Balancing work with school, but especially law school, can be incredibly difficult. The demands of legal studies alone can be hard to grapple with, add to that the challenges of entrepreneurship, and it can seem impossible to manage both. But manage you must if you want not only to maintain your sanity but also achieve long-term success in both your studies and work.
How do you do it?
While the road ahead may be bumpy and difficult, with a clear road map, we promise you can traverse it successfully. We present you this figurative road map in the form of five strategies for balancing law school and entrepreneurship.
Create a Plan, Then a Routine
Planning is your best friend. Okay, so is time management, but you can have two.
Start by mapping out your week in advance, noting down your classes, study sessions, business meetings, and any other commitments you might have. To stay organized, use tools like digital calendars, planners, or apps that sync across your devices. Also, prioritize your tasks by deadlines and importance.
For instance, if you have an upcoming bar exam in the state of Georgia, allocate more time to study while planning to delegate or postpone less urgent business tasks.
Make Time Management Your Best Friend
For someone trying to study and work at the same time, time management is everything. So, break your day – every day of the week – into blocks of focused work time and – this is key – stick to it.
The Pomodoro Technique, which involves 25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute break, can be particularly effective here as it can help prevent burnout. Feel free to use any other technique if it works better for you, though.
Also, learn to say no. Not every opportunity or social event is worth your time when you’re juggling law school and a business. Feel free to be selective and focus on what’s truly important; the right people will understand.
Take Advantage of Your University Resources
Many law schools have entrepreneurship centers, business incubators, and mentorship programs – any and all of these that can provide valuable support and networking opportunities for you, so take full advantage of whatever resources your university offers.
For example, libraries often have access to databases and resources that can aid in both your studies and business research. But don’t hesitate to seek help from professors or advisors either—they can offer guidance and might even connect you with other students who are in a similar boat.
Use Technology the Right Way
While you should have blocks of time when you’re studying or working without checking your phone and social media, there’s really no reason to study and work like a monk in this day and age. Technology, when used correctly, can make both of these tasks so much easier, sometimes faster, too.
For example, apps like Trello, Evernote, and Asana can help you keep track of tasks and projects. For legal studies, websites like Quimbee and BarMax provide useful study aids and practice questions for the bar exam. And then, for your business, tools like Slack and Zoom can enable easy communication with your team, while accounting software like QuickBooks can simplify financial management.
Use whatever technology you feel makes your studies and work easier to manage.
Stay Healthy and Talk to Your Friends
Finally, it’s really important not to forget about your physical and mental health while you’re juggling studies and work.
After all, your health directly impacts your productivity and efficiency, so you want to ensure you get enough sleep, eat well, and exercise regularly. While all-nighters are fine occasionally, keep in mind that chronic sleep deprivation can impair your cognitive function, making both your studies and business tasks harder.
At the same time, don’t forget about your friends and family. Try to surround yourself with supportive people who understand your goals and challenges, and regularly talk to them and share your struggles and triumphs.
Giving and receiving emotional support and practical advice from people you trust can make a huge difference in your overall well-being.
In the end, remember that you’re human, after all. Things won’t always go according to plan; classes might run late, unexpected business issues might arise, or you might need extra time to prepare for exams. When – not if – unexpected things happen, remember to stay flexible and optimistic. This is key to remaining resilient and moving forward.
