The WLC’s Tips for Dealing With Burnout

Some days, or even weeks, will be suspiciously less busy than others. My advice is to take the little breaks wherever you can get them. Resist the guilty feeling of not doing enough or feel like you need to fill every second with something. If you take a break when you can, you’ll be much more re-energized when things get busier again. - Luma, President

One thing that has really helped me with burnout is to truly prioritize non-school activities that make me feel energized and positive. There will always be more studying that can be done, so making a concerted effort to prioritize things like outdoor exercise and spending time with friends makes a huge difference. Keeping a schedule helps a lot with this too— for example, if I know that I have set aside enough time on Sunday to get my work done, then I don’t feel guilty taking all of Saturday off from schoolwork. Taking a solid 24 hours “off” per week has also helped me feel so much more balanced and less burned out! - Julia, Vice President

When I find myself getting especially burnt out, I like to make a “to do” list of everything I need to get done within a specific time frame (usually, a day or a weekend). Typically, seeing all my tasks laid out in neat list form makes me feel more in control over my schedule. It also can be helpful to break down big tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks—writing a couple pages of a paper seems a lot less daunting than writing the whole thing. - Ella, Director of Communications

When feeling burnt out, I find it most helpful to break the streak of whatever I am working on and do something entirely different. Though stepping away often feels unproductive and too overwhelming, it tends to help re-center me and give some perspective on what I am working on. I also find reframing the work that is burning me out to help; that is, if I have lost all motivation to do any doctrinal law school assignments, I will try to find a service project that incorporates law in a way that feels meaningful and important to me. Then, I am more energized to return to the less fun stuff with a reminder of purpose. - Shayna, Co-Director of Community Engagement 

I make a point of being hyper-aware of when I begin losing focus or the quality of my work starts decreasing. If this happens during the day, I take a break by doing something else productive (like cleaning, doing laundry, or completing administrative-like tasks on my to-do list). If it happens in the evening, I “call it” by putting all my work out of sight and allow myself to enjoy the rest of the evening or go to bed. I also go through all of my classes on Friday and map out the following week so I know exactly what my workload looks like on any given day. That way I know whether I should put in an extra hour of work on the weekend for something that’s due later in the week to balance out my workload.  - Marjorie, Co-Director of Symposium

It’s easy to feel like there’s always something more you can be doing, whether that’s reading, researching, or outlining. But sometimes it’s better for me to call it a night rather than try to finish more work. Taking a break and/or getting more sleep allows me to reset and better comprehend my work once I sit down to do it.   - Emma, Co-Director of Alumnae Relations

Personally, what helps me power through burnout is setting aside a day each weekend that I take entirely for myself and do not work on school stuff. Whether it’s hanging out with friends or just watching Netflix, taking a self-care day helps me be refreshed and rejuvenated for the upcoming week. By stepping back and doing something I enjoy, I find that I have more motivation to tackle my work than if I were to work the entire weekend. - Emily, Co-Director of Mentorship

My biggest tip is to take one day off each week where you don’t do anything law school related and give your mind that break. I really like breaking up my work into more manageable chunks that I put on a to-do list. This helps you feel accomplished every time you cross something off and also helps make the work seem less overwhelming. Don’t be afraid to take a quick break and watch a YouTube video, take a walk to Starbucks, or whatever, and then come back to your work. If you're ever in the zone for a class, don’t be scared to read even a week ahead and if there’s a class that you struggle with, feel free to break it up with readings from other classes. Lastly, don’t forget that it’s never worth it to stay up all night reading for a class. You’re better off being fully rested and going over what you miss when you outline versus trying to force yourself to get all the readings done if it’s already really late. - Tamara, Co-Director of Professional Development