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I dont know wth is wrong with me..I have been wasting so much time...I did nothing all weekend other than read for one class, which meant that the hours in the day I would otherwise be doing exam prep stuff [outlining, flashcards, practice questions] was spent on reading for my other classes. My first memo is due on Monday for which I have about 2% done...my sister is having a baby tomorrow and I am going upstate on Friday and will be there for the weekend (probably try to leave sunday so I can have the whole day to reading and will likely get some work done there as well), but that leaves me at Octpber 18th..one week before my crim midterm and legal writing quiz [worth 10% of grade]...so that means next week will be dedicated to that. So now Im at October 25th...almost one month before finals. And what do I know? Not a damn thing.

I do practice questions on barbris software and realize there are huge gaps in my knowledge and understanding..I am starting to realize how I am SO not going to get an A or possibly even a B+....and there is a good chance I will be below median because I couldnt get my ACT together.

My schedule is as follows:

445 am: wake up, get dressed
530 am-730 am: commute [out of that, I spend roughly 1 hour on law school work]
730-9: study/read in school
9-11: class
11-1130: usually lunch
1130-2: study/read
2-4: class
4-530:study/read
530-730: commute [again, work for an hour on the train]
9-1030: read/study
1030: bed

If I actually read/studied all the times I am supposed to, I would have more than enough time to do fun things. The problem is I waste so much time on the internet..facebook, tls, gmail..its ridiculous! im doing it right now!!!

and its only ADDING to my stress..because then i stress about how I am stressed but I am not doing anything productive.

</end rant>

If you are using firefox, download the Leechblocker add-on. You're welcome.

wtf

God your schedule looks awful.

eandy wrote:If you are using firefox, download the Leechblocker add-on. You're welcome.

+1.

Self control if you are on mac.


You spend 4 hours a day commuting. That is fucking terrible.

You need to figure out how to study economically. No more TLS.

<Written from a chipotle, while watching Stargate U, the night before a midterm I haven't studied for. So maybe don't listen to me.>

eandy wrote:If you are using firefox, download the Leechblocker add-on. You're welcome.

Credited.

Desert Fox wrote: You spend 4 hours a day commuting. That is fucking terrible.

This....

Unless at HYS, drop out now.

Desert Fox wrote:<Written from a chipotle, while watching Stargate U, the night before a midterm I haven't studied for. So maybe don't listen to me.>

Stargate Universe is awesome.

Relax, if you are working that hard then you are probably doing something wrong. You should not look at how many "hours" you put in (contrary to say, working in a law firm ), but what you are learning. Too many students think putting in X hours = A's. Not true.

I would suggest you revisit what you are doing and see if you are being efficient. Consider:

Are your outlines too long?
This could mean you don't know what is important and what is not, so you just include everything. Your outlines should be less than 25 pages.

Are your briefs too long?
Again, too long means you don't know how to cut the junk out of cases. A brief should be 1/2 to 3/4 a page, with minimal facts and procedure (drop procedure and shorten facts in 2L and 3L).

Consider cutting corners, including copying facts from online sources (Google the case name, or Lexis/Westlaw).

Hope this helps.

Plus, there is no way you should spend close to 4 hours a day studying outside of class. You could get everything done on your commute.

bk187 wrote:

Desert Fox wrote:<Written from a chipotle, while watching Stargate U, the night before a midterm I haven't studied for. So maybe don't listen to me.>

Stargate Universe is awesome.

And Property is not. Now you understand my conundrum.

D. H2Oman wrote:Plus, there is no way you should spend close to 4 hours a day studying outside of class. You could get everything done on your commute.

Exactly. WTF is the OP doing?

kazu wrote:

Desert Fox wrote: You spend 4 hours a day commuting. That is fucking terrible.

This....

its actually my best study time, since there is no internet and for some reason I just block the world out on the train and get a lot done..the only wasted time in there is the time spent getting to the train station and/or transferring trains..otherwise it provides a nice solid block of time to get stuff done

as to efficiency---I am far from efficient (as is evidenced by my being on tls right now complaining about being inefficient..) If I was doing what I was supposed to be doing, I could probably sleep in an extra hour...

i use google chrome...any such apps for chrome?

eandy wrote:If you are using firefox, download the Leechblocker add-on. You're welcome.

This is the greatest thing I've ever seen. You've probably just saved me days of lost future productivity.

stress management

I can only speak from personal experience - when I get uber stressed and think about how much I need to get done it seems so daunting I just shut down and avoid starting cause its just too overwhelming. Your post seems to imply this may be your problem too.

The trick is adjusting your scope. Dont work through the lense of doing everything at once. Right now work is a means to an end - your brain is doing a billion things (flashcards, test prep, baby stuff etc.) when in reality you are just reading for class or whatever.

Use the stress to your advantage. Right now the facebook and all that is self-medication to avoid the stress of everything swirling in your mind. Zoom in on the small picture. Focus it on the one thing in front of you now, not on the big picture. There is just too much stuff to do and your focus gets diluted when its fragmented by everything. You are completely normal!! HTH

beachbum wrote:

eandy wrote:If you are using firefox, download the Leechblocker add-on. You're welcome.

This is the greatest thing I've ever seen. You've probably just saved me days of lost future productivity.

Yeah, I purposely don't tell people at my school about it. Being able to stay productive when you want to be is crucial.

What the hell are you so confused about that 36 hours a day of studying can't cure?

That schedule is insane. I doubt everything you're doing for class is really necessary. Start reading case briefs instead of all the reading. Get mundane stuff like e-mailing, bill paying, and all that crap done at dull points during class.

I honestly don't see how that schedule is sustainable for an entire year, or even a semester. Figure out a way to relax more or you're going to explode someday.

goosey wrote:

kazu wrote:

Desert Fox wrote: You spend 4 hours a day commuting. That is fucking terrible.

This....

its actually my best study time, since there is no internet and for some reason I just block the world out on the train and get a lot done..the only wasted time in there is the time spent getting to the train station and/or transferring trains..otherwise it provides a nice solid block of time to get stuff done

as to efficiency---I am far from efficient (as is evidenced by my being on tls right now complaining about being inefficient..) If I was doing what I was supposed to be doing, I could probably sleep in an extra hour...

i use google chrome...any such apps for chrome?

Yea for chrome I think it's called "self control".

Why aren't you studying all 4 hours of your commute?

Desert Fox wrote:

goosey wrote:

kazu wrote:

Desert Fox wrote: You spend 4 hours a day commuting. That is fucking terrible.

This....

its actually my best study time, since there is no internet and for some reason I just block the world out on the train and get a lot done..the only wasted time in there is the time spent getting to the train station and/or transferring trains..otherwise it provides a nice solid block of time to get stuff done

as to efficiency---I am far from efficient (as is evidenced by my being on tls right now complaining about being inefficient..) If I was doing what I was supposed to be doing, I could probably sleep in an extra hour...

i use google chrome...any such apps for chrome?

Yea for chrome I think it's called "self control".

Why aren't you studying all 4 hours of your commute?

because part of it is on the subway standing smushed between 20 people..I usually review flashcards at that time, but didnt count that in my "studying" because it's literally 10 minutes each way. The other part is driving to and from the train station near my house, waiting for the train, etc.

also for others: I think you are misunderstanding..that is my schedule and the time I am supposed to be studying..unfortunately I only get about 5 hours of studying done a day, despite that crazy schedule. and that is the problem. This week is bad because I am hardly even doing those 5 hours. I am basically just doing my reading for class and nothing else

goosey wrote:

Desert Fox wrote:

goosey wrote:

kazu wrote:
This....

its actually my best study time, since there is no internet and for some reason I just block the world out on the train and get a lot done..the only wasted time in there is the time spent getting to the train station and/or transferring trains..otherwise it provides a nice solid block of time to get stuff done

as to efficiency---I am far from efficient (as is evidenced by my being on tls right now complaining about being inefficient..) If I was doing what I was supposed to be doing, I could probably sleep in an extra hour...

i use google chrome...any such apps for chrome?

Yea for chrome I think it's called "self control".

Why aren't you studying all 4 hours of your commute?

because part of it is on the subway standing smushed between 20 people..I usually review flashcards at that time, but didnt count that in my "studying" because it's literally 10 minutes each way. The other part is driving to and from the train station near my house, waiting for the train, etc.

also for others: I think you are misunderstanding..that is my schedule and the time I am supposed to be studying..unfortunately I only get about 5 hours of studying done a day, despite that crazy schedule. and that is the problem. This week is bad because I am hardly even doing those 5 hours. I am basically just doing my reading for class and nothing else

Your own schedule shows 8 hours of studying. It shouldn't take nearly that long just to read for class.

At this stage, you shouldn't need 5 hours of study time outside of class for anything - especially not to just read for classes. You may be getting caught up in useless stuff, my friend.


edit: Your original post seems to indicate that you're prepping for finals. While noble, this is going to lead to burnout way too early. I think what you've expressed in the above posts shows that burnout is already setting in - lowered efficiency, irrational fear, feelings of ineptitude.

Desert Fox wrote:
Your own schedule shows 8 hours of studying. It shouldn't take nearly that long just to read for class.

again, the schedule is what SHOULD be happening during those time periods...often I am "studying" but really on fb...and thus the study time is not really study time..its "try to study but fail horribly" time..its like the kid you see sitting in the library 24/7 but every time you pass his screen hes on gchat..yeah, hes "studying" but not really accomplishing much