Making the Most of Your Legal Education – Preparing for the End of Term Ten Tips

You’re on the final stretch – the end of term. How can you effectively manage the many demands on your time? How can you stay productive amidst the pressures of examinations? Experts in teaching, learning, and time management recommend a number of strategies, such as putting all your tasks in writing, making your schedule visible, being thoughtful about your time, and regularly updating your plan. Taking these steps can help you do your best at the end of the term. Ignoring all the demands on your time only causes more stress and reduces your overall effectiveness..1. Identify All Your Tasks.List all you have to do by the end of the term, including academic tasks such as examinations, papers, and oral presentations. Include other tasks, including following up on internships, saying goodbye to friends and professors, making plans for the break, and packing your things. Be thorough and add an “other” category for unanticipated events or duties. The list might be a bit overwhelming, but it will provide you with a realistic picture of all you have to do. Modify this list as necessary over the next few weeks..2. Prioritize Your Tasks.Put an “A”, “B”, or “C” next to each task on your list. “A” tasks are the most important and highest priority. Those with “B” are important, but less so. “C” tasks are the least important; these are the ones you would like to do well and spend time on, but ultimately are less significant. Avoid the temptation of putting all your tasks in the “A” category. Of course, all your tasks are important, but some are more crucial than others. If you are not sure about how to prioritize your tasks, try the following exercises. Imagine yourself looking back on this time 12 months from now. What would you wish you had focused on? If you had to tell your parents how you spent these last few weeks, what would you want to say? If a supervisor asked you about how you used your time, would you feel proud of your answer? Would you have regrets if you spent more time on the Internet or with your friends than studying? Imagine university friends asked you for advice. What would you recommend they do? Answering these questions will give you a sense of where your priorities lie..3. Estimate the Time for Each Task .For each examination, estimate the amount of time you want to spend studying. Do the same for other academic duties. For each task, particularly those that require you to prepare a formal document, estimate more time than you think you need. Experienced legal writers frequently find that each document takes easily twice as long as they planned, so double the amount of time you think you will need. (The worst that could happen is that you finish a writing project early and have a little free time to relax!)For non-academic tasks, be realistic about how much time you think each task will take. Do you want to join a group of friends for a fun goodbye meal, or do you want to make time to say goodbye individually? Do you need to ask your professors about letters of recommendation for internships, jobs, or future studies?.4. Schedule Fixed and Flexible Due Dates.On your list of tasks, identify the ones with fixed deadlines, such as examinations, due dates for projects, and leaving the university. You can’t control these dates, so write these tasks on your calendar. Make these dates and tasks stand out, such as by using bold print, large letters, or colour. Now that you have the fixed dates, start scheduling the most important tasks – the ones labeled with “A”. Referring back to your estimation of how much time each task would take, start putting these on your calendar. You have control over when you do these tasks, so try experimenting with different schedules. For example, if you estimated spending 8 hours studying for one subject, you could either decide to study a few hours for several days (more effective), or devote a whole day to mastering the course (generally less effective). Be realistic about your habits and energy levels. If you are most alert in the evening, plan to do the hardest studying then. If you have an examination all morning, give your brain at least an hour break before you start working on the next high priority and intellectually demanding task. Schedule the less important tasks – those you labeled “B” and “C” – around the important ones. Taking time to get exercise, interact with friends, or pack your things are all terrific tasks to do once you have completed a priority task or taken an examination. Try to do less important tasks when you have less energy and are less alert..5. Make Your Schedule Visible .Whether you keep your calendar on paper or electronically, keep it visible and refer to it often. When you have many demands on your schedule, it is easy to lose track of time and priorities. Highly effective people often have multiple calendars and visual reminders of what they need to focus upon. One of my law school friends kept herself on track by posting sticky notes all over her room, each one with a legal principle. Everywhere she looked, she was reminded of something important for her examinations. Because most of us are strongly influenced by visual images, having these reminders and targets helps you stay on track and do your best..6. Use Your Time Intelligently.Work hard and smart. Working smart enables you to reach your goals. For example, if you have an examination that requires a lot of memorization, work on this at night, before you go to sleep. Brain researchers have found that we remember more material when we give our brains time to absorb material without interference. When you follow a session of memorizing with other intellectually demanding tasks, however, the other brain activity eclipses the material you sought to memorize. If possible, find out what your professor expects for your end of term tasks, and focus on activities that will help you accomplish them. An examination that requires rote recall of many rules requires a different kind of studying than an examination that requires you to apply principles to new situations. To apply material quickly and accurately under the pressure of exam conditions, the best approach is to practice solving problems..7. Update Your Plan As Needed .Imagine that you plan to study two different subjects one day, dividing the time equally between them. Halfway through the day, you realize you still have a lot of material to learn for the first subject, and decide to spend the rest of the day studying it. This may be good for the first subject, but if you don’t devote sufficient time to the second subject, your success there may suffer. A better approach would be to scan the topics you need to review, allocate a limited time for each of them, and keep track of time as you work. If you realize you need twice as much time to study each subject, go back to your schedule and see if there are less important tasks you can spend less time on. Over the next few weeks, periodically review your lists and schedule, updating the tasks and plan as you go..8. Apply These Tips to Academic Tasks .Identifying and prioritizing what you need to do and managing your time effectively also helps when taking examinations and completing writing projects. I’ve evaluated many examinations and projects where students would have earned much higher marks if they had allocated their time more effectively. During examinations, students typically spend the most time on the first question they answer. Those answers are the most detailed, thorough and analytical. Later answers lack the same quality as students have run out of time. The same is true for written projects. Many students have confided that they could have done far superior work if they had planned their time more effectively, and adjusted their schedule in response to its challenges. Work smart and pay attention to where you are spending your time..9. Take Care of Yourself .Not getting enough sleep, healthy food, exercise, or study breaks impedes brain functioning. Studies have shown that people are far more efficient when they take a 5 to 10 minute break every hour or two than when they focus for hours on one thing. Similarly, taking care of your body helps your brain function at optimum levels. Smaller meals spaced throughout the day and taking even a 10-minute walk can improve concentration and analytical skills..10. Reward Your Efforts .The end of term should include things that make you feel good. Most of us respond to positive rewards; we’re willing to work extra hard for a couple of hours if we know we can do something fun afterwards. Give yourself a small treat after you accomplish one of your tasks, such as taking 5 or 10 minutes to chat with a friend. You earned it!.Sophie M. Sparrow, Professor of Law, University of New Hampshire School of Law (formerly Franklin Pierce Law Center), Visiting Fulbright Scholar, National Law University, Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Professor Sparrow is a nationally recognized expert on teaching and learning law in the USA, and has conducted over 75 presentations on teaching and learning. She is the co-author of Teaching Law by Design (2009) and Techniques for Teaching Law 2 (2011), both by Carolina Academic Press.