Which approach to take in 1L Forum

[bartleby]

Which approach are you going to take in 1L? Are you going to sleep a set amount of hours a day, set aside an hour and a half for exercise, and eat veges, fruits, lean turkey, and whole wheat bread, in addition to following a rigid study schedule? Or are you going to study your ass off and then pig out on comfort foods, never go to the gym, etc.?

Not sure which approach to take. Right now I'm living really healthy with my 9-6. I go to the gym at 5 in the morning / eat healthy but I'm doing mindless work. I remember when I studied for the LSAT, I'd just study 4 hours and then pig out and sleep whenever.

Which route to take...

[goosey]

this thread makes me lol.

I am not sure if its a joke or not

[bartleby]

I'm serious.

[ArthurDigbySellers]

Which approach are you going to take in 1L? Are you going to sleep a set amount of hours a day, set aside an hour and a half for exercise, and eat veges, fruits, lean turkey, and whole wheat bread, in addition to following a rigid study schedule? Or are you going to study your ass off and then pig out on comfort foods, never go to the gym, etc.?

Not sure which approach to take. Right now I'm living really healthy with my 9-6. I go to the gym at 5 in the morning / eat healthy but I'm doing mindless work. I remember when I studied for the LSAT, I'd just study 4 hours and then pig out and sleep whenever.

Which route to take...

Dunno shit about lawl school, but I find Cal Newport to be a tremendous help http://calnewport.com/blog/
Especially treating school as a 9-5 M-F as much as your workload allows. Also, compartmentalizing well. Love doing all my work in the library, because when I'm home...I'm HOME

[foxtrottortxof]

I stopped going to the gym after about 6 weeks. I consider it work, and I was in the mood to cut back on the amount of work I was doing, lol.

[BaiAilian2013]

I do the same thing I always do... cereal and junk food, sit-ups and stuff most days, cardio only when fat, 7-8 hours of sleep prioritized over all else. Some people say a healthy lifestyle improves their concentration etc., but I think the effort would distract me enough to offset any medical advantage. So I think it has to do with the individual and I dunno which option to pick.

[ArthurDigbySellers]

I do the same thing I always do...gotta get my bowl, gotta eat cereal and junk food, sit-ups and stuff most days, cardio only when fat, 7-8 hours of sleep prioritized over all else. Some people say a healthy lifestyle improves their concentration etc., but I think the effort would distract me enough to offset any medical advantage. So I think it has to do with the individual and I dunno which option to pick.

FTFY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2LRROpph0

[alexb]

grades, then sleep, then everything else. Sooo, probably chinese take out.

[traehekat]

lol even if this thread is a joke it IS something i think about every now and then. earlier in the semester i pay a LITTLE more attention to what i eat, getting some rest, maybe even going to the gym now and then, etc. but when it gets towards the end of the semester i basically become the person you described above - only thing that matters is studying and things like eating and sleeping become annoying obligations that i try and get done with quickly.

[TTH]

Credited Approach

[ArthurDigbySellers]

If you need to pull an all-nighter--this'll ensure your staying up at night for at least a few weeks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chmn-Fm1oqc

[mythosopher]

I took approach numero dos last semester and it did not end well for me. Then again, I have sleep issues, so the poor sleep schedule wasn't exactly by choice. But I'm sure that all the 3 am runs to the gas station for junk food were anything but helpful to either my diet or my concentration.

I have to agree with what someone else said though: only do as much as you think you give you an advantage. If you suck at cooking, don't spend three hours twice a week trying to cook complex dishes for yourself. If you hate working out, don't spend that much time at the gym. Hell, I hate the gym, and I'd much rather do calisthenics alone in my room.

[Vronsky]

eating healthy, exercising, and sleeping 8+ hours is something you should aim to do when the semester beings. (for that matter, you should try to get in shape in the 0L summer). but even the best laid plans will slowly fade away, when your LRW brief is due and even more so in the last few weeks before finals.

i credit this approach to staying healthy during the november when everyone else seemed to be dropping like flies. the last thing you want is to get a bad cold or flu 2 weeks before exams.

also, i recommend yoga. sitting in the library hunched over books and a computer for 10+ hours a day is killer on your back, neck, and shoulders. exercising a few times a week can actually help you study more comfortably and for longer periods, and thus, more effectively.

so to answer the OP, start off as best you can with approach 1, but know that a shift to approach 2 will occur.

[BaiAilian2013]

I do the same thing I always do...gotta get my bowl, gotta eat cereal and junk food, sit-ups and stuff most days, cardio only when fat, 7-8 hours of sleep prioritized over all else. Some people say a healthy lifestyle improves their concentration etc., but I think the effort would distract me enough to offset any medical advantage. So I think it has to do with the individual and I dunno which option to pick.

FTFY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2LRROpph0

What is that a parody of?

[mythosopher]

I do the same thing I always do...gotta get my bowl, gotta eat cereal and junk food, sit-ups and stuff most days, cardio only when fat, 7-8 hours of sleep prioritized over all else. Some people say a healthy lifestyle improves their concentration etc., but I think the effort would distract me enough to offset any medical advantage. So I think it has to do with the individual and I dunno which option to pick.

FTFY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2LRROpph0

What is that a parody of?

Sadly, it is no parody, friend. That is what humanity has come to.

[dakatz]

At the beginning, I was exercising, eating healthy, and my mind was clear. Now I've been reduced to cereal and easy mac, exercise is getting up to grab something from the printer, and my head is going to explode.

[mythosopher]

I at least have a 20-minute, hilly walk to and from class each way. Not what I think is really considered "exercise," but at least I'm doing something. If I could only get the diet thing down, I'd at least be not-terribly-unhealthy.

[solotee]

my workout takes anywhere from 20-45 minutes max. In the grand scheme of things, I think it's worth fitting a workout into your schedule.

I save time by eating on my way home, and reading on the bus ride to school.

[Omerta]

I worked out 3+ times a week (even during finals) and ate very clean. I suspect that one of the reasons I did well is because of my emphasis on healthy living. Anyone who says they don't have enough time to eat right, sleep adequately, or work out is lying to themselves.

I'm actually in better shape now than when I started school because I don't drink nearly as much.

About halfway through the semester, lecture classes start to sound like a tuberculosis ward. Half my classmates have had anything green besides mountain dew for the full fucking semester. Hot pockets + soda + microwaveable lean cuisines isn't a well balanced diet.

[mythosopher]

I'm actually in better shape now than when I started school because I don't drink nearly as much.

This. Is incredibly true. I've drunk less than a recovered AA member these past 6 months. Once in a very rare while, I'll have a martini or beer with dinner, but that's it.

[missinglink]

I'm a big believer that a healthy body promotes a healthy mind, so I chose the field greens option. Exercising, eating right, and getting enough sleep seem to go hand in hand with having a sharp mind - at least for me.

On the day of one of my finals, I went for a 6 mile run in the morning to wake up. I ended up getting the highest grade in my section on that final. I find morning runs to really help to keep me focused later on in the day. And at least on that day, it certainly did.

[Pricer]

I'm actually in better shape now than when I started school because I don't drink nearly as much.

This. Is incredibly true. I've drunk less than a recovered AA member these past 6 months. Once in a very rare while, I'll have a martini or beer with dinner, but that's it.

I will undoubtedly lose weight without changing anything else in my life because I will not be able to drink nearly as much in law school. I figure I get around 6000+ calories a week from alcohol when I binge on the weekends. That will be reduced down to maybe a drink or a beer a night just to take the edge off and help unwind.