1Ls: Remember, It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint
With eight weeks until Thanksgiving break and about ten weeks to finals, you might be thinking that you can take a couple days off. Unfortunately, the sad news is that you can't. You have to just keep chugging along for the next two (and a half) months straight. It's tough.
Falling behind can result in a serious backlog of reading and outlining, and when it piles up too high, you may begin to feel beyond just overwhelmed. That's not unique. Countless law students have been there. It all boils down to time management, which is good training for your future career as a lawyer.
Below you'll find three tips to help you not fall behind.
1. Track Study Time
Some classes require more time than others, and which classes those will be can be different for every student. Contracts reading may be a breeze for you, while civil procedure takes you twice as long. Everyone has their own learning style. You can simply time yourself while doing your reading and outlining over the course of a week or two. Keep an eye on the stopwatch and see how long it takes you to get through 10 or 20 pages in each subject.
This will help you understand where you need to budget more time, and maybe when you need to bring along additional study materials.
2. Avoid or Limit Time Wasting Activities
If you are seriously, like, addicted to social media, maybe consider taking, like, a break. Or, perhaps just limiting your time online could prevent a mental health breakdown if you are that addicted. The same goes for online gamers, or anyone else that has easily accessible distractions which they seem to be constantly distracted by.
Although some of these time wasters may be the majority of your social life, they are indeed a major time suck, and you probably still have reading to do. Plus, actually being social in person with classmates and friends is good for you. However, social media and video games can make excellent rewards for yourself after you finish your work for the day or night.
3. Get Help And Whatever Else You Need to Succeed
Learning to manage your time means prioritizing. Yes, you love to clean your own apartment or home, but if you can hire someone to do it for you, while you study, it might be money well spent. The same goes for things like a good bed if you're not sleeping, or a study group if you've become a hermit.
The same goes for law school supplements. If a casebook supplement will help you in a class, get it. You'll be able to focus more on what benefits you most.
Related Resources:
- How to Have a Social Life in Law School: 3 Tips (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
- To Partying Law Students: Put Down the Drugs and Alcohol (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
- Lawyers, Law Students: Your Retweets Could Cost You a Job (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
