Lifestyle Change #1

Lifestyle is an important factor affecting your success on the bar exam.  And for many would-be lawyers, this is a big challenge.  It is no secret that law school is a highly competitive and extremely stressful sub-culture.  The coping mechanisms that many law students develop during those 3 or 4 years may be effective in the short-term, but deadly in the long-term.

Smoking, drinking, poor eating habits, lack of exercise, cynicism, and sometimes even drug use, often become the bedfellows of law students across the nation.  In turn, these become the crutches of bar examinees, first-year associates, solo practitioners, partners, and even some judges.

Although these poor lifestyle choices may be effective to help get you through a week of finals in law school, or a big project at work, they are destructive in the long-term.  Studying for the bar exam, because of its sheer magnitude, is not a short-term endeavor as you well know.  The bar exam is the quintessential “marathon,” and thus you need a different approach to getting yourself through it successfully.

There are only a few lifestyle factors that are truly important enough to be mentioned here as an integral part of a successful study plan.  No, you don’t have to quit smoking or give up the bottle.  In fact, like almost everyone else, I would advise against a major change like that while you are preparing for the bar.  There are 6 basic lifestyle changes you can make, however, that will help you get through this period in your life and make your bar prep more successful.

Change #1 - Eat Better

If you have poor eating habits, you don’t need to overhaul your entire diet and go raw.  However, you can make a few small changes that will make a big difference for you.  Make small changes like switching out soda and so-called “energy” drinks for water, pack your lunches and skip the drive-thru, and eat fresh fruit or trail mix instead of a candy bar as a snack.  All of these will go a long way to providing your body with nutrition and increasing sustained energy. Just getting rid of some of that toxic sugar will help your energy and mental clarity improve.  Additionally, taking a daily supplement is the least you can do to help your body get what it needs.

There are many ways in which you can make better choices about what you eat and drink. These are just a few simple suggestions about how to substitute poor eating habits that drain your body of nutrients & energy for ones that provide nutrition and fuel for your demanding lifestyle. If you know that your eating habits need an overhaul and are a major obstacle to your success in studying, then spend some time looking into what you need to do to make positive changes.


{Did you find this post helpful? It came straight out of my book, The Goat’s Guide: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Preparing for the California Bar Exam on Your Own}