Five of the BEST Purchases I Made Before Starting Law School
Law school can be a stressful and challenging endeavour and as such it’s important to explore ways to make your life a bit easier. Having just finished my first semester, I decided to create a list of the purchases I made prior to starting law school which have proved incredibly valuable to me. These purchases saved me time, increased productivity and generally improved my overall well-being, all while being relatively inexpensive.
Book Stand
The chances are that you’ll be spending a good amount of your 1L year reading, particularly during the first semester. Reading from your casebooks for hours on end can be a real pain in the neck — but it doesn’t have to be! For approximately $20, you can grab yourself a nice, compact, foldable book stand. No more craning your neck over your books: read on in comfort and look sophisticated while doing it!
Ear Plugs
In terms of bang for your buck, ear plugs are far and above the best purchase on this list. If you decide to live with roommates or if you find yourself situated beneath a neighbour who enjoys practising guitar exclusively after 10p.m., ear plugs can come in handy. Whether they’re helping you get a good night’s sleep or simply providing a bit of extra noise cancellation in the library, I would highly recommend scooping up several pairs. I went with the generic Life brand from Shoppers Drug Mart and they do the trick.
Yoga Mat
I understand this purchase isn’t for everyone depending on your workout preferences and whether the physical act of going to the gym helps motivate you. However, if you’re like me and you enjoy working out from home, then a good yoga/exercise mat will be highly beneficial. This is one of those purchases where, if you can permit it, I would recommend spending a bit more for a higher quality product. I’ve seen how mats on the lower end hold up over time and generally I find them less than adequate. I will give my personal endorsement to the B MAT series by Byoga for the quality and for their efforts to avoid harsh chemicals and to create a sustainable product.
Noise Cancelling Headphones
If you don’t already have noise cancelling headphones, you may want to buy a pair. This is especially true since many courses are currently being offered online and there remains uncertainty with respect to future course delivery. Depending on your living accommodations, you may not always have a quiet environment to work from, and this can be mitigated with a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones. This need not be an expensive purchase either; I purchased a pair of Infurture H1 headphones for around $60 and they’ve performed well.
External Monitor
Last but definitely not least, I found using an external monitor to be immensely helpful. Combine this item with the above-mentioned book stand and your posture will be thanking me in no time. In all seriousness — and at risk of sounding like your father — posture is important and its benefits go beyond just alleviating neck and back pain. Using an external monitor helped me avoid a forward head posture which in turn made sitting for long stretches more comfortable.
In addition to ergonomics, I found the external monitor to be quite useful while conducting legal research or working on other assignments. The extra real estate allows you to easily view documents side-by-side, saving you some of the hassle of shuffling back and forth between windows. Moreover, like the noise-cancelling headphones, there are some great options available for those on a budget. For example, I purchased this Samsung 24-inch LED Monitor for under $150.
Conclusion
I hope that some of these recommendations resonated with you, but if not, I hope to have at least turned your attention to your study set-up. Everyone has different preferences and needs and it’s worth considering them before 1L begins. This way, you can not only optimize your set-up, but also find some good deals on the products you think you’ll need come September!
