Self-paced
Hi all,
I work full time and some days it just isn't realistic for me to study, how do you deal w the feeling of guilt when skipping a day. I know that the two days a week I don't study don't set me back much especially because I am past the point of learning fundamentals, but I can't help but feel guilty.
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6 comments
The best advice I received for this was to dedicate that time as rest and recovery time. It’s nearly impossible to mentally rest if you feel guilty for not studying. Instead, if you block off the time and just avoid thinking about the LSAT entirely, you’ll feel much more rested. In all honesty, on my last LSAT attempt I hardly studied for the month leading up to it to give myself a chance to go in with a fresh mind. And it really paid off!
Rest is just as important as the studying is, especially now that you have the fundamentals down. Some of my best practice tests were after adding more rest into my routine. You may think it’s time that you should be studying, but in a weird way, sometimes it’s more beneficial not to. Study hard, rest hard!
I've been in your shoes, balancing work and studying, and I want to remind you that rest is actually part of your study plan and definitely not something to feel guilty about. If you're working full-time, it's totally normal that studying every single day might not be realistic or sustainable.
Something that really helped me manage the guilt was focusing on being consistent, not perfect. Missing a study day or two each week is very different from not studying at all. If you keep showing up over time, those rest days probably won't make or break your score.
It can also help to think of those days as recovery days instead of skipped days. Mental fatigue is real, and sometimes giving yourself a night off means you'll come back even more productive!
I used to feel this until I took a couple off days and realized they aren’t detracting from my studies, they’re improving my studies. If you really want what’s best, take some days off. It helped me to not feel guilty once I saw that this time off was actually making me better, making what I’m studying integrate into my mind better/quicker. I don’t know why but your brain really does consolidate what you learn more when you take planned/controlled time off.
I work 40 hours a week too, and I intentionally don't study on the weekends. That's my time to recharge and let the things I've learned sink in. When I get back into it on Monday, I always have a more concrete understanding of things I learned the prior week.
It's similar to sleeping on a big decision. Taking breaks to let your brain digest things can be quite advantageous to long-term learning, and also helps to reduce burnout risk :)
I don't wanna be so therapy cliche but it definitely helps to be kind to yourself, like "I am doing a very draining thing on top of a very draining thing, and it makes sense and is even necessary for me to skip a day and rest, because that allows me to come back more composed and grounded. What I gain from a day of rest is a brain that is more open, less frustrated, and that brings me the clarity that I need to answer questions with greater accuracy"
I work around 40 to 50 hours a week as well. It can be difficult to find time to study sometimes. However, even 20 to 30 minutes a day can help. Try studying before work and some afterwards. Being mentally drained after work is a thing lol, but keep positive! You can do it :)