How to avoid the dreaded “burn out” syndrome
When I studied for my LSAT the first time around all by myself, I did all the wrong things. I locked myself in the room from morning till night every day and sometimes even went into bed with my LSAT notes at night. I was not eating properly because I was too busy and too stressed. I avoided all contact with friends and family because I did not want my social life to interfere with my studies. After a few weeks it seemed as though my body was rejecting all of the information I was learning, and my practice test scores were on a decline. It did not make any sense. Little did I know I was slowly but surely burning myself out and pushing myself closer and closer to unnecessary confusion and anxiety.
Studying for the LSAT is a full time job and should definitely be treated as such. With this said, you should be working on it from 8/9 am-5 pm everyday. However, after you are done, you should leave the room or the library and get some fresh air. You should neither neglect your nutrition nor your sleep. It is so important to keep your body healthy while studying for the LSAT because you want your mind to function at it's peak performance. If you are leaving home to go to the library for extended periods of time, take study snacks or lunch with you. Neglecting your nutritional needs could not only stop you from studying at your peak but it can also compromise your immune system and after all, who wants to get sick the month of their LSAT’s. Exercise at the end of the day is also a great way to unwind and release built up stress. Keep in touch with friends and family and allow them to support you through this trying time.
A great way to keep yourself motivated through the whole process is to offer yourself little rewards. For example, if I finish this practice test I can go to the pool later, if I finish this lesson I can go out to dinner with friends, If I get this question right I can have this piece of chocolate. Little things like this keep you motivated and focused and allow you to stay on track with your studies without unnecessarily burning yourself out.