I know, I know…. You’ve probably heard this a million times before: law school is like a full-time job. Your mornings are booked with classes, your afternoons with meetings and study sessions, and your evenings are reserved for pouring over books and fretting over getting cold-called in class tomorrow.
While this is not far from the truth, I’m here to say that it’s still possible to have a healthy, normal life outside of the law school bubble!!! It’s all about balance… that and a lot of planning and making sure that your “work” time is being used to its fullest potential. What I mean is: if you find a free hour or two during the week, rather than using it to do nothing (or mourn your pre-law school life… it’s okay we’ve all done it at some point), use it to get ahead in the reading or get started on that next research assignment. This in turn will free some of your time during the weekend when you need to take a breather, see your family, hang out with friends, do something fun, attend that birthday party you thought you were going to have to skip because you had to study, or sleep. Work smart not hard (you know what I mean)! If you develop this habit early on, you’ll find that you’ll be able to accomplish more and have time to do non-law school related activities too!
That being said it’s still important to make sure you take care of your physical and mental well-being. Every once in a while, remind yourself to take a break. It’s okay you deserve it! Spend a little time on yourself: hit the gym, go for a walk, take a nap, put on a movie and cuddle on the couch with your dog, grab a meal with a friend you haven’t seen in a while, or spoil yourself and take yourself out for a nice meal! Whatever you choose to do, remember that you have three years to be a law student and an entire lifetime to be a lawyer… You deserve time to yourself every once in a while, to sit back, relax, and enjoy your life! Trust me, it makes all the difference!
Until next time friends!