How to Motivate for Bar Exam Studies here. And, big hint, motivation for bar study is similar to motivating for any academic challenge and most every other challenge in life as well.
Ten Motivation Tips:
- Know your why – have a clear, articulated purpose for what you are doing;
- Focus – delve deep into the tasks at hand and resist everything that takes you away. See many other posts on this blog and in books on the website for how to effectively combat distractions;
- Train/practice regularly – you can’t learn to swim by watching videos on swimming; you must jump in the pool!
- Get help from trustworthy experts – when you don’t get help from reliable resources, you can find yourself spinning in circles -a sure way to lose motivation;
- Sleep – it is hard to accomplish small tasks when you are tired; set yourself up for success by getting sufficient sleep and rest. Be sure to exercise and eat healthfully as well; you are feeding your brain and your body;
- Find and keep a safe outlet to express doubt and frustration – these are normal. You don’t want doubt, frustration, loneliness or other feelings to derail you, though, so get them out where it is safe to do so.
- Take your time and avoid rushing through things that just take a lot of time. We have come to expect that everything can happen quickly. But, especially in certain studies (and in making maple syrup), take your time. Read slowly and carefully, stop to re-read, think, put what you’ve learned into practice, read more, think more, discuss with colleagues, ask questions, and keep at it! As the Maple Syrup Song goes, “everything worthwhile takes a little time.”
- Break large projects into smaller tasks. It’s easy to get overwhelmed at the thought of having to read an entire book, for example, but much more inviting to read one chapter at a time. Break challenges into do-able pieces and you are more apt to do them!
- Reward yourself – give yourself small, daily and weekly inspirational gifts, and give yourself something big when you accomplish your current goal. When you are working toward something big, such as a degree that takes years to earn, or a book, or passing the bar exam, the work you are doing each day may seem invisible. No one recognizes your effort until you have a visible outcome. So, reward yourself along the way!
- Believe you can accomplish this goal, and set your next goal when you do – there is hard science to confirm that people who believe that they can do something persist more often than people do not believe. Belief must be coupled with action, of course. But action without belief is hard to sustain, especially when you have setbacks –which you will (because everyone does). The Little Engine that Could was onto something!!
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Law School & Bar Exam Success 