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SOS!! How to get over being burnt out????
1234abcd-1
Member
Hello All,
I have recently started a full time job, and before I got a job, I have been grinding at the library for 5+ hours, but now that I have a job it is extremely hard to focus and not stress over the fact that you have so much on your plate!! I work from 7 am - 4 pm and after that I go straight to the library. I usually try to study for 4 hours, but end up not being able too, because of how stressful it is. I feel like if I cannot handle my job AND studying, I will probably end up quitting.
If anyone has any advice on how to handle a full time job AND handling the LSAT at the same time please comment!
Comments
Hey there! I have worked full time through undergrad and studying for the LSAT. It is not fun but we can do it. I have found it helps so much to get up and take a walk at least once an hour (even if its just for 5 minutes). I also give myself about an hour after work to decompress, eat, play with my dog, and then dive into studying. I don't know about you but the hardest part for me is looking at a computer screen all day long. I finally got blue light glasses and think they have helped with my focus (or it's placebo effect, but either way I'll take it).
Other people will have varying opinions on this, but I really don’t think it’s usually necessary or good to be spending more than three hours a day on the LSAT if it isn’t your main pursuit. Could you maybe do half an hour in the mornings before work and then take time to have dinner/exercise before you study another 2-3 hours in the evening?
I'm also working full-time while studying for the LSATs. I also have 2 kids so I COMPLETELY understand burn out
and can definitively say, the only way to avoid burn out, is to rest well.
4 hours right after a full work day is definitely a one way ticket to burn out! You are FAR better off taking a 2 hour break after work and then studying for 2 hours than trying to cram in 4 hours... you said that you try to study for at least 4 hours, but why 4 hours?
Also, when are you planning on taking the LSAT/applying to law school? It seems like this might be your first full-time work experience, and if that's the case, adjusting to full-time work life is a big endeavor on its own...! If not applying this year, then seriously give yourself time to adjust to your new life as a working professional... like at least a month!
I've been working on LSATs for about a year and will be applying this cycle.
There are 2 things that I found essential for me:
1) I put myself on a consistent sleep schedule (in bed by 10:30, usually asleep by 11, usually wake up around 6). My body + brain seem to have settled into a rhythm that distributes energy when I need it most.
2) I schedule breaks/social things into my study schedule. I have kept Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons open so that I can schedule social things during those times. I didn't necessarily always have plans with other people, so sometimes I'd just catch up on a TV show and relax. But other times, I felt like studying, so I did. Knowing that I have relief from studying on a regular basis helped me push through the times I was particularly tired/unmotivated.
Also, because I can get tunnel visioned and endlessly think about LSAT/law school, I actually put a mental moratorium on all things LSAT/law school after 9pm (today is an exception because I'm reeling from a freak out that there's no more availability for the Oct test in my area haha). I force myself to turn on an episode of one of my shows at 9pm to start winding down.
Everyone is different, but hope this helps as a starting point!
You have to take a break after work, a minimum of an hour, I would suggest longer.
Cut your time in half, 2 hours a day on work days. Every once in awhile if you feel like you have momentum go for 3 hours.
Same here with work and family. One of the best things I learned: if you have reread the stimulus two or three times, you're done. Shut the book, your brain has checked out for the night. Watch some tv and go to bed.
Two hours of good study beats four hours of turning your brain into mush. Rest is very important, too.
I was working 70 hours/week when I first started studying for the LSAT. At first I'd have big, ambitious study goals for the day and it just wasn't happening. I had to accept that I wasn't superman and acknowledge my limitations. I just couldn't get home from a draining twelve hour shift and expect to study productively for four hours. That was way too much to put on myself and I was burned out with the work and also discouraged by my inability to fulfill my intentions. The hardest part after my initial burnout was just getting started studying. Instead of a four hour study session, I'd plan for an hour or even just half an hour. At the end of that time I was free to quit or, if I'd become interested and engaged, continue. But if I wanted to quit, I'd fulfilled my obligation for the day and so quit without any feelings of guilt. This got me started each day while building in a pressure valve to help me manage my energy levels at a more sustainable burn rate. This may only work if you find studying for the LSAT interesting. I came to really enjoy studying, so that definitely helped a lot!
I've been working full time and studying for almost 6 months now. Just want to share my schedule with you. Following this strictly has prevented me from burning out.
I get off at 5pm from work every day, and arrive home at around 5:30.
Monday, Wednesday:
- I make food,
- watch an episode of the office,
- or simply do nothing and lie around,
- browsing Youtube till around 7:00 then
- I go do a full length test timed till 10:00 pm then go to bed.
Tuesday, Thursday:
- I go straight to gym and work out till 6:30.
- I go home and make food
- Do non value-added meaningless things and waste my time till 7:30
- Go do blind review till 10:00
Friday: I do absolutely nothing on Friday.
Saturday Sunday:
- Because I do two full length test during the week, must make sure I reviewed every single
question and that I understand them before I move on.
- I grind hard and usually do one more test and BR
- But I sleep till 10 in the morning.
Yes this definitely has helped me. I am taking the November LSAT and will be applying in December, which is why I want to focus full time on the LSAT. I started studying for the LSAT at the beginning of June and still am not to where I want to be. I have been trying to fully adjust to my schedule but it is so hard. At the end of the day, a job will always be there waiting for me, but not so much the LSAT. This will be the third time that I take it. Also, props to you for being a HARDWORKING mother. That is honestly so amazing that you have a lot on your plate and still push through.I still am deciding whether I should risk it or just study full time.
Have you noticed any score increase with this schedule? Because so far I am not a strong test taker and that is the only thing I am scared of:(