It can be tough to be productive when you’re swamped with coursework and your outside-school life. The days go by and you find yourself doing nothing more than ‘catching up’ as you shuffle between classes, homework and other activities. That’s when you realise that there’s a difference between having a lot going on and being productive.
The truth is, it can get ugly. But not when you have an organised system for doing things and trustworthy productivity tools for Law students to keep you going. A stethoscope for the doctor, a good pair of scissors for the seamstress, and these 7 surefire productivity tools for the Law student. Let’s take a look.
The 7 (or so) Productivity Tools for Law Students
1. An electronic calendar
Time has a way of running by – and quickly – when school sessions are on and you have so much to do. The best way to track and keep up with it is to have a calendar. But since going around with a heavily marked calendar is not exactly convenient, an electronic calendar is your best bet.
Besides being portable, an even better perk of digital calendars is that they can do much more than let you know what day it is. They can remind you of events, help you set goals, and let you plan tasks or make to-do lists. Plus, most calendars allow you to sync with other apps and tools. All of these make the calendar one of the best productivity tools for Law students looking to make the best use of their time.
Some electronic calendars you can try are:
- Google Calendar
- Apple Calendar
- Microsoft Calendar
2. A note-taking tool
Lecture notes, study notes, random notes of things that come up in conversation with colleagues, your experience as a Law student – there’s plenty of things to take note of. For some, nothing beats physical notes. Whether or not that’s the case for you, a digital note-taking tool will be a better, quicker and more fuss-free alternative for you.
With a note-taking tool, you can store virtually anything. Photos of your coursemate’s notes, exam pointers, audio notes of something you do not want to forget – virtually anything.
Note-takers such as Evernote and OneNote are efficient productivity tools for Law students that help with organising your notes and even provide templates you can use. They also allow you to store information you find elsewhere on the net and to search handwritten notes, PDFs, and other documents.
You can also make the most of note-takers that come with your device, such as Google Keep. There, you can keep audio, drawings, or text notes, checklists, and sort your notes with labels or colour-code the notes. Apple Notes for Apple phones and Noteshelf for iPads have similar features and let you take notes by hand.
3. A project management tool
When you have several pending tasks or goals, a project management tool will help you stay organised and on top of your game. Tools like Trello and Asana are trusted for managing projects.
With Trello, you can outline your tasks on cards and move completed tasks that you have crossed out to a different card. The platform lets you see tasks you have yet to begin, those that are in progress, and those you have completed. You can set deadlines and even automate tasks. What better way to track your productivity could there be?
Project management tools also come in handy when you need to collaborate with others, such as for group assignments, extracurricular activities, or other work.
4. Cloud storage
Backup storage in the cloud will save you the heartache of losing your files – from assignment papers, lecture notes, to your photos and images of memories as a Law student. Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox and Box are some cloud storage options you can try. However, it is often best to use a storage option that is part of a Productivity Suite you use. For example, if you use Google tools such as Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Google Keep, then Google Drive is best for you as storage and syncing will be seamless. The same applies to OneDrive for Microsoft.
5. A text-to-speech tool
The time factor is one reason why you might need to rely on audio notes sometimes. They make it possible for you to ‘read’ even while you’re busy with a task. This is where text-to-speech tools come in. If your document or PDF reader does not have a Read Aloud feature, then you should consider getting a tool like Google Text to Speech, Amazon Polly, NaturalReader, etc.
6. A time management tool
Time management and productivity go hand in hand. Win at the former and the latter follows. There are so many time management tools available, so the right one for you would really depend on your device compatibility and your preferences.
RescueTime tracks how you use your time – and where. This would help you know what apps or sites are eating all your time and it makes it easier to eliminate that distraction. The premium version of RescueTime even allows you to temporarily block the websites you often visit when you procrastinate.
Loop Habit Tracker is another time management tool you might want to try, especially if you’re having a hard time building a habit such as studying daily. With the free tool, you can track your bad habits (things you do while you’re procrastinating) and invest your time into developing a productive habit.
To-do list tools such as Trello, Todoist, Google Tasks, etc also help with time management. When you have all your daily tasks outlined in a checklist, you can better distribute your time to cater to each item in the list.
7. A tool to stop you from losing your mind
Because studying Law gets hectic, every Law student has the ‘I’m losing my mind’ moment once in a while. For the sake of your mental health, it is important to have a tool that helps you manage stress and/or anxiety.
Many have found Headspace to be a useful tool for staying sane, so to speak. The meditation app allows you to take a few minutes to breathe, clear your head, and simply be. When things get hazy or it feels your head just cannot take any more, you can run to Headspace or any other meditation app such as Breethe, Calm, or Insight Timer for a reboot.
Bonus: Access to a coach to help you manage/coordinate all your tools.
While this is not a tool, it’s an invaluable asset if you want to get the most out of any tool or resource you have. Aside from helping you use these productivity tools for Law students effectively, a coach can ensure accountability and keep you in check if you’re falling out of being productive. SOLegalNG offers skilled coaches who can help you boost your productivity skills.
Wrapping Up
If we’re going to be honest, no one tool or group of productivity tools for Law students will take out all the challenges that come with being a Law student. However, when it comes to managing your time and ensuring you stay organised and productive for the most part, the tools we’ve talked about in this article are useful.
Just remember, while the tools are great in themselves, you’d only benefit when you use them effectively.
Finding it hard to use these tools in stepping up your productivity game? One of our coaches can help if you sign up here for a one-on-one session right now.
