This week we welcome back Julia Gourary to talk about how to make law school like a regular, full-time, job.

Law school is demanding. Between going to class, preparing for class, doing practice problems, outlining, extracurriculars, and applying for jobs, it seems like the work never ends. Law school can and will take up all your time if you let it, crowding out everything else in your life.

My 1L fall, I fell prey to this. I let my work take however long it took, leaving me scrambling to fit in other things like exercise, seeing friends, cleaning, and running errands in the fragments of time that were left over. I always felt like I was in work mode or should be working, even when I was supposed to be relaxing.

My 1L spring, I decided to try something different: making law school a 9 to 5(ish). I would arrive at school the same time every morning, attend class and do my readings during the “workday,” and then go home and be finished for the day. It doesn’t have to be exact—I did work a few hours over the weekend to make my week a little easier, and in the period leading up to exams I didn’t always stick to this schedule. But the general principle is this: if your plan out your time in advance, commit to efficiency during the “workday,” and set boundaries between school and home, law school does not need to be all-consuming.

Here’s how to do it:

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