As you are more than aware, law school is an extremely time-intensive endeavor. Between reading, classes, studying, work, extracurricular activities, and all the responsibilities of everyday life, it often feels like there isn't enough time in the day. This is where time management planning can be invaluable.

Planning out your schedule ahead of time does several things:

When you plan out your schedule ahead of time, there is no anxiety or time spent trying to figure out the next thing you’re supposed to be doing.
It can also help fight procrastination, because when you commit to following your schedule, that reduces your chances to choose to do something else.
Law school is a lot of work, but it can’t be all work and no play, or you will burn out. It’s important to make sure you can set aside time each week, even if it’s just a little bit, to take care of yourself or just have fun. When you plan those things on purpose, you don’t deprive yourself and you are less likely to be tempted to do them at other times.
Last—it seems a little counter-intuitive, but having a structured schedule lets you be more flexible when your plans change or something suddenly comes up. You can quickly see when an alternate time is available to switch things around if necessary.

It is fine if you prefer to use another method to stay organized, such as a bullet journal or a to-do list. However, a calendar-based time management plan also gives the added benefit of letting you visualize the total amount of time you have in a day in a more tangible way, to make realistic assumptions about what you can get done.

So how do we create a time management plan and make it work? Let’s start with a quick video.

TRY IT

Follow the steps below to create a personalized time management plan for your first two weeks of classes.

Use a study schedule you've created, download the day template or evening template we showed you during orientation, or download this blank study schedule. Make changes to the times on the schedule however you would like so it works best for you. Add in several blank rows below the days of the week, but above where the time slots begin. At the bottom of the page, duplicate the sheet to add each week as a new tab in the spreadsheet.
Start with the big picture--review the McKinney academic calendar and your own personal calendar for any major or special events that are taking place during this time period and place those on your schedule. Review the syllabus for each of your classes to determine if there are any due dates for any writing/research assignments or projects that fall within the first two weeks of classes and add those deadlines in the blank slots at the top of the schedule.
Next, place all of your classes onto the schedule. If you're using the 1L schedule, this has already been pre-filled for you.
Next, place all of your remaining "big rocks." Make a list of all of the mandatory activities that take place in your life each week, and make sure to include time for self-care or stress management activities (examples: office hours, laundry, gym time, meetings, work, that one TV show you can't miss). Note: you should also include meals, sleep and commuting.
Now, place your operational blocks on your calendar, with each block type in a different color. There are three different types of operations: homework, study, and legal skills.
- A homework time block should be used for class preparation: reading, notetaking, or case briefing.
- A study block is for updating or synthesizing outlines, memorization, and application (practice problems).
- The legal skills block is for dedicating time to writing/research assignments or projects.
As you are placing your operational blocks, keep several things in mind:

- Check your schedule against the recommended ratio. Remember: for every hour you spend in class, you should be spending three hours of related activity (homework or study) outside of class. As an example: a 3-credit class should have nine hours of operational time spent outside of class.

- Try to include a 15- to 30-minute block of time immediately after each class (or as close to afterwards as possible) in order to review your class notes to make sure they are complete.

- Remember to try interleaving your coursework. Don't schedule all of your operational blocks for one subject back to back. Try switching up the type of activity you are doing and the subject matter you are studying.
Trying to figure in those other assignments, like LCA? Use an interval method for pacing yourself on writing/research assignments and projects. Working backwards from the due date of the assignment, break it up into smaller chunks and set intermediate deadlines for each portion. Place the intermediate deadlines on your schedule and create legal skills blocks with dedicated time to work toward each deadline.
As the final step, allot a dedicated block of time in your schedule each week for reviewing and updating your time management plan. It is important to continually review and update in order to account for changes to your study habits and schedule. For instance: the legal research course is only an eight-week course, so you will want to update your plan after it ends. As another example: you get more accustomed to reading legal cases, you may be able to read faster.