Did I burn myself out?

chelsLSAT

Hey everyone,
I am hoping someone can help me because I feel as if I am in a slump right now and am having a hard time getting out. When I started this 7Sage program, I was very motivated and charged at it like a bull and was killing it…However, these past two weeks I have been slacking HARD and just can't get my head into the game. I have all the time in the world to study and do pt's however I just can't get myself there. Even right at this moment, I am doing problem sets, and blind reviewing but I am not operating at my normal potential and it's making me frustrated because I am missing things that I wouldn't normally miss.

Did I burn myself out? Does anyone else feel totally unmotivated? How do you get yourself out?

I am planning on taking the Dec 5th LSAT but I'm not sure if thats a good idea considering how I'm feeling lately.

Matt1234567

Are you continuously studying non-stop? Take a break from the LSAT for a day or two, enjoy something you like, go to the movies, watch a little bit of tv, etc. You still have a good amount of time before December rolls around. Remind yourself why you want to go to law school and what you will achieve with your degree! Don't worry, you'll get your motivation back.

The last thing you want to do is get resentful towards the LSAT because you're missing certain questions you normally get since you're stressed out and not performing at your optimal capacity.

chelsLSAT

Matt, I was, yes. I went at it like a cat chasing a mouse. I found it fun and was doing very well. Felt like I found my unicorn because it was weird that I was enjoying Logic Games...

I have taken a break, I spent the last week not doing anything LSAT related.
I've now motivated myself to the point where I am doing problem sets but like I mentioned, I'm just not performing like I normally do

Matt1234567

@WorkHardPlayHardDirtbiker said:
I've now motivated myself to the point where I am doing problem sets but like I mentioned, I'm just not performing like I normally do

The important thing is not to get down on yourself because of this. Trust me when I say this, under performing or not performing to your usual potential happens to everyone on this exam. Don't let it get you down, try and really review these questions and why/how you fell for the wrong answer and what your thought process was.

There have been days where I just bombed a section that I usually do well on, or miss a question that I easily get in BR. Whatever is happening to you, it will soon fade, I know because it has happened to me too! I know it's easier said than done, but try and stay positive.

Tankstin

A good break to prevent burnout can be helpful. It should be expected that you'll be slower getting back into things, but the small regression can go a long way in aiding future potential growth.

Earlier in the month I took a week straight off and actually had a social life, and while my first "back into it" PT was a few points lower than my average, the week that followed had some of my strongest/most focused studying yet. Just a week of refocused drilling really helped me smash a plateau I had been stuck at for a month. [This is all anecdotal and you'll know your body and mind best]

sabrina.schell5

I'm totally certain I burned myself out next week. I was doing a test a day, and suddenly my score dropped from a 168 to a 158, because I just wasn't focusing like I should have. I took a few days off, and now I'm back at it, and I worked with a friend on my problem areas. I think the frustration of not improving had worn me down, so I just needed a little time off to clear my head and focus on the real problems.

mcmlaw36

@WorkHardPlayHardDirtbiker Don't worry, this happens to the best of us. I also have been feeling this way, but I tend to stay positive by remembering how much time is still left before December. I am at a point in the curriculum where I am doing question after question, followed by explanation after explanation, and I have limited myself to a few a day so that I don't overwork myself. After too many, my brain turns to mush and I have to read a sentence numerous times before it even sticks, lol.

Remember, if you ever want some extra motivation, I am close by and maybe studying with someone will help motivate the both of us. I tend to get distracted when sitting in my room by myself, trying to drill questions. The curriculum, especially, has been repetitive (although I do appreciate this - J.Y. makes sure we understand everything by going through so many questions) but we all know that is synonymous with dull/boring.

I've even found it helpful (especially tonight with a lack of motivation to get studying) reading posts on the 7sage forum. It has been incredibly motivational and I'm actually much more prepared to study than I was beforehand.

Good luck!

Maxine

Elyse Leola

Well, I offer no help, but I wanted to let you know that I'm in the same boat as you. Sorry to hear this. I'm planning to take the October test. I just took another PT and got a !!147!! I was getting scores as high as 166. Everyone, even my school pre-law adviser, keeps telling me that studying too much is causing me to fare worse. Idk though. I feel like test day is so soon that I have no choice but to constantly study.

combs.rosa

I hope everyone's comments have helped, its all great advice. When I burned myself out, I started yoga and got a few massages. Try one per week for a massage, it will help alleviate a lot of the stress, trust me, and yoga might help as well, I went twice a week. I was in a slump for two weeks where I couldnt sit for more than 30 minutes, my brain just wouldnt focus no matter how much I wanted to. A woman I met at yoga, she was a professor, mentioned that I had cognitive overload. lol, well the two weeks off, massages, and yoga really helped me. If you're thinking, "that crap costs too much" just go on groupon or something of the sort and get it for cheap. It's also harder to do something when its the ONLY thing on your agenda. The more time we have to commit to something, sometimes, the less time we end up committing to it. I worked full-time while I studied, so I was on a tight schedule. If you dont already, pick up a hobby, go on meetup.com and possibly join a hiking group, something that will get some endorphines going, it will be a big help!

nicole.hopkins

@combs.rosa said:
The more time we have to commit to something, sometimes, the less time we end up committing to it. I worked full-time while I studied, so I was on a tight schedule. If you dont already, pick up a hobby, go on meetup.com and possibly join a hiking group, something that will get some endorphines going, it will be a big help!

EXCELLENT tips and perspective here. Very insightful.

kristymoawad

I feel super burned out also. I have been studying for the LSAT since March. I took the June LSAT and now I'm about to take the October one. Burn out really sucks. If you're taking the December LSAT, you're fine. It's more beneficial to take a break than the push yourself more and more until you completely lose al motivation, which is what I did. If I were you, I would take a week off and not even think about the exam. December is super far away. Also, I identified with your love for logic games. I actually think that they are games and I thoroughly enjoy them. Everything else is lame though.

NishaEsq

I was studying for the June exam, and completely gave up. I am not refocusing for the december exam. I barely remember anything and I feel like giving up. I am not motivated anymore and I don't know how to reapproach this without wasting time or additional money.

Any advice? Law school is starting to look impossible

inactive

@NishaEsq said:
I was studying for the June exam, and completely gave up. I am not refocusing for the december exam. I barely remember anything and I feel like giving up. I am not motivated anymore and I don't know how to reapproach this without wasting time or additional money.

Any advice? Law school is starting to look impossible

Hey Nisha,

I reactivated your old account for a few days so you only have to purchase an extension:
http://7sage.com/addons/

(You'll have to look here for PTs now since we can't have PDFs on the site, but the video explanations haven't moved!)

Don't give up hope. This kind of stuff is like riding a bike. You never really completely forget, only stumble a little bit until you regain your footing. You can do this.

LSATisland

Hi @WorkHardPlayHardDirtbiker

I hope the break you took helped. The LSAT is a balance of immersing yourself in LSAT study and avoiding burnout. The LSAT can be intense, and often the more intense the better as LSAT immersion can help make the concepts and techniques internalized.

If this does lead to burnout, don't worry. Take a break. There's no rule on how long of a break is needed -- it is personal: whatever gets you back into LSAT mode.

Samcandoit!

Hi @WorkHardPlayHardDirtbiker

Let me share what I feel about it, since I also registered December 5th, and it is my first Lsat. I just started 7 sage program on May. I am an international student, I did not come back to my country for the whole summer, that's why my president come to DC today (just kidding), because I decided to at least finish the core curriculum during the summer. For the whole summer, I almost had more than 90 days boring life: get up, eat breakfast, Lsat, Lsat, Lsat, 7sage, 7sage, smoke,lunch, smoke, nap, Lsat, gym, smoke, watch soccer, sleep. I felt burned out during that time as well. I was alone all the time, no one understand what I am doing.

When September comes, I totally felt freaked out, because I cannot imagine how I can both deal with my college course and Lsat. But you know what, just do it! I realize I am those type of person, no matter I worry or not, my discipline will still push me to do that. If that is the case, then worry does nothing but make useless stress. Just do it, and forget about the rights and wrongs for a moment, there are only something you need BR and help you know what you don't know with something you do not BR.

Even beyond that, you should try to love Lsat. I know it is hard, but you cannot deny it teaches and will teach you a lot of things. It trains your mind, make you tough.... If you see it as a burden, you would not do it with pleasure. How can you improve on it with the motivation of escaping from it asap? So love it.

I agree you need to get couple days off, like I usually do PT on Wednesday and Saturday, but I decide to cancel PT on tmr, because I want to have drinks with friends tonight. Most importantly, go to do some sports every day. During the summer, around 4 pm, I started to lose focus and feel it is the end of my life (since I already studied 7 hours at that time); I forced me to do some weight train and aerobics. You know what, I feel relaxed and ready to study Lsat for the next day. That is the magic of sport. Do not let tiresome of the day make you down even without notice.

Gabriella.Harrison

I fortunately have a job that allows me to study during my down time (which happens to be a lot this time of the year), so I have reserved my studying for the day time and I relax in the evenings. I do my yoga and meditation to help clear my mind and I am ready to tackle some more LSAT studying the next day. As a previous poster suggested, yoga really does help you focus and align your attention span.

Faaabs93

You sound exactly like me. It was all sunshine and jager shots for weeks. Would get either 164, 165, or 166 on every preptest.

Then, burnout came. My scores just started getting shrek'd. Like I would either JUST hit 160, or sometimes dip under.

"How could this happen to me, I've made my mistakes, got no where to run.. life goes on as I'm fading away" I thought to myself.

I was studying 8 hours a day every single day for 2 months. Neglected my friends, family, and even myself. "Take a break" they said. But I thought the idea of a break was dumbest thing I've ever heard. "Arnold (aka Schwarz-god) never took a break", I replied.

But then I said yolo. Went out with my friends two nights in a row. Didn't get so obliterated that I couldn't remember my name, but I just had fun.

After those two days, I felt refreshed. Boom, my scores went back up. Last 5 preptests since then have been 164,166,166,165,165.

So yes, it's definitely burn out. It's good that you recognized it now. Go spend some times with your friends and forget the entire LSAT for bare minimum one day. It'll do wonders.

chelsLSAT

Hi everyone, thank you for your replies, I greatly appreciate it.
I am getting back into it now and resuming my full day studying tomorrow with taking a break (the break being my reward) for every hour of studying complete.