Move Forward While "Falling Back" This Weekend
Get ready to set your clocks backward for daylight saving time, as you “gain” an hour of time this Sunday morning.
Sure, you could sleep in and get an extra hour of sleep. But if you’re already thinking about final exams, there’s a lot you can accomplish in just 60 minutes to help you prepare for those tests.
1. Work on an outline.
You may have heard it before: the benefit of outlining is the journey rather than the destination. So, continue that journey, or if you have started yet, begin with that extra hour Sunday. As you move closer to exams, continue to build your outline – adding new cases, rules, policy rationale, class notes, etc. – while, at the same time, removing information that you have now committed to memory or have deemed not important based on subsequent class discussions. You should aim to have a completed outline finished by the last day of class so you can spend reading period reviewing your outline rather than making it.
2. Answer a practice essay
It’s simple: take 30 minutes to write a bar-like essay, and dedicate 30 minutes comparing your response to the sample response. Boom – one hour!
3. Complete multiple-choice questions
This is simple, too. If you want to follow “bar time,” then complete 17 multiple-choice questions in 30 minutes, and spend 30 minutes reviewing the explanatory answers. Remember to build multiple-choice (and essay) practice into your study schedule.
4. Get organized
You can use the extra hour to get organized, so that you are able to devote a significant amount of time and energy to law school during the weeks leading up to exams. See my prior post, “Top Apps for Law Students,” for some good productivity apps for your smartphone. My favorite is Things: You can connect your calendar to see your to-dos in context of your day, and the app integrates with both Siri and Apple Reminders.
5. Exercise
Get in an extra workout for the week. Regular exercise can help boost self-esteem, lead to better sleep, and keep your brain healthy. To get the most mental health benefits, aim for 30 minutes or more of exercise per day.
