Tips for Avoiding the Dreaded "Burnout."

Victor Piemonte

Hey All,

If you're a student heading into the homestretch post spring break you're probably familiar with that dreaded feeling of being "Burnt out." The grind of a semester is real, and now as finals approach you might be thinking "How do I get to the finish line in one piece?" The "Good," news is that you're not alone and others have and are going through this right now. Here are a few tips to avoid burnout:

• Make sure you have something to look forward to daily - This can be a 30-minute tv show, lunch with a friend, some time with a non-law book, a good video game, or anything that you enjoy. Carve out a little bit of time for yourself each day and it makes the grind of studying less brutal.
• Rest - I know. "I have so much work, when can I rest?" It's a real question. But studies consistently show that people who get the right amount, or close to the right amount of sleep for them do their work more efficiently. This is the classic, "Work smarter, not harder."
• Break tasks into smaller goals - Have 5 papers and 23897 pages of reading? Okay, that's a ton. Let's start with you have 1 major paper. Think about getting a chunk of that done at a time. Don't make the goal "Do the whole paper," in a day. Try and plan out the various aspects of the paper and think "I'll work on this one today and try and reach (Insert smaller goal here)."

School and studying are a challenge and it's hard not to be burnt out as you approach the end of a semester. It's crucial to find ways to keep yourself interested in what you're doing. If you all have tips on what you've done to get through the dreaded burnout phase, share them here. Thank you!

Victor