It’s that time of year. The new 1Ls are arriving. The 2L and 3L students are dusting off their study skills. I’ve found that, no matter where a student is in their law school career, there’s one skill that can make or break a student’s success: time management.
Here’s the paradox, though. When go to teach time management, I find I can accidentally make things worse. A color-coded weekly plan might look beautiful, but to an already nervous or stressed student, it can feel like just another impossible task. The goal isn’t to give students more to manage. It’s to make time management feel doable, sustainable, and worth the effort!
Here are five ways I’ve found to help students take control of their time without adding to their stress:
- Start with Awareness, Not Overhaul
Before asking students to adopt a new system, help them see how they’re currently spending their time. Encourage them to track one week without judgment – just record where their time goes. This creates a baseline for self-awareness that makes change feel rooted in their reality, not in an idealized schedule.
- Focus on Priorities, Not Perfection
Students often assume good time management means scheduling every minute of their day. Instead, start by identifying the three to five most important tasks for the week and brainstorm how the student will fit those in. By focusing on priorities, students get quick wins and avoid the trap of feeling like a failure if they can’t follow a rigid plan.
- Teach Small, Repeatable Habits
Time management isn’t about a single heroic scheduling session. It’s about creating sustainable habits. Try introducing:
- The Sunday Review: Taking 15 minutes planning the week ahead.
- The Daily Three: Choosing three key tasks each morning.
- Time Blocking (Lite): Protecting short windows for deep work without overloading the calendar.
Small habits are easier to maintain and build upon!
- Build in Flex Time
Law school life is unpredictable. A stressful cold call, a surprise reading assignment, or personal obligations can derail the best-laid plans. Help students schedule buffer time. Keep some open space in their week for catch-up, review, or just breathing room. This reduces panic when plans change.
- Connect Time Management to Their Values
Time management works best when it’s not just about efficiency. Ask students:
- What do you want your law school experience to feel like?
- What’s important to you outside of school?
- How can your schedule reflect those values?
When students see time management as a tool for protecting what matters to them, they’re more likely to commit.
Final Thoughts
Good time management doesn’t require a complex system. It requires awareness, priorities, flexibility, and connection. When we teach time management, we give students not just a skill, but a sense of agency that they can carry far beyond law school.
(Dayna Smith)
