Time Management and Organization
People commonly tell law students to "think of law school like a law job Links to an external site.." Law school requires much more class preparation, studying, and exam preparation than most undergraduate programs. One benefit of the rigorous work load is that law school gives you time to figure out how to manage large volumes of work and competing commitments before you have to do it as a practicing attorney.
So how can you manage your time and stay organized? If you are highly organized and able to get yourself on a good schedule, go with what has worked for you in the past. If, however, you have struggled to manage your time well, you might want to explore some of the ideas below to help you get on track.
Keep a record of your time: If you're not sure where your time is going, try keeping a record of your time for a full week. Write down everything you do - sleep, eat, go to the gym, watch Netflix, study, go to class, etc. Be as honest with yourself as possible. Here Download Here is a blank chart that you can use to record how you're using your time.
Analyze your patterns: Make a note of how much time you're spending on certain categories - meals, recreation, class, studying, and so on. Are allocating your time wisely? Are you devoting enough time to studying? Are you allowing yourself time for having fun and seeing friends/family?
Figure out how long things take: Underestimating how long things will take is a quick way to sabotage any good schedule. The type of class prep you'll do for law school is likely very different from what you did in undergrad, so it may take a little while before you can accurately estimate how long things will take. The general rule is that you'll need about 2-3 hours of prep time for every hour that you're in class (so if you're in class for 15 hours a week you're probably looking at 30-45 hours per week of additional study time).
Set a schedule for yourself: Using a paper or electronic calendar, block out set times to work on class reading, legal writing assignments, outlining, study groups, class time, etc. This can help you set aside enough time for studying while protecting time for meals, sleep, friends, and exercise. Don't forget to keep track of your SU Outlook calendar along with your personal calendar - SU faculty and staff are likely to schedule appointments through Outlook.
Try setting a "billable hours" goal: Many lawyers live and die by the billable hour. As an attorney, you can only bill (ie: get paid) for time you actually worked on a client's case. This principle can apply to law school studying as well. If you sit down to study for three hours, but one hour of that was spent reading Twitter and talking to your mom on the phone, you've only "billed" two hours of studying. Student billable time includes reading, reviewing notes, briefing, outlining, doing legal research, writing practice exams, and so on. Thinking about your studying this way can help you avoid wasting time. Here's an example "timesheet Download timesheet" you can use to track whether you're putting enough hours into studying each week.
Make a long-term plan: Early in the semester, take a look at the whole semester. Pull out your syllabuses and the academic calendar and compare them against each other. Put big assignments, midterms, and school holidays on your calendar well in advance. When you take a longer view in your planning, you can better plan for disruptions or stretches where you have a midterm and a legal writing assignment due in the same week. Also, if you're interested in applying for fellowships, internships, or externships, add application deadlines to your calendar so those dates don't sneak up on you. We offer more advice on long-term planning here: Planning Out Your Semester.
Schedule time for non-law school things: You're a human being, not a law robot. Make sure to set aside time for fun and self-care. These two things become more important, not less, as work gets more intense and stress levels rise.
Familiarize yourself with important sites: Staying up to date with your course websites and other important databases can be helpful in keeping you organized. As mentioned above, don't lose track of your Outlook calendar. Additionally, keep an eye on your courses' TWEN and/or Canvas pages, the academic calendar Links to an external site., and exam schedules Links to an external site..
Back up everything: Please, please, please back up your notes, outlines, and writing assignments regularly. You can email them to yourself, use Dropbox, buy an external hard drive, or whatever other way works for you. Don't become that cautionary tale when your computer crashes two weeks before finals and you lose all of the work that you've done all semester.
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