No, “BTS” Season here does not refer to the comeback season of the K-pop sensation BTS.[1] Instead, it is an acronym we used in my test prep days for the “Back to School” season: the chaotic start of the year where we got on campus, met as many students as we could, talked to every student organization on campus at their first meetings about our products, and tried to steer students on the path towards their graduate and professional school success.
Now, as a legal educator many of those tasks are replaced with Orientation workshops, teaching new courses, and generally being present and visible at various happenings around campus to ensure students feel supported and remember the resources our academic success teams offer—while also scheduling all that around individual student meetings. Plus, this busy period comes right after the bar prep season—arguably one of our more stressful and demanding times of year as academic and bar success professionals.
As we prioritize our students over the summer and at the start of the academic year, many of us can forget to take care of ourselves and nourish our professional goals. So how can we equally prioritize our wellness and professional goals during the chaotic “BTS” season? Here are three tips for new and returning academic & bar success professionals:
- Schedule Your Time Before You Open Up Your Calendar. To ensure that we get time to recover between meetings or that we are able to focus on administrative, scholarly, and/or teaching priorities, carve that time out of your calendar first. We are often tempted to first put our obligations onto our calendar, rather than thinking about what we need to thrive. Just as I teach my students to add in their “joy” before they add in all their study times to their calendar, I do the same for myself—and now I encourage you to do the same. Schedule your joy or professional priorities, then open up your calendar for the many other tasks you have.
- Categorize Time Depending on Tasks You Need to Complete. Some of us find it difficult to transition from writing, to teaching, to admin, back to teaching, to admin (rinse and repeat). Instead, I recommend blocking or categorizing time on your calendar so that you know “Tuesdays are for Administrative Tasks” or “Mornings are for Writing.” This will allow you to better focus on the tasks you need to complete, rather than constantly switching gears and losing momentum through the day. Cognitive flexibility is an important higher-order processing skill, but you don’t have to do mental gymnastics.
- Create Boundaries to Prevent Burnout. Many of us likely take work home with us and that can be okay—to an extent. You are not a superhero, and no one expects you to do everything. So, create some boundaries around when you feel comfortable working from home and when you should just cut it out. I myself like to work from home for 2-3 nights during the week, only for a couple of extra hours. I find that once I am home, have had dinner, and spend some time with my fur babies, I can then work on my scholarship, another blog post, or grading. But I do not let this happen every night, nor over the weekends, which are dedicated “me time.” So, identify where you feel comfortable spending those few extra minutes or where you need to rest and recharge, and put them into your calendar. You may have to be flexible from week to week, depending on the week’s commitments but regrouping at the start of each week and setting your boundaries can help you meet the moments when you need to be on and when you can remain firm in staying ‘off.’
Whether you are new to academic & bar success or if you are a seasoned pro needing some reminders, use these tips to take care of you, your personal goals, and professional dreams while working hard for others at the start of this new academic year. Happy BTS!
(Erica M. Lux)
[1] K-pop group BTS is quite popular, though you may have recently heard about the Netflix animated film “K-Pop Demon Hunters” that has taken over charts and screens (which is partially inspired by BTS).
