GUEST BLOG by Harrison Thorne,
3L at UCLA Law
(1): Hand-Written Notes
Last year, I transferred to UCLA Law. I met new people, learned a lot, and had a great time. However, I found myself wasting a lot of time and wondering what I could do differently. I was frequently distracted by Facebook, Gmail, Gchat, iMessage, and the other usual culprits while I was supposed to be reading or paying attention in class. I knew something had to change, but I did not know what steps to take.
This year, I decided I had had enough with these distractions. A lot of people can use willpower to avoid surfing the web during a particularly boring class. I am not one of them. My solution—leave my computer in my office and bring only a notebook and pen to class.
At first I was worried that I would miss so much of the lecture trying to force my hand to keep up with the lecturer. However, I have found the opposite to be true so far. I am also retaining a lot more from lectures, and it is significantly easier to stay focused. I have even begun taking reading notes by hand. I use my computer a lot less, which has helped alleviate the constant headache I get when staring at a screen all day.
(2) Week-Ahead Reading
This semester, I plan on reading for the following week on the weekend. So on Saturday/Sunday, I will re reading for my courses the coming Monday-Thursday. I have found that reading before class causes me a lot of anxiety—I read slowly, and sometimes can’t put enough attention into a reading assignment if I know class beginning in 30 minutes. By reading ahead, I can avoid that worry.
Another benefit is that by reading for my Monday-Thursday courses, I can dedicate Friday to outlining for the previous week.
(3) Work Cut-Offs
This year, I am in four classes, I am the Editor-in-Chief of the Entertainment Law Review, I am mentoring another transfer student, and I have various other commitments. It would be easy to become bogged down in all this. However, I have decided to stop working/studying at 5:30 pm, unless I absolutely need to push the deadline a bit further.
If I can successfully read for the following week, then there should be no need to work past 5:30 pm. I have found that law school breeds a culture of constant, around the clock “half-work,” in which people are always reading or writing something, but always with a lot of distraction. I have decided to work really hard during the day, leaving my nights open to spend time with my family, girlfriend, or friends. I typically exercise at 6 am before beginning my day, so this plan leaves my nights wide open. I might even pick up some new hobbies this year.