Time Management & How to Be More Effective Daily

If you are new to law school, one thing is for sure: time is valuable, and there is never enough of it! Your greatest wish may be to churn out more hours in the day (along with more study time), but without the help of the magic genie, most likely that isn’t going to happen. Like most students before you, however, you will adapt, learning how to manage the 24 hours you are given better each day, with those time management skills being some of the most important strengths you will gain to help you in your law career later.

• Outline the syllabus for each class at the beginning of the year, take good notes in class, and spend time each night reviewing them, as well as briefing your cases. If you continue to stay on top of your studies from the beginning, with a strong foundation in place, your life will be so much easier—and success will be much more attainable for you as a law student.
• Write down your daily schedule. Although this may seem silly, and like something you could do from memory as you knock the tasks down like bowling pins all day and evening, having a hand-written list at your desk can be a great motivation. Law school can be rigorous, and your ‘to-do’s’ can get away from you quickly if not well-structured. There is also great satisfaction in marking off what you have completed. You may enjoy having both a daily and weekly schedule running at the same time to help manage your time overall.
• Set reminders on your phone for everything! While the smartphone is often criticized as a distraction, it can be an incredible organizational tool. You can, in fact, structure your entire day beginning with your alarm, on your smartphone. There are many organizational apps to explore also.
• Balance is one of the important elements of managing your time, as law school is time-consuming, but you are also a living human being with time out required for other interests too. As you continue to strive for a healthy medium between studying and personal life, you will hopefully carve out a reasonable amount of time to spend with your family and friends too.

Remember: It is hard to be successful if you aren’t feeling on top of your game. This means exercising, getting enough sleep, checking in with friends and family, maintaining your relationships even though you will have much less time than usual, and avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and junk food.

Our mission at CDTA College of Law is to educate, train, and develop extraordinary legal advocates. Your legal education will be comprised of bar-tested academic subjects, skills training, and values reinforcement. Upon completion of your 4-year course of study, you will be fully qualified to take and pass the California Bar examination. Call us today at (760) 342-0900 or find out more online here.