Self-isolation and this period of quarantine was meant to relax from the daily stressful routine of law school.
"Why should I be productive right now? I would rather go into a slumber!"
Have you thought about it? You're not alone. So did I!
But then why am I asking you to be productive when I am a lazy bear myself?
The answer is simple. I was tired of being lazy. For me, I had reached my limit of laziness, a month into lockdown. Not like I'm a fit and fine person exercising, hitting the gym and working on my squats and cardio all the time. I was just tired of being "workless".
Well, you may say, "oh what a stupid person, take a break, relax! Chill! Live your life for once."
But this was my way of chilling. I did browse Netflix series and "chill". I also watched Korean dramas, spend my time reading e-books, surfing every single social media to ever exist!
But soon, I got bored.
One fine day, I woke up and realised, "What should I do differently so that I don't regret having such a long break (as long as Phineas and Ferb's summer vacation)?"
Getting my motivation from watching law-related (about to reveal soon) Netflix shows, I decided to utilise my time productively.
I would not say that you need to get up early in the morning and do every single thing a "fitness enthusiast" on Instagram tells you to, but be sure to tailor the day in the manner you find yourself satisfied with the work you've done for the day!
Moving on to the "productivity tips" that we talked about earlier. So what can you do in this quarantine that makes you stand apart from the crowd? Here are some productive things that you could do:-
1. Update your Resume and your Curriculum Vitae
Have a CV ready but never got the time to update it, because of law school classes? Worry not! Now you have ample of time to make amendments (*chuckles*) in your CV. Forgot to make changes to your CV after you applied for your summer internship last year? Take this time out and make those changes. Write down every course you have taken up, every extra-curricular activity that you got involved in, every competition you took part in.
Now is the time to write everything down. Make sure you write them precisely and neatly. Fill them completely and make sure you are up to date with it.
2. Read Law related Books
Don't want to study, but want to be productive? Read the books that are not in your syllabus but hold a historical value, or a thriller, or a mystery or even any other fiction legal series of books. There are multiple ways where you can enhance your knowledge on a particular subject without actually having to go through your curriculum books.
There are multiple books that you can read - beginning from "Roses in December" to "The Secret Barrister: Stories of Law and how it's Broken" to John Grisham's novels. (incoming book recommendations. Stay tuned!)
By reading these books, you will find yourself not only develop your linguistic skills, but also develop your thought process.
I won't say that you only need to stick to legal books, but they do help to understand laws in unconventional ways. Choose what is best for you and decide accordingly!
3. Get involved in Projects, Courses and Internships.
Any knowledge is good knowledge, isn't it? Whether you work as an intern or you undertake a project, be sure to make time for yourself too! Do not try to stress yourself out but try to learn whatever you can through your tasks.
Internships, especially during the COVID-19, would be difficult to secure. (Here's where updating your CV plays an important role.) However, more law firms, legal recruiters and even certain companies have made their internships "work-from-home". Now, all you need is internet connectivity and some dedication. Pick up internships that you know would help you in your field. Whether it is writing research papers, drafting, researching, anything for that matter, will help you out.
Taking up projects will help you keep yourself occupied. Whether you decide to start a new project on your own or whether you decide to work with someone else, it will help you polish your skill-set. It is always a good idea to take up something and work on it to benefit your own skill-set.
Taking up and involving yourself in courses (even if you don't get certificate courses) is a good way to learn something new. Whether you take up courses from International universities or even courses from your own Universities related to your subject, but not exactly in your syllabus, you are likely to improve yourself and gain knowledge. There is no age limit for learning and there is no restriction upon learning either. So garner every bit of knowledge you can because knowledge is free.
4. Keeping yourself commercially aware.
You may think- business is not my field of law. But under any circumstances, if you decide to work at a firm, you would most definitely have to keep yourself commercially aware. This would indicate that any client that you come across will know you as a person who is well-versed in not just law but also knows a thing or two about business (especially in the cases where you deal with clients where you need to save their business).
There are a number of ways to keep yourself commercially aware - by reading newspapers, going through economic sections, reading articles, judgements, podcasts, etc. Whatever the method you choose, remaining commercially aware always helps!
5. Write down Articles or Research Paper.
Ever since you joined law school, its busy schedule has not given you a moment's of free time. But now? Now you have ample of time to make up for the loss of free time back at your University. Begin by writing an article or a research paper. Ask for suggestions on improvement and get them published. Many journals have now been made accessible for law students to go through, so now you can have access to multiple journals, gather information and write them down in a manner you were planning to write upon, anyway!
6. Network, Network and more network!
I cannot stress enough on how important networking is for law students. Take this time out, and build connections. Whether on LinkedIn - it is important to have a LinkedIn connection as a law student, or any other social media site. Connect with people, get to know their ideas, get to know them more, understand their ways, talk to them. A lot of good opportunities do come through networking.
I have already made a blog on "why networking is important as a law student?" Check it out to know about it in detail!
Let me know what you think of these tips, and if I should add more?
HAPPY READING!
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