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Time Management Tip: Think of Law School Like a Law Job

March 23, 2012 By Lee Burgess 14 Comments

WorkThis is the time of year when students come to my office and ask:

Where am I going to find the time to study and create outlines for finals? I have no more time to offer to law school.

Yes, law school is very time-consuming. And all of us in law school (or who have completed law school) can agree that while in law school it feels like you work all the time.

But I am here to pose the question to you: Do you really work all the time?

Billing by the Hour

Have you ever had a job with billable hours?

I have because before I went to law school, I worked as a consultant. We didn’t bill in the six-minute increments that most law firms require. But we did have to allocate how our time was being used during the day, if I remember correctly, in half-hour increments.

When you look at your time like this, you start to realize:

Huh, I am not actually working all of the hours I am at work.

Fast-forward to life in a law firm. Hello, billable hour.

We had an electronic time clock that ran on our desktop. You clicked the start and stop button as you started a task or switched to another task. Check your personal e-mail? Stop the clock. Get coffee with your friend down the hall? Stop the clock. Take a call from a friend about dinner plans? Stop the clock.

All of a sudden you begin to realize how much time is actually spent during a day doing all sorts of things other than working.

How Are You Really Spending Your Time?

So let’s apply that to law school.

I think we can all agree that law school is a full-time job.

You should be doing at least 40 hours a week of work on being a law student, right?

So let’s start with 40 hours (keeping in mind that many law jobs require more than that). Let’s say you have 14 hours of class a week. That leaves you 26 hours to prep for class, study, and outline. Let’s say you prep for class 14 hours a week (one hour for each hour in class). You now have 12 hours left to outline and study class material.

And that is just doing 40 hours of work. What if you do 45 or 50? Wow, that is a lot of study time!

But why doesn’t it feel like you have this much time? Because law students waste time.

It’s okay — we all do it. We check e-mail, Facebook, or shop online. We talk on the phone, walk to get burritos down the street from school — you name it. But should that count as time we are working on law school? No.

I encourage you to do an experiment. Track your hours for a few days, like a lawyer. Realize how much time you spend distracted by other things.

I think you are likely going to find that you aren’t working as much as you think you are. And if that is the case, don’t worry. The good news is that you can do something about it.

Tips for Law School Time Management

What can you do?

  • Well, when you are working you can turn off your wireless. No e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter. You can schedule breaks instead of taking them every 15 minutes (and yes, I do think breaks are important). But they can be every hour or so.
  • You can make sure that you are studying efficiently and studying in the right way to get the most out of your study hours..
  • You can set working goals for yourself and see if you can meet them. You know how lawyers have targeted billable hours? You can have targeted study hours! Decide how long you’re going to study each week, and keep track of whether you achieve your goals.

Law school is serious business, but by working more efficiently and really looking at how you spend your time, the work can become more manageable!

What time management tips work best for you?

— – —

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You might also like these posts:

A New Time Management Technique I’m Trying

How to Cope When You’ve Got Too Much Going On

Dealing with Law School “Time Regret”

 

Image by hisks via stock.xchng.


 

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About Lee Burgess

Lee Burgess, Esq. is the co-founder of the Law School Toolbox, a resource for law students that demystifies the law school experience and the Bar Exam Toolbox, a resource for students getting ready for the bar exam. Lee has been adjunct faculty at two bay area law schools teaching classes on law school and bar exam preparation. You can find Lee on Twitter at @leefburgess, @lawschooltools, & @barexamtools.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Miss Brown

    03.23.12

    I must say that silencing my cell phone while simultaneously turning off the internet is the best study strategy for me. After about forty-five minutes of working, I take a short break. Kicking off the first study set is the most difficult thing to do sometimes though!

    Thanks for the wonderful tips!

    Reply
    • Lee Burgess

      03.24.12

      Absolutely! Short breaks are really important. Sounds like you have focused on what works for you. Keep up the good work!

      Lee

      Reply
  2. Allison

    08.25.12

    This is a great way to think of time management! I know I am always stopping to do other things when I am suppose to be reading. Thanks for the post!

    Reply
  3. Julia L.

    09.17.12

    I like the idea of implementing a goal equivalent to “billable hours”! I’ll have to try that out.

    Reply
    • Lee Burgess

      09.17.12

      Julia, I think it can be really helpful. Besides, it is also a great way to get ready for practice!

      Reply
  4. Catherine

    03.21.14

    Not very helpful when you DO work 40 hours a week and classes every night until 10:00. : (

    Reply
    • Lee Burgess

      03.22.14

      Working full time and going to law school at night is quite the challenge and balancing act for sure!

      Reply
  5. Phillipe

    10.02.14

    Should I include poo breaks in the 40 hours a week?

    Reply
    • Alison Monahan

      10.02.14

      Only if you’re reading in the john. 😉

      Reply
  6. Fred Williams

    11.18.15

    I switched from Cosmolex to practicepanther. I use a time tracking software to keep track of time, attendance and productivity. And I tried this practicepanther which is delightfully simple and serves all of my needs. Helps me get jobs done easier and faster. the best software for me so far..

    Reply
  7. Yami

    12.06.16

    Any suggestions for single mom raising a 10 yr. Old with no family as backup, and going to law school full time?

    Reply
    • Alison Monahan

      12.07.16

      I think the key is to be really realistic about the hard topics: how much time you have, if this makes financial sense, how much support you’ll have for your child, etc. We see a number of students who start without sorting out this stuff, and end up having to withdraw with financial or personal issues, which isn’t great for anyone.

      If you are committed to going, try to make friends with other law student parents, who will be invaluable! The school may have an existing support group, or you can ask to talk with current students in this position.

      Best of luck!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Screaming into the Void (Part 1) – Happy Hour PTA says:
    February 21, 2019 at 7:30 pm

    […] an article from 2012 (click here) they use the idea that law school is a full time job, so let’s dedicate 40 Hours a week they […]

    Reply
  2. Is Law School Right For You? - Campus Socialite says:
    March 25, 2019 at 3:07 am

    […] some other degrees, law school calls for a significant amount of work each week.  Many students find themselves working up to seventy hours a week!  So, if you’re […]

    Reply

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