Maybe it is just me, but sometimes i just don't feel motivated to do LSAT. I guess LSAT has not grown into me well yet, what do you guys do to get motivated? Sometimes I noticed switching to logic games sorta "wakes" me up ( I know I am a wierdo but I love the logic games). Reading comp and logic reasoning my mind drifts off , can't focus sometimes. Any advice on keep drilling?
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I realized for me studying from home I get nothing done!, I am too comfortable and get lazy. When I go to to campus library I get more done, I see other students focused..sorta motivates me
Motivation is the product of positively reinforced action. Motivation is not inspiration: it's not something that strikes us in a given moment as if out of nowhere. Motivation is not a feeling: it's emotionally-supported momentum, and momentum is the product of action.
If you're looking to motivate yourself for LSAT study, think about what you enjoy most about the test. I'm certain that you wouldn't have stuck with it if you truly enjoyed nothing about the process. Do some of what you enjoy most and let that energize you.
I guess I need to take breaks. My spare time logic games been highlight of my day. Logic reading and logic reason kill me .
I don't know if this will work for the LSAT as I've never taken it (and I don't think I could comprehend half of the stuff if I tried), but to motivate me to do things (like the things I mentioned above & beyond) I try a few things:
First of all, take things one step at a time. Try to focus on one aspect and don't get overwhelmed thinking about the entire picture. This is kind of funny to me because as I was typing this, I got distracted and clicked away. Good thing 7Sage saves drafts. :P I find if I break things apart into smaller tasks, everything goes much smoother. For example, I have to do several things when I work: Answer emails, reply to posts on the forums, make sure I'm up to date with the 7Sage Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr and check on the students. If you look at everything combined, it seems like a lot. As soon as you start looking at them as separate things, it's not so bad.
Another thing I do is a sort of reward system. Once I'm done one of the things on my list, I reward myself with different things. 15min break, a cookie, a game of League of Legends, etc etc.
Really you just have to keep the goal in mind when trying to find motivation. I love my job and I love interacting with everyone, sometimes that's motivation enough. (Seriously - I really, really love this job. Really.)
I also am something of a perfectionist and notably competitive. I get pissed at the test in order to WANT to beat it. But you have to be focused in whatever emotion you decide to manufacture in order to do your best. Simply being angry would never get me anywhere, haha. This test is so psychological that it'd be absurd to deny the need to build a mental and emotional makeup designed for the test.
Treat yo self!!!!
@"Nilesh S" what do you recommended should longest studying sitting be? I pull 4 hours or 5 max but that usually bc I take my sweet time reviewing answers, why I got what wrong.
I've augmented my 7-sage study schedule by putting in reward days and/or events. Better yet, the augmentations are already part of my day-to-day schedule. For example: events such as trips to the gym or weekend brunches with friends are treated as "rewards". However, the ultimate reward of performing well on the LSAT is not the great score you'll receive, but more so the freedom of choice that the score will allow. With a great score you will CHOOSE which law school to attend. You will CHOOSE how much you want to pay. And, most importantly, I think, you will CHOOSE how you look back on this moment, say 5 or 10 years down the road. The LSAT, while important, is a very small part of the process of attaining freedom of choice.
Second, if you like to-do lists like I do, print off your study schedule so you can have a checklist. I like checking things off checklists, and the 7-sage study schedule can be treated like one. You can see your day-to-day, or week-to-week progression. Also, this can be part of your reward system. Ultimately, you're going to have to find a process that works for you, but I hope these tips help your search. Good Luck.
It honestly took me so long to get motivated for the LSAT (and it's still something I'm working on), which is probably why it's taken me over a year to study for this test while for others it takes months. I won't lie, the first 6-9 months or so were painful. The beginning was fun because I made rapid improvement in gains and, like @nicole.hopkins mentioned, motivation is the product of positive momentum.
However, after the first month or so, I was stuck in the high 150s and experienced so much inertia in my studying. I physically hated the thought of studying because it seemed so worthless. And, even though I knew that the LSAT was either going to be a huge asset or liability for my future law school application, I couldn't get myself to get out of whatever I was doing and into my books. That period lasted a good 4 or 5 months until I just forced myself to do it, even for an hour or two a day. Slowly but surely, I started seeing gains, crossed into 160 land, looking towards 170 land. At this point, I'm at the 9 month mark.
Since my 9 month mark, however, I started to really enjoy the LSAT. I could feel my mind getting sharper and there is honestly NO HIGH compared to feeling like you're getting smarter. Instead of doing one timed section, I did multiple. Instead of doing 20 LR questions, I did 50. The high I experienced while studying for the LSAT is the only thing that motivates me to study. Not the fact that the LSAT is the crucial component of my law school application, but the fact that the LSAT is something I can do today, tomorrow, or for the next few months that will make me smarter. It's still hard to study at times when I'm in a lull but I remind myself that this is something I can do to make myself smarter. One of the honest to god, most amazing moments of my life is when, just a few weeks ago, I got my first 173 -- under strict timing conditions, no extended break, and on an unseen PT. I think I started tearing up because I was so damn happy that I had tangible evidence of my hard work.
OP, what I hope my story tells you is to FIND YOUR MOTIVATION. If it doesn't exist now, that's fine. Ultimately, if you want to go to law school, you MUST TAKE THIS TEST. And, if you must take this test, you might as well try hard to do your best. It'll be painful at first but so rewarding in the end. In my case, it helped to think about the short term and not the long term. Do what floats your boat and gets you moving. Everybody is different and there is no size fits all approach to studying for the LSAT.
I recommend making a schedule and sticking to it no matter how you feel. Once it's habit, it gets to be more pleasant and as other people have mentioned, the reward system is good too.
Best of luck!