“But for the concord of my state and time
Had not an ear to hear my true time broke.
I wasted time, and now doth time waste me;
For now hath time made me his numbering clock:
My thoughts are minutes; and with sighs they jar
Their watches on unto mine eyes, the outward watch,
Whereto my finger, like a dial's point,
Is pointing still, in cleansing them from tears.”

Richard II, Act V, Scene 5

Time management and efficiency go hand in hand to produce a good law student and ultimately a good lawyer. The work in law school is dense and time-consuming, and the ability to spend time wisely is a skill that needs to be built and worked on constantly. The proper allocation of time and efficient work will be the foundations of success in law school and in future practice.

1. Create a to-do list and use a planner

I use a planner and plot a to-do list on the side of the planner. I lay out my tasks on Monday and allocate time to each of the tasks. On Monday, I plot the rest of my week, constructing big picture tasks, building in time for law school events, studying and play. It is important to plan to ensure a proper work life balance and stick to the schedule to the extent that it is feasible to do so. There are times in the week when I need to pivot, so having a schedule and being able to work within that schedule is valuable to keeping a work-life balance. Planning each day for five minutes and allocating the big picture tasks as well as any other small tasks that should be carried out throughout the day.

At the end of the day, time management and efficiency are tools for you to live the life that you want to live. So, in choosing to spend your time intentionally, you can actively choose the best way to live your life.

2. Eliminate Distractions and Avoid Multitasking on Conscientious Tasks

Distractions like your phone, social media and other people are always around to allow you to be less critical of the material and the work that you need to do. It is important to focus on one thing at a time. Because the work of law school and in the legal profession involves dense and complex material, distraction stops us from being able to delve into the important issues at hand. Your phone and social media do nothing but harm your ability to do productive work. Other people are a distraction to the extent that they are harmful to your ability to process. I build in social time to my schedule because I enjoy socializing and communicating with others, but if your entire time is being taken up by socializing, it can prevent you from being able to efficiently do the tasks you need to get to.

Multitasking is a great way to get half as much work done in double the time when it comes to material that requires our focus. If the tasks are rudimentary or perfunctory, multitasking may be a time saver. For example, doing the laundry, washing dishes and cleaning can all be done concurrently and in the fashion of multitasking. Trying to pay attention in class and working on other things is a recipe for not getting quality work done and not understanding the lecture.

One needs to eliminate distractions and multitask only for perfunctory tasks. If a task requires conscientious effort, you should devote your whole and undivided attention to complete the task in less time. The ability to focus is the ability that will allow you to be the most efficient and manage your time in the most resourceful way.

3. Conclusion

Planning often needs to ride the line between aspirational and realistic. It is aspirational to believe that you will be able to finish every single task that has been planned. I plan many tasks that I might not get to. Often, what falls to the wayside are tasks that are long-term tasks. Often, it is personal and professional development goals that will be pushed to the wayside in trying to achieve all the short-term goals, but often putting in the work to develop your personal and professional abilities is what is most important in the long term. It is those acts that take the most time that often produce the most benefit.

Ultimately, being well-rounded and happy in law school is based on being intentional in how you spend your time. I encourage everyone to see time as a commodity to be spent rather than something that passes. You choose what to spend your time on. Instead of TV, movies or streaming services, I often choose to spend more time with my friends, play sports and study. But other people find those forms of media relaxing and valuable additions to their lives. It is on you to make the most of your time and use it to live your life how you want to live it. As future lawyers, we should allocate our time intentionally and choose to be present in how we spend our time.

– Sidharth Mohan is a 2L KU Law Student Ambassador from West Palm Beach, Florida