risk of having the next one snatched away as well. Like a diet or workout regimen, it is easier to maintain the practice than restart it. I assume that is true about diets anyway, I have never started one and my suits bear witness.

 

Holidays abide, they don’t replace JoeDays.

When a holiday falls on a Monday, it is tempting to work through the next JoeDay to catch up. Do not yield to that temptation, as JoeDay and the Universe will not be ignored. Besides, it is disrespectful to the holiday to count it as a JoeDay. Even Arbor Day deserves better.

Early in my JoeDay observances I did not heed this advice. Several JoeDays that followed a missed one wound up filled with tasks as a karmic punishment. Work on a JoeDay feels like cheating. Cheating only on myself but with guilt. I would give myself the same look that my dog gives me if I have petted another dog. Maybe not as accusingly,  but I knew what I did.

Doing household chores on JoeDay is not cheating I am sorry to say. Mowing the yard on JoeDay means I don’t have to do it on the weekend. It is a gift that keeps giving. I still resist when my wife hands me a honey-do list on a midweek sabbatical, but I know better than to ignore it.

 

JoeDay evangelism is good work.

Lawyers do a lousy job of taking care of ourselves. It is said that you can tell a veteran trial lawyer because they have had their first heart attack and second spouse. It is important to keeping the joy of our careers that we take a break from them sometimes.

I am not big on vacations. If I take a week off, I spend the first couple of days worrying about what I am leaving undone, and the last couple of days worrying about what I am going to return to find. That turns a seven day trip into about two or three relaxing days. It is barely worth the effort. JoeDays are solace without consequence.

I have some older friends who still go to the office six days a week. One even goes all seven. I used to admire these folks, but now I want no part of that kind of life. They say that the law is a demanding mistress, and that is true. It is also a marathon. I can’t run a marathon and I don’t wish to work one.

JoeDays are easier than any other kind of self care I know. I invite you to join in and have some.

 

©2025 With All Due Respect. Spencer Farris is the founding partner of The S.E. Farris Law Firm in St Louis, Missouri. Part of this missive was written on a JoeDay, but he repented. Comments or criticisms about this column may be sent c/o this publication or directly to him via email at farris@farrislaw.net.