Are there actually many people in Big law that are "really" working >\=60 hours a week?
I work in a big law firms and the entry process is quite hard, and I hear every one around me talking about how overworked they are, and tangibly see them in the office all the time.
Somewhere around the way I realised that I was barely working as compared to these other associates. To be clear, I was delivering my deliverables and was in between doing multiple all nighters. But when I really look back at a week I realise despite all of that I have had only 40 hours of good proper work, besides these 40 hours a lot of it was just hours spent in the office and not really work. Obviously there have been weeks where this was not true - but I am just pointing to a general observation.
Is it that I am just lazy, or is it that we all tend to hyperinflate how much work we are doing for a variety of reasons: (i) the system unfortunately promotes and rewards over exaggerating your efforts, (ii) it is a social and competitive brag, and (iii) it is a genuine lack of self-awareness.
To be v clear, I know the top performers are doing 60+ hours regularly, but not all of us are top performers - that's just not how the world works. I, for one, am a median performer and by definition there are many others like me.
Thoughts?