I am a non traditional bar taker and full time employee in a related field. My prep will look different than many but the physical toll will be similar. I am studying 30+ hours a week at this point in addition to working 50+ hours. It is mid April and this is already a physical toll issue. I know I am preaching to the choir here.
My question is about strategies to minimize physical toll, mental stress and energy. Late nights are issues like 1L but taking the right approach is crucial to not burn out. Can some share their tips on this?
Some key items from previous experience and notes such as: https://lifehacker.com/how-to-pull-an-e ... 1569813126
- take naps where you can (weekend for me)
- minimize caffeine
- no alcohol
- exercise in spurts
- protein snacks, not carbs
- stand as much as possible
- use a lot of light in studying environments
NOTE: I am not looking for feedback on my study schedule. I am looking for discussion on health, stress management and study practices related to keep on trucking!
Mental Fatigue Strategies Forum
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not guilty
- Posts: 278
- Joined: Fri Dec 18, 2015 8:22 pm
Re: Mental Fatigue Strategies
Agreed about naps, but easier said than done. I agree on all points. Working + bar exam is up there with waterboarding.
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b290
- Posts: 348
- Joined: Mon Oct 23, 2017 5:28 pm
Re: Mental Fatigue Strategies
I know you said you didn’t want feedback on your schedule but I like it.ChiliBowlWonder wrote:I am a non traditional bar taker and full time employee in a related field. My prep will look different than many but the physical toll will be similar. I am studying 30+ hours a week at this point in addition to working 50+ hours. It is mid April and this is already a physical toll issue. I know I am preaching to the choir here.
My question is about strategies to minimize physical toll, mental stress and energy. Late nights are issues like 1L but taking the right approach is crucial to not burn out. Can some share their tips on this?
Some key items from previous experience and notes such as: https://lifehacker.com/how-to-pull-an-e ... 1569813126
- take naps where you can (weekend for me)
- minimize caffeine
- no alcohol
- exercise in spurts
- protein snacks, not carbs
- stand as much as possible
- use a lot of light in studying environments
NOTE: I am not looking for feedback on my study schedule. I am looking for discussion on health, stress management and study practices related to keep on trucking!
Also, add proper hydration. Dehydration means you’re tired. Which means you’re getting questions wrong, not thinking straight, etc.
My $.02
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ChiliBowlWonder
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Sun Dec 10, 2017 6:11 pm
Re: Mental Fatigue Strategies
Ha. Thank you and you are right about hydration. I was preparing myself for the “you need to drop everything and study for 70 hours a week or you will fail” crowd.b290 wrote:I know you said you didn’t want feedback on your schedule but I like it.ChiliBowlWonder wrote:I am a non traditional bar taker and full time employee in a related field. My prep will look different than many but the physical toll will be similar. I am studying 30+ hours a week at this point in addition to working 50+ hours. It is mid April and this is already a physical toll issue. I know I am preaching to the choir here.
My question is about strategies to minimize physical toll, mental stress and energy. Late nights are issues like 1L but taking the right approach is crucial to not burn out. Can some share their tips on this?
Some key items from previous experience and notes such as: https://lifehacker.com/how-to-pull-an-e ... 1569813126
- take naps where you can (weekend for me)
- minimize caffeine
- no alcohol
- exercise in spurts
- protein snacks, not carbs
- stand as much as possible
- use a lot of light in studying environments
NOTE: I am not looking for feedback on my study schedule. I am looking for discussion on health, stress management and study practices related to keep on trucking!
Also, add proper hydration. Dehydration means you’re tired. Which means you’re getting questions wrong, not thinking straight, etc.
My $.02
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Nightcrawler
- Posts: 222
- Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2018 12:02 pm
Re: Mental Fatigue Strategies
One of the most important IMHO is getting good quality sleep. That means going to bed as relaxed as possible and fall asleep as fast as possible.
Also meditation helps a lot more than I expected. At first I was skeptical but it really improve your focus with time (10 minutes a day is enough to see improvements).
Another one is avoiding distractions (like deactivate social media, phone turned off for as much as possible, check your email few times a day, etc.)
And I definitely agree with the rest of your list, expecially working out and limiting caffeine.
Also meditation helps a lot more than I expected. At first I was skeptical but it really improve your focus with time (10 minutes a day is enough to see improvements).
Another one is avoiding distractions (like deactivate social media, phone turned off for as much as possible, check your email few times a day, etc.)
And I definitely agree with the rest of your list, expecially working out and limiting caffeine.
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Yazzzay
- Posts: 303
- Joined: Tue Oct 01, 2013 8:08 pm
Re: Mental Fatigue Strategies
I think everyone is going to have different tips that worked for them but here's mine:
- Drank water excessively, and added chia seeds and made iced tea to keep it interesting + feel fuller.
- Generally 1 espresso in the afternoon to stop the evening slump of being exhausted/bored.
- Fruit on fruit on fruit! Snacked regularly to keep my focus.
- Gym every day for 1 hour- just ran to get my mind off of it- but with work you probably have a lot less time so I think if you try to do something active 4 days p/week and stretching at home, it'll be good.
- Take advantage of the sun! Studying in the summer is great because with the sun up before 6am and setting after 9pm (at least where I was) is so helpful- so make sure to have windows around you because as long as the sun is up it should keep your drive to study up.
Most importantly:
- RELAX DURING BREAKS! Watch a 30 min show at lunch and at dinner to get your mind off stressing. You can't stare at notes while eating so enjoy those minutes taken off.
- Cut off any negative energy or tell dramatic people in your life to cool it. Bar prep is way too stressful to have outside distractions because of friends/family/SOs so people need to respect the process or see you in August.
Good luck!
- Drank water excessively, and added chia seeds and made iced tea to keep it interesting + feel fuller.
- Generally 1 espresso in the afternoon to stop the evening slump of being exhausted/bored.
- Fruit on fruit on fruit! Snacked regularly to keep my focus.
- Gym every day for 1 hour- just ran to get my mind off of it- but with work you probably have a lot less time so I think if you try to do something active 4 days p/week and stretching at home, it'll be good.
- Take advantage of the sun! Studying in the summer is great because with the sun up before 6am and setting after 9pm (at least where I was) is so helpful- so make sure to have windows around you because as long as the sun is up it should keep your drive to study up.
Most importantly:
- RELAX DURING BREAKS! Watch a 30 min show at lunch and at dinner to get your mind off stressing. You can't stare at notes while eating so enjoy those minutes taken off.
- Cut off any negative energy or tell dramatic people in your life to cool it. Bar prep is way too stressful to have outside distractions because of friends/family/SOs so people need to respect the process or see you in August.
Good luck!
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pfunkera
- Posts: 103
- Joined: Sat Dec 07, 2013 3:01 pm
Re: Mental Fatigue Strategies
I worked full time as well when I took the Feb 2018 exam. It was an absolute grind but here are a few things I concentrated on.
- I did my best to get at least 6-7 hours of sleep
- cut back on beer and basically eliminated alcohol the final two weeks
- I started exercising and dieted a little leading up to the exam. Ended up losing 20lbs that I immediately put back on during the last month+ of celebrating being done and then passing.
- I tried to do MBE questions whenever I had a few minutes from when I woke up until I went to bed to maximize the number of questions I made through each day
- I took a bunch of the stuff on my Barbri PSP and marked it "complete" because I knew I would never get to some of it or would do it anyways. Things like reviewing the outlines, etc. It helped me to feel I was on track even though I probably wasn't.
- I did my best to stay away from any drama or stress outside of bar prep. That included snoozing about half of my Facebook contacts, those people who post annoying political posts or share random crap non stop. I warned family that I would not be available much or at all plus I basically blocked off two months for study without any commitments. I did end up taking a few nights here or there off though for a sanity check.
- at work, I planned for this time by putting off any work that wasn't absolutely necessary. Luckily, I have a job that I can do that with and people were really understanding.
good luck.
- I did my best to get at least 6-7 hours of sleep
- cut back on beer and basically eliminated alcohol the final two weeks
- I started exercising and dieted a little leading up to the exam. Ended up losing 20lbs that I immediately put back on during the last month+ of celebrating being done and then passing.
- I tried to do MBE questions whenever I had a few minutes from when I woke up until I went to bed to maximize the number of questions I made through each day
- I took a bunch of the stuff on my Barbri PSP and marked it "complete" because I knew I would never get to some of it or would do it anyways. Things like reviewing the outlines, etc. It helped me to feel I was on track even though I probably wasn't.
- I did my best to stay away from any drama or stress outside of bar prep. That included snoozing about half of my Facebook contacts, those people who post annoying political posts or share random crap non stop. I warned family that I would not be available much or at all plus I basically blocked off two months for study without any commitments. I did end up taking a few nights here or there off though for a sanity check.
- at work, I planned for this time by putting off any work that wasn't absolutely necessary. Luckily, I have a job that I can do that with and people were really understanding.
good luck.
