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Motivation is difficult to grasp. The problem is, for many of us, motivation is fleeting. Discipline is reliable. Discipline is what sets the top 1% apart from the other 99%. We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.
Don't feel bad for taking time away. Just have the discipline to jump right back in when the time comes. Good luck, hope this helps.
The only way is to take time off. So much this... I found out the hard way that working harder wasn't going to equal better results, but actually at a certain point, worse.
My experience with burn out:
I've always been a good student in college and studied really hard to get good grades. I figured the LSAT would be no different. I'd study really intensely and things would be OK.
So I began studying in June, studying 6-8 hours a day on top of a full-time job. Things went ok for about a month. All the sudden towards the end of June, I started fighting with my s/o, being irritable, and starting to doubt myself. If I got a question wrong, it started to make me angry. It was as if I was taking the test personal. As if the LSAC wrote these question to try to screw me from getting into my dream school These things were just not like me at all. I'm usually so happy, motivated, and reasonable....
The thing was I was doing good. I was making some improvements and overall studying intensely seemed to be working for me as it always had. Then all of the sudden on July 4th weekend I lost all motivation to study. I figured it was the holiday, gave myself the 4th off, and went back to prepping the next day. I was completely unmotivated. I felt like I hated this test and hopelessness permeated my being entirely. I tried to push through, but it just wasn't working.
Eventually I realized the burnout stories were true and that I needed a break. And a real break. Not a half day, but a real break. I decided to take 5 days off. I was so worried my newly gained skills would atrophy, but it actually helped. When I came back I was refreshed, recharged, and my skills were sharper than ever.
tl;dr Take a break. A few days or a week away from all LSAT stuff. When you come back you will feel much better.
And yeah, time away is absolutely necessary. And it needs to be quality time. When I first started out, I’d take time off but feel guilty about it. That doesn’t really help. You’ve got to take off and really enjoy it guilt free.
Needless to say, when you're studying for periods that long you risk burnout. I personally find there are several things that help prevent burnout and also recover from it:
1.) Do you enjoy one part of the LSAT more than another? Personally, although they can be incredibly frustrating, I actually enjoy LG. They're like fun little Sudoku puzzles. So, on a day that I lack motivation, I'll start out by doing lots of LG. Maybe even some easy ones, because that's a confidence booster and who doesn't love feeling like they can kick the LSAT in the groin?
2.) I also think it's very important to be able to stop thinking about this damn test. When I clock out at 5 P.M. each day... I CLOCK OUT! I don't think about the LSAT, I don't ponder LR questions. Nothing. And I don't start thinking about the LSAT until I wake up the next morning. For some people this can be very difficult. But as others have mentioned, your mind is a muscle and it needs time to recover, so you need to take time off.
3.) Plan to do things you enjoy in your off time. Nothing is worse than thinking, "Wow. I just studied for 6 Hrs, my mind is fried, and I don't really have anything fun to do." This can be especially painful if you have a bad day and end up getting 6 questions wrong in a row and feel like the past 2 months were a complete waste (Hey, it happens). Whether this means getting a lil tipsy or watching your fav TV show, you need to have a way to de-stress each day. For me, I play some PS4. I can let my mind go blank and just focus on poning some n00bs.
4.) Stay Motivated! One of the biggest symptoms of burnout IMO is lack of motivation. When you just aren't inspired anymore. I agree with what people above have said about motivation being fleeting and discipline being reliable, and to be clear, you absolutely have to be disciplined, but I think it's also important to remember that motivation doesn't just have to come and go, ebb and flow. You can actively keep yourself motivated! Sure you can watch Suits and that will do the trick, but there are only so many episodes and Mike is in the clink right now. Whenever I lack motivation, I think of all the great things that scoring well is going to bring me and I "anchor" myself in that feeling. It's going to bring me a good law school, the prestige associated with a high score, success, etc. I mean can you imagine what it must feel like on the day the scores are released to look at yours and see....you got a 178? Anchor yourself in those feelings. That can really help drive you. And if you ever begin to feel apathetic, like you just don't care (worse than unmotivated), contrast that feeling with what it would feel like to fail.
5.) Stay Interested! One thing about the LSAT I find really enjoyable is that I have yet to reach a point where I feel like, "I know everything." I'm always finding some youtube video or forum post teaching something I didn't know before or presenting some different way to approach a question, or learning something new from 7sage forum members.
Anyways, those are my thoughts based off my personal experience so far. Might not work for everyone, but it's helped me.
Good luck and feel better!!!
Great Call!
I do feel a little scared because time is ticking ... but I think with this time off I can come back stronger.
I will be taking a look at the War of Art! I am a huge bookie and reading really relaxes me. I would love to find some extra motivation through books.
@civnetn thank you. I will be trying out some of your tips. I really appreciate you and everyone taking the time to advise me. PS.Can you link me to some of those youtube vids?