Three Practices For A Successful 1L
Ultimately, good advice is subjective. Discovering helpful advice requires searching for insights, testing them, and then after determining whether the advice provides sufficient utility. Thus, I suggest reading this article with a critical lens. Ask yourself not whether this is good advice objectively, but rather, would this work for you.
The practices I’ll introduce are habits I developed outside of school. I was fortunate to take time off between undergrad and law school, gaining professional experience in high-paced, intensive settings. This type of work was foreign to my university experience. However, I learned to develop practices that ultimately made me both a harder worker and a more efficient worker. While not all the practices I developed outside of school are applicable to law school, here are three that made a substantial impact in 1L.
1. Find Confidence Outside of School
Imposter syndrome is something that many 1Ls experience. It’s the feeling that, despite your previous success and admission into law school, you’re somehow lacking the intelligence, ability, or stamina required for law. It’s not totally surprising given the pressure that law school carries, paired with the fact that you’re surrounded by incredibly talented and intelligent people.
To combat imposter syndrome, I found maintaining habits outside of school that sustained internal confidence were helpful. For me, this was accomplished through a regular routine of challenging exercise. Whether this be through running, Crossfit, or weightlifting, I learned to relish activities that pushed me outside of my comfort zone. In law school, continuing these habits allowed me to accomplish non-academic goals, thereby reaffirming belief in myself. As a result, even when I was uncertain about my academic progress, I still had confidence in my ability to achieve goals and work hard. This may sound rudimentary, but 1L is a marathon. Maintaining self-confidence can contribute to the consistency required to succeed.
It’s not necessary to use exercise as the practice. Rather, the purpose is to find an activity unrelated to school that can be used to fuel your self-confidence. I suggest taking the time, ideally before starting 1L, to focus on an activity you can do regularly that can accomplish this purpose.
2. Block Your Time
If you’ve worked in a high-paced environment, you’re familiar with the importance of time management. Time management is a practice that will enable you to succeed as a 1L, and will establish important foundations for your eventual legal career.
During 1L, I found that organizing my day into study blocks, ex: 2 hours on contracts, 2 hours on torts, etc., allowed me to schedule my week in advance and create a routine. Moreover, when I committed to the study block, that’s all I would do. This meant no checking social media, no texting, no responding to emails. I found that setting internal limits added artificial pressure that enabled me to work with discipline. This was important in a year with online learning and more free time than 1L’s usually have.
Furthermore, the ability to focus your entire attention on a subject will allow for stronger retention and better understanding of the material. Since 1L moves at a rapid pace, thoroughly understanding the numerous principles introduced weekly is important to stay afloat. This type of focused study will contribute to the level of understanding required to succeed.
If you’re interested in learning more about blocking your time and focused work, I recommend Cal Newport’s book “Deep Work.”
3. Stay Present
At times, 1L will feel overwhelming. For most, the material is novel, and the volume of work is significantly higher than it was in undergrad; it will likely take time to adjust to the hundreds of pages of assigned weekly readings. Moreover, it takes a while for things to click before students begin to feel comfortable with how to learn the law. Reading cases and extracting the first principles, reasonings and ratios, requires an adjustment period. This fact, paired with the pressure of trying to perform well academically, can leave many students feeling overburdened and anxious. To overcome these feelings, it’s integral to stay present and not drown in whatever anxiety or stress you may be experiencing.
I regularly employ two habits to help me stay present. First, if you’re not already meditating, I recommend at least trying it. Start small with regular 5-minute sessions. There are plenty of free resources to try; I use the Headspace guided meditations on Spotify. I’ve found that meditating helps me stay grounded and helps me think with clarity. When you’re stressed and overtired, this is a great tool to have in your arsenal.
Second, when I felt disconnected in 1L, I would take 5–10 minutes to write down why it is I came to law school. Remembering the ‘why’ can allow you to dig deeper and push through some of the draining and distracting feelings you may be experiencing. This is a habit I picked up from the book “Can’t Hurt Me” by David Goggins. I will note that Goggins isn’t for everyone, but if you’re interested in learning how to break through some of your internal boundaries, he provides a uniquely powerful voice.
