The Law Lifestyle

Although I am not in law school yet, a good chunk of my life right now has been focused on studying and applying, as well as typical activities like going to the gym or working. I'm so excited to show you all what a typical day looks like for me! Just a quick reminder, I am taking a gap year right now while working a part-time job, so the time I spend on different activities may differ from someone who is still in college or has a full-time job. Anyway, onto my day! I like to start out my days with some yoga. Lately I've been following along to Yoga With Adrienne videos, and I'd definitely recommend her to anybody who's looking to kick start their yoga practice. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, and my go-to lately has been cheerios, blueberries, raspberries, and vanilla almond milk. Whenever I go to the gym, I always start out with cardio. My current favorite is a three-minute walk to warm up, 25 minutes of intervals (one-minute walk and

This past Saturday, I took the LSAT for the second time. It was interesting to look into the differences between preparing for and taking the LSAT the first time versus doing the same once again. Even though my two tests were only two months apart, there were still many variations between the two. I think that one of the biggest differences was knowing what was coming. Yes, I took plenty of preptests before my first LSAT, but there's something different about actually sitting in the testing center, surrounded by other test takers who have been studying just as hard as you have been. It's much more official and can add a lot more pressure than just taking preptests at home, in the library, or at a cafe. In addition, I studied differently for both tests. For my first LSAT, I had to teach myself the basics of all the sections and practice constantly to become consistent with getting answers correctly. I spent so much time reading through my LSAT self study books so I could

My Mental Health I was diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression--the two tend to go hand-in-hand--when I was in fifth grade. Things have gotten easier for me over the years, but I'm always evolving in my relationship with my mental health. One thing that I've noticed over the years is that mental health has become a more mainstream topic. When I was first diagnosed, my mom told me to keep quiet about it because kids can be mean and there were many stigmas attached to mental illnesses. Now, twelve years later, I am very open about my struggles and mental health. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in five adults--about 43.8 million people--experienced some form of mental illness in the past year. In addition, one in twenty-five adults will experience a serious mental illness that interferes with or limits their major life activities ( Source ). Like I mentioned above, I have had quite the journey with my own mental health. I always b

Let's face it: sometimes the last thing you want to do is be productive. Or maybe your to do list is just too long and you don't know where to start. Learning how to best manage your time isn't an inherent skill; it's a learned one. Here are some of my favorite tips to help you with time management! 1. Use to do lists/planners What, me of all people talking about using a planner? Shocking. As obvious as it may seem, writing out what you have to do, as well as due dates and other important information, can make things a lot easier in the long run when you don't have to scratch your head and try to remember what you were supposed to work on. Related: My Planner Setup 2. Prioritize your deadlines No matter what, it's important to ensure you're paying attention to your deadlines and staying on top of them. Make sure to take into account how much work each deadline is going to be; if you have an easier project due this week but one that's goin

For me, I have to be in the right mood to study, even though I can force myself into it more often than not. However, over my years of attending school, I've learned how to study based on how I'm feeling at the time. Here are some ways you might be feeling and how to best study to deal with them, as I have learned. Quick disclaimer--although these work for me, you may need to tweak them a little bit to make them perfect for you. 1. "I'm so motivated" Somehow, I managed to wake up right after my alarm went off, so I actually get to take my time with my morning routine. Following yoga, a shower, and breakfast, I'm ready to sit down and get some work done. Usually when I'm feeling this motivated, I try to ride out that wave as long as I can. However, it's always important to make sure I'm not rushing through anything just so I can get as much done as possible while I'm being productive. 2. "My life is a hot mess" Let's f

Let's start with this: I love podcasts. Once I find one that I'm into, I find it too easy to put my headphones in and listen to episode after episode all day long. Lately, I've been trying to bring myself away from my current obsession with true crime podcasts by getting into some awesome new podcasts all about the law. I thought I'd share some of my favorites today; make sure to let me know if you listen to any of them! The Happy Lawyer Project Mental health is super important to me, so a podcast that focuses on how to keep yourself sane during law school and the early years of your law career is right up my alley. In addition to its focus on mental health, there are tons of great interviews with awesome lawyers so you can see where a law degree can take you. Amicus This podcast by Slate offers up in-depth analyses of current SCOTUS cases on the docket. I love learning about the inner workings of court cases, so this is a great listen for anyone with that i

When I was a sophomore in college, I signed up for an event through the journalism school that required I dress business professional. At 19 years old, I didn't own anything within that dress code yet. My mom suggested I head to the mall and stop at a few stores to buy a blouse and a pencil skirt or a pair of slacks. While I had fun shopping, I came to the sudden realization that just those two pieces of clothing were expensive--the top was $60 and the skirt was $80. For something I wouldn't be wearing very often yet, I felt like there would never be any way I could afford to buy multiple professional outfits. Since then, I've learned where to look for deals on professional clothing that leave me feeling my best, both with my appearance and with my credit card. Here are a few of my favorite places to shop for professional clothing pieces. H&M Creped Blouse H&M is filled with great basics, and it's easy to build a minimalist capsule work wardrobe fr

Unfortunately, school often comes to a point where you know you'll be stuck in the library for what seems like an eternity. You might find yourself staring at the clock every two minutes, doodling in your notes, or scrolling through social media instead of being productive. However, there are ways to keep yourself on schedule and focused, especially if you bring along these study essentials. 1. Water bottle Staying hydrated is super important. Even if you're drinking something else, water is an essential. 2. Coffee or tea Maybe it's just me, but for some reason I always feel like I can be more productive if I'm sipping on some coffee while I study. 3. Healthy snacks As much as I love chocolate, I never want to come crashing down from a sugar high while studying. My favorite studying snacks are fruits, almonds, and protein bars to keep me full so I don't focus on my stomach while trying to stay focused. 4. Chargers There's nothing more annoying t

Happy January, and happy new year, as well! I'm excited to start off 2019 with a post talking about my goals, especially after ending 2018 with a blog about my resolutions for 2019. I hope you're as excited as I am for January! Related: My 2019 Resolutions Here's a quick recap of my goals for December: Journal and practice yoga more often (check!) Reach 200 followers on Instagram (check!) Reach 100 followers on Twitter (not quite--I need to get better about using my Twitter) Be more social with my coworkers (check!) Get at least a 160 on the LSAT (I was just below this, and will be retaking the LSAT come the end of January) Related: Looking Toward December January Goals Now that the holidays are over, my personal life is slowing down, although I will be working more often as a server due to all the events we have planned where I work (yay). I'm spending my time studying for the January 26 LSAT, as well as keeping up with everything for this bl