Taking a mental day Forum

[BigZuck]

I'm curious what you are doing that would make you feel burnt out a month in.

I thought he said in another thread that he was commuting 2 hours a day or something?

Actually more like a 30 min commute now. My folks live closer to school. I was up until midnight getting the work done for today so I can just relax, get lunch with my gf and hit the gym. Zuck are you a 2L/3L?

2L

[Young Marino]

I would think that missing class would cause you more stress and work down the road.

Missing it consistently probably but this is a once in a blueb moon thing.

[Gooner91]

I would think that missing class would cause you more stress and work down the road.

Missing it consistently probably but this is a once in a blueb moon thing.

I wonder if your classmates are taking these once in a blue moon things...

[Young Marino]

I would think that missing class would cause you more stress and work down the road.

Missing it consistently probably but this is a once in a blueb moon thing.

I wonder if your classmates are taking these once in a blue moon things...

A few are seeing blue moons almost every week.

[phillywc]

Blue Moon things can be very good for your mental health

its one of my favorite beers

[RCinDNA]

If you take a day off, just be aware that you will need to make the work up through self-study and possibly office hours later. If you can accept that, go ahead and do it. Some professors stress 1Ls out more than necessary, anyway, and being around other freaked out students can take a toll.

ETA: And, FWIW, the classes I did the best in were the ones where I took one or two days off over the course of the semester but never back-to-back. I think it's easier for people with a part-time workload and senior level positions to run the danger of burnout so might be a schedule thing. I generally get more out of self studying, anyway.

[thesealocust]

Has any of the more senior posters on this site ever done this? I'm starting to feel burnt out and I'm wondering if I should skip class Wednesday and do nothing law related just to give myself a break. Dumb idea?

Breaks are awesome.

I worked hard as a 1L, but I also definitely played a lot of Rome: Total War 2 and spent a decent amount of time drunk, playing softball, and playing softball while drunk. There's a lot to do, but you absolutely don't need to be doing it 24/7 for all 3-4 months in the semester.

[Rowinguy2009]

I reiterate those who had indicated that you should not be burnt out this early in. Instead of taking a day off I propose the folloiwng: spend at least a couple days where you don't do anything but read the cases before class, then go to class and pay attention (and do whatever writing assignments you have). Don't outline or read supplements or anything else. Class + reading took me around 4 hours a day as a 1L (maybe a bit more depending on the schedule). Just try this for a couple days.

After a couple days, if you feel like you are not preparing yourself enough then go back to your way or studying. Having several light days will do more than one day that is completely off. If you feel you are still understanding the material using this method, keep doing it, and prepare to get more into memorization and whatnot come mid-late November.

[NotHermione]

I would recommend taking Friday afternoons/evenings completely off. For me, I have class for two hours in the morning (8-10) & then make a rough outline of the material we covered that week in all my classes from 10-12; then, I don't look at a book again until 11 am Saturday. Social interaction is grand, so is Netflix.

Based on some of the other posts on this thread, I can understand the pressure of having a GPA stipulation on your scholarship. However, there is always a point of diminishing returns: if you're already feeling that you need to take a break now when losing a day means very little.

[AReasonableMan]

Take several. You don't need to do 7 days a week. The brain is a muscle. It's hard to get started but important to rest. I can tell you my grades and school if you PM me. The main thing is that you have to know yourself, and unless you're betting on being a genius, you can't do the same thing as the majority and expect to do way better than the majority. This means taking off when needed. At the end of the day it's you and the keyboard for 3 hours, and the hours are meaningless (possibly counterproductive).

[Young Marino]

Take several. You don't need to do 7 days a week. The brain is a muscle. It's hard to get started but important to rest. I can tell you my grades and school if you PM me. The main thing is that you have to know yourself, and unless you're betting on being a genius, you can't do the same thing as the majority and expect to do way better than the majority. This means taking off when needed. At the end of the day it's you and the keyboard for 3 hours, and the hours are meaningless (possibly counterproductive).

PMed you