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Spring is here…almost. Even though the weather hasn’t joined in on
this concept, spring breaks are fast approaching. Use this time to get organized so when you
return to classes it will be smooth sailing to finals. Today as well as the next three posts will
help you organize and get you on the right track! First, let’s start by making your time more
efficient.
One of the best pieces of advice
I received during my first year of law school was to treat school like a
workday. Wake up early, exercise or stretch, take a shower and eat a good
breakfast. Go to school or your home office and start work! Review for the
first class. Go to class, and continue to study between each one. After
classes, study more until you have reached the end of a workday. Grant yourself
time to eat dinner, exercise, and do whatever you need to do to wind-down for
the evening. Finally, get a good eight hours of sleep. Believe it or not, but this is possible to
do.
First, figure out your modus operandi. Are you a morning person
or a night person? Are you more motivated after an afternoon nap? Establish
your most productive hours and then follow
through. Take your version of
“workday hours” and break them into one-hour increments. Since you know you have to go to class, fill
in those hours first.
Next, review your syllabi for
your classes. If you haven’t figured out
by now, take time to determine how long
it takes to read ten pages of text, how long it takes to brief a case, how much
time on average you need to review notes for class, and which classes need
extra review. To help you, try out the
free app toggl to
track your time doing different activities.
Then, every Sunday morning map out the week by filling up the remaining “workday”
slots.
To make sure you achieve your
time goals, don’t forget to schedule random moments – the time it takes to get
to class, the time to get to your study area and unload, a break or two, and
your lunch hour. For example, if you
plan to go to the library after a class that ends at 10 and read for an hour,
your schedule may say: class 9 -10,
library reading 10:15 -11:15. Also,
write down context with the assignment to help you get started right away. Going back to the example of library reading,
you might write down: 10:15-11:15
reading 10 pages assigned for torts on Thursday and corresponding
supplement. Finally, group simpler tasks
together to knock them out quickly.
You’ll free up more time and accomplish a lot, making you feel more
energized and focused for difficult tasks that take more time. Be sure to check off the time slots you
complete to keep you motivated.
Further, avoid time-wasters such
as social media sites that can take away hours of your time without you
realizing it. Try using the free
versions of Rescue
Time
or Minutes Please to
limit or even restrict your social media access.
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Until Next Time,
Jenny L. Maxey
