Reflecting On My First Week of 3L Year

September 3, 2020September 3, 2020Leave a comment

Hey readers! Long time no…post? Haha. As usual around around August, I got caught up in the back to school madness. I promise I’m working on planning & executing well enough in advance that I don’t disappear but it’s harder than it sounds. While I’m on the topic of school I have to let you all know this is my LAST year of law school aka 3l Year. There’s this age old saying (that I’ve probably talked about on here before) that says “1L they scare you to death, 2L they work you to death, 3L they bore you to death.” Now listen idk who they are but my 1^st week of 3L was far from boring.

Monday

I don’t actually have Monday classes so my first* day of school was very chill compared to previous years. By having the 2^nd best registration time slot (after part-time 4Ls) I was able to get every class I want this semester. I dropped Family Law because I was worried about being a managing editor for Gaming Law Journal and doing a clinic. Family Law was also my only MW class so now my Mondays & Wednesday are open. I plan to use these days to further prepare for the week, do some last minute readings, or complete my journal/clinic work. It truly depends on the week but I’m excited to have no Monday classes.

Tuesday

Tuesday was a wild ride. I forgot how taxing being on Zoom for extended periods of time is. My first class it at 10:30am which I love because it allows me ample to start my day unrushed, even if I wake up at 9:30am (which I definitely did since I’m adjusting to not being a wild night owl like during the summer. I think I picked some great classes for my first semester of 3L and I truly interested in all of the subjects. I need to get a better office chair or I will have back problems by the middle of the semester. I forgot about that too. I still need to get my books but FinAid still hasn’t come through. (update: STILL hasn’t come through)

Wednesday

Since I didn’t have class and had all day, I decided to go into my office. Yes, as the managing editor of GLJ, I get my own office space which is pretty cool! I love that it gives me somewhere to go to get out of the house but still safely practice social distancing. I can’t wait to decorate. I also got so much more done than I would at home. I think I will be utilizing the space more often than not.

Thursday

A mess. This day was a complete mess. I did get a lot done the day before but unfortunately one of those things was not my Civil Rights readings because 1. They were long as hell 2. I was just overwhelmed and didn’t expect her to cold call us. Welp, I was wrong! Guess who she called on (or at least let us know she was going to call on) ME. I had to tell her that I was not prepared. If I had any ounce of shame I would have been embarrassed but I don’t so. I mainly felt bad because I admire this professor and didn’t want to disappoint her. However, sometimes a girl just doesn’t feel like reading. I’ll be prepared from now on. I think I was just overwhelmed with everything else going on in the world.

Friday

Earlier this week my good friend Aariel reached out to me to see if I wanted to take some pictures in honor of being 3Ls. She knows I’m always looking to shoot content so I was excited when she asked. Today we came to the school at like 9am and got soooo many great pictures. I’m super excited to share them over the next few weeks. There are a few in this posts. I spent the rest of my day in my office. I had a meeting for clinic from 10:30-12:30pm, went to buy one of my books, got some food, and planned some stuff out for the next week. I also wrote a couple blog posts, including this one. I said it already but I love being in my office space. I do need to make it more home-y and buy some eating utensils for when I forget mine.

Overall this week was a lot. 3L year is going to be far from easy. I forgot how taxing being on Zoom all day is. I just always feel super tired on my Tuesdays and Thursdays when I have 3 classes. I know it’s for the better but your girl is tiredddd. I really hope it’s safe to come back to school in the spring. Until then, I’m going to have to get used to Zoom School of Law again (for tips on that, check out this blog post). Wish me luck y’all.

Are you currently in law school? What year are you and how do you feel about this school year so far? Let’s chat in the comments!

Why I’m Doing A Week-Long Meditation Challenge

August 13, 2020Leave a comment

The last few weeks I have been entirely too stressed out. Between work assignments, deadlines, and getting ready to go back to school, my stress levels have been through the roof. It seems that as I’ve gotten busier, I’ve neglected some of my wellness habits. I’ve definitely been slacking on my on my meditation and journaling and I’m feeling the effects. I used to meditate every few days or so and I really enjoyed how my life was when that was the case.

There’s this quote that says “You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day. Unless you’re too busy, then you should sit for an hour.” I figured now is the perfect time to try and get back into the habit of meditating and even more so to do it daily. What better way to do so than a meditation challenge? By making it into a challenge, I will more than likely feel more motivated to do so just as I was more motivated to workout when I made it a personal challenge to close my apple watch rings every day!

The challenge will consist of the following:

Meditating 10 minutes every morning before using my phone
Meditating 10 minutes every night before I go to sleep
Meditating every day for 1 week.

I’m excited to dedicate 20 minutes a day to meditating for the next week (starting tomorrow). I know the benefits will be great and I really hope to be able to stick to it! I can do it. If you’d like to follow along with me, follow me on Instagram: @musingsofmara. I will also have the following template on there and update it every day! Hopefully in the next few days, you read a blog about me sticking to it and not a blog similar to my failed attempt at a yoga challenge (read about it here). Wish me luck!

Do you practice meditation? Have you ever wanted to? Let me know in the comments below!

How To Prepare for A Successful First Semester of Virtual Law School

August 11, 2020August 11, 2020Leave a comment

We are basically half-way through which means that those of us in school are getting ready to go back to school! If you’re reading this, you may even be getting ready to start your first semester of law school in general (online, at that!) First of all, congratulations! Getting into law school is no easy feat, and you’ve made it this far! However, things are about to get really real so make sure you sit down, get comfortable, and read this post with some tips to help you succeed in your fist semester of virtual law school.

Set Alarms/Reminders for Your Classes

When you’re in a law school building, it’s kind of impossible to forget to go to class because you either know people who are in your class or everyone else is going to class so you know you probably have a class too. With virtual law school in the comfort of your own home, it’s soooo easy to forget you have class. This probably sounds ridiculous, but this happened to many of my friends last semester! I personally set a few reminders (30 mins and 5 mins before) so I can give myself enough time to remember to eat before class, fill up my water bottle, use the bathroom, and everything else I need to do before class begins. I try to mimic what I would do before my in-person classes as closely as possible.

Create A Schedule For Your Non-Class Responsibilities

It’s easy to set aside time for the classes that you have to be present for. The harder part of your first semester of law school is making time for everything else and making sure you don’t neglect anything else. I was guilty of this my first two months of law school. I barely had a schedule that didn’t consist of reading for class, writing case briefs, and attending those classes. It literally took over my life. Don’t be like me. You want to put in enough effort but not let it consume you. The semesters where I did better grade wise were definitely the semesters when I made time for my hobbies, family, friends, me-time, and whatever. If it’s scheduled, it will be easier to adhere to.

Go To Virtual Office Hours (and schedule other appointments after that)

It’s already hard enough to stand out to your professors when classes are in person. Virtual law school makes it even harder! One benefit of virtual law school is that some professors have made themselves even more available to talk to students at different times since they are at home. Your first semester of law school is super challenging and I distinctly remember doing better in the classes that I made an effort to attend office hours. Professors can answer questions and help you understand things you are having trouble grasping. They should want you to succeed so make sure you help them help you. Even if it’s not for grades, it’s also good for future letters of recommendation. They might not even write you one if they don’t feel like they know you well enough to vouch for you, so make them know who you are!

Use Google Calendar

I love a good google calendar. While I also love a good paper planner, google calendar gives you flexibility to move things around in case something comes up. You can still keep the time blocks and whatever else you put in the description. This one is pretty straight-forward and it will help you keep a google schedule. If you are a visual person like me, seeing everything laid out helps you do everything you need to do.

Plan Out Your Me Time (preferably unplugged)

I already mentioned this earlier but it’s so important it needs repeating. Plan your me-time. Plan your me-time. PLAN YOUR ME-TIME! It is so easy to neglect your own personal needs during your first semester of law school. Don’t do it! You will inevitably burn out at some point and it will be hard to bounce back once that happens. Since law school will be entirely online, I recommend your me-time include doing something that’s not related to technology at all. Take a walk. Read a book not related to law school. Maybe even listen to music (this is kinda technology but as long as you’re not also on your phone it’s okay.) Meditate. Whatever you need to do, do it! It will help with your preservation in the long run.

This list is by no means all-inclusive but it does consist of things I personally find really important going into your first semester of virtual law school. Talk to other 2Ls and 3Ls at your school to gain their insight on your specific school. Good luck this semester and if your school is still giving out grades, may the curve be ever in your favor!

Are there any other law school topics you want to learn more about? Let me know in the comments below!

5 Must-Read Personal Development Books for Millennials Trying To Get Their Life Together

August 8, 2020August 12, 20202 Comments

Do you want to know what is one of the biggest things I love about summer and what I miss about the two years I took off from school? I miss having time to read for leisure instead of for work or school. When I was a child, I loved reading! I stopped reading for fun once I started college and started again once I graduated. However, once I started law school, I stopped again. It’s just a cycle at this point.

Tomorrow is National Book Lover’s Day and while I don’t prioritize reading all the time, I definitely still consider myself a book lover. I have a bookshelf full of books and I’ve read most of them (still working on it). I think reading (or listening, shoutout to audiobooks) books enables us to expand our perspectives and grow as people. This is so important to me and who I strive to be as a person. Books are essential for personal development.

When I took my two years off before law school, I was definitely obsessed with the self-help/personal development genre. Even now I would say that I am always working on my own personal development and trying to help others do the same. In light of this goal, I have decided to compose a list of some of my favorites in the self-help and personal development genre.

Here are my favorites:

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

I revisit this book at least once a year, sometimes more than that depending on the type of year I’m having. When I used to work at a Recreation Center, I printed out the Four Agreements and posted it in the area where all the staff would keep their stuff. It helped me keep them in mind when I had to deal with particularly mean community members or even when I was frustrated with a co-worker. I also thought it might be useful to others. This book is one of my favorites because Don Miguel Ruiz provides such wonderful insight on just living a better life. I know that when I started applying to the Four Agreements to my life (still a work in progress because I’m human after all) my life had way less inner turmoil and bullshit with other people. It’s truly a great book that I recommend to anyone who will ask.

You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero

I really enjoyed reading this book. I think Sincero does a good job of making herself appealing to younger aged millennials like me by writing about self-help in a very relatable and basic language. I found her book hilarious because she has a knack for cussing while delivering her points (anyone who knows me knows that’s my MO as well). I found this book a little bit more exciting than other books of its genre. Sincero is very good at narrating her life experiences and teaching concepts from them. While there were some parts of it that I didn’t necessarily agree with, (I do not like the way some modern self-help books discuss things like depression) the overall concepts of the book were extremely helpful for me during my post-grad journey and even when I revisited it later. I realized that certain parts stick out to me depending on what is happening in my life at the time. This is definitely a book to pick up if you want to get into self-help books and have a wild sense of humor!

Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes

Okay so this book is by Shonda Rhimes aka the mastermind behind Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How To Get Away With Murder. I really enjoyed this book because it encouraged me to take more chances in my own life and not hold myself back once I read it. Rhimes wrote this book because her daughter told her “you never say yes to anything” and that was a wake-up call for her. Truth be told I haven’t read this book since 2018 and I probably could stand to read it again. Due to her daughter’s assertion, Rhimes took on a year of saying Yes to everything, even the things that terrified her. The book details her life during that period and gives us an up close & personal view of how that new resolution played out. Now that I’m writing this, I’ve decided I’m going to re-read it! I will give a more detailed post on it in the future. Hold me to it!

The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter–And How to Make the Most of Them Now by Meg Jay, PhD

The thing I enjoyed about this book was how much applicable advice it has for twentysomethings going through the post-grad struggle. From finding a job, to relationships and marriage, and even family planning, this book touches on topics that many of us like to put off as some abstract thing in the distant future when really…the future will be here before we even have time to blink. I also like this book because for once, there is a book talking to twentysomethings instead of about us. I wrote a more detailed review of this book here if you’d like to know some of my favorite quotes and parts of the book.

Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy

This book is one of the shorter personal development books I’ve read but make no mistake, it teaches you a lot in less than 200 pages. What I really enjoyed about Tracy’s book is that it does not have any fluff and gets straight the point. Often times in self-development books they take many many words to say something that could be effectively understood in less words. Tracy does this and that’s why I decided I must re-read this book again just because it was so good at teaching me something. I honestly couldn’t put the book down and finished it in only 2 days. It’s based on careers and businesses but you definitely can take the concepts and apply them to any area in life. If you need help to leave procrastinating as a thing in the past, check this book out!

Have you read any of these books? Do you have another book I didn’t mention that helped you get your life together? Leave a recommendation in the comments below!

Lessons I Learned From Blogging Every Weekday For A Month

August 6, 2020August 7, 2020Leave a comment

Hey readers! It’s been a while (compared to blogging every weekend)! I hope you are doing as well as can be given everything going on. As I’ve mentioned many times (here, here, and here), last month I participated in Mattie James’ Consistency Challenge for blogging. We had to blog every Mon-Fri and I talked about how hard it was on my last post. However, I did say that I learned a lot about blogging on that post as well and I figured I might as well share these things with my readers.

Before I tell you the lessons I learned, I want to l talk a little bit more about the challenge (just a little, I promise). The grand prize was $1,000 and while I didn’t win the money, I did have some other personal wins! My analytics improved across the board and it really helped me re-discover myself as a blogger. Here are some before and after of my analytics.

Isn’t that wild? My monthly views went from 397 to 598. My visitors went from 234 to 397 (also kinda strange that number appears twice). My likes went from 9 all the way to 65 and my comments went from 4 a month to 17! Now, I would like to increase these numbers, but I also know where I fell short as well. I’m going to talk about that on the next part of the blog.

I know many of you are have started your own blogs or are interested in starting one. The rest of this post will have some lessons I learned along the way during my 4-week blogging challenge. Hopefully you can learn from my mistakes and improve your own blog as well!

Lesson #1: Writing a blog post every day is not sustainable (not for me, at least)

I love writing blogs. I actually enjoy writing blogs more than I enjoy writing most things these days. Even though they’re longer writing blogs is even easier than writing Instagram captions for me. All of that being said, writing a blog every day because I failed to plan a head was draining! This was especially true when I had a particularly busy week at work that was loaded with dense legal research. I definitely do not recommend trying to write a blog every day. I knew this already and even talked about “batch work” in a previous post, but this challenge really hammered in on that point for me. NEVER AGAIN!

Lesson #2: Promoting your blog posts is just as important as writing it!

This sound so obvious but there was a point towards the end of the challenge when I was barely finishing the posts at 11:50pm and promoting my posts on Instagram just fell to the wayside. What was the point? It was already midnight and by the next day I had a different post to write. I honestly slacked on my entire Instagram the entire month of July but that’s a whole different blog post for another day (actually no, but you get my point). I also realized that I should have been promoting on ALL of my social media platforms, not just Instagram. My blog posts actually started to get quite a few RTs on Twitter which really helped me reach a wider audience. I definitely want to start incorporating Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram when I promote my blog posts. More things I have to learn, yay!

Lesson #3: I learned what type of posts I enjoy writing

You probably raised your eyebrow when you read this but surprise surprise, prior to this challenge I had a rough idea about the type of content I thought I should make (it hasn’t really changed) but this challenge helped me realize which content is actually the easiest for me to write/which content I enjoy writing about the most. The content I had the easiest time writing was all related to helping other bloggers, law students, and wellness related topics (most of the time). Now that I know this, I can plan these posts super in advance and get as many of them written as possible when I’m feeling inspired or on a roll. It certainly doesn’t hurt to know what kind of content you enjoy writing for your blog.

Lesson #4: I also learned which content I struggle with writing (even though I enjoy it)

During the challenge, I decided to make each day a different theme and kept those post on those days just so I wouldn’t get too overwhelmed. Mondays were blogging/content creation, Tuesdays were law school posts, Wednesday were wellness posts, Thursday were fitness posts, and Friday were personal development posts. It never failed….every Thursday and Friday I struggled on deciding what freaking fitness and personal development topics I wanted to blog about. It was actually so annoying. However, now that I know that sometimes I struggle with this type of content, I can be sure to brainstorm for those specific posts way in advance so that I’m not stuck when it comes time to write about them. I just have to work harder if I want to keep writing about those topics, which is fine! I actually have some ideas already planned for the next few weeks. Win!

Blogging every week day was a little too much for me but I DO want to start blogging 3x a week. I feel that doing this will help me grow my audience and ultimately help me reach more people and thus help more people! While the challenge did kick my ass, I’m so glad I participated in it! I recommend any aspiring blogger try it and see what you learn about yourself and your blogging style at the end of 4 weeks. Try it!\

Did you enjoy this article? Share it with an aspiring blogger you know!

Mara’s Musing: Reflecting On This Past Month

July 31, 2020August 1, 20201 Comment

I don’t know know how your July went reader but mine was WILD. I literally committed myself to so many different things. Not only did I decide to participate in the #MJConsistencyChallenge (which was a struggle and a half all on its own), I also signed up for a MF Fitness Pod by @MakingMila (who I talked about the blog recently), also decided on my own that I was going to make it my personal goal to close my apple rings every day by working out EVERY DAY, and to top it off, my law school related demands became even more…demanding haha. This month literally spread me as then as possible…AND THEN SOME.

I think it finally hit me last night as I was trying* to go bed but couldn’t because I had a super intense chest pain. Luckily for me, it was on the right side of my chest otherwise I would have thought I was having a heart attack and the idea of going to an ER during these times would have really had me stressed. I couldn’t sleep until like 5am and then I was woken up by my family being loud at like 8:30am. This would have been fine but I couldn’t go back to sleep and it was the “straw that broke the camel’s back”…it’s me y’all…I’m the camel.

My anxiety was in overdrive and I couldn’t deal. One of my best friend’s called me to ask me if I ever finished my goal setting session. I asked if I could call her and I just start sobbing once we started talking about how I was feeling. I had so many feelings and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to finish my research by today’s deadline and would have to ask for an extension…I felt embarrassed and ashamed. However, my best friend told me there is no reason to be ashamed if you’re having a rough mental health week. She said if I needed an extension because I had a fever it would not be a big deal and this was the same.

I’m so glad I called her and I’m so glad I asked for an extension. I know it sounds like my month was horrible, but it wasn’t! As overwhelmed as I was today and probably the last few weeks, I’m also happy I was able to keep some of my promises to myself this month. I was able to be consistent. I strengthened my blogging muscles and now I can write a blog post in like 15 mins as opposed to the sometimes hour or two it would take me before. We truly love to see it!

My main point of this post was to tell you (as always) to take care of yourself. Learn how to deal with your bad days and extend yourself grace but also have pride in the little things you’re able to accomplish. I’m proud of me and I’m proud of you too!

How did your month go? Let me know in the comments!

My Favorite Fitness Influencers That Keep Me Motivated On Instagram

July 30, 2020July 30, 20202 Comments

This month I restarted my ongoing health & fitness journey. One way I keep myself motivated is by following fitness influencers on social media. While I’m well aware that sometimes this can detrimental to people’s well-being, for me following Instagram fitness pages help me feel inspired to keep going. In today’s post I’m going to list my favorite fitness influencers and talk briefly about why I love their page.

@getfitwithmassi

Massi is one of the first fitness influencers I ever followed on Instagram. What I love about her is that she is straight no-chaser when it comes to debunking fitness fads. Massi was also my trainer for a few months last year and if I had a steady income she would still be my coach now! She truly helped me get fit af back then. Check out her page here!

@makingmila

Mila is my sorority sister and was my friend longer before she became a fitness guru. I love how I’ve been able to follow her fitness journey as well as witness her turn fitness into a career. I’m currently in one of her fitness pods and her workouts are killer! She also regularly uploads workouts on her Instagram page. Go follow her right now, you won’t regret it.

@getfitwith_kiana

I originally met Kiana at my home gym back in 2017 when she was a MixxedFit instructor (and I wasn’t one…yet). Her energy and friendly demeanor made her one of favorite dance fitness instructors ever. She then became a cycling instructor and eventually head of the department at one of my favorite gyms in Vegas (think luxury y’all) and her cycling classes were even more amazing! She recently launched her own business website where she hosts virtual challenges and posts recipes. You can find her instagram here!

@t2_tasha

Tasha is the only woman on this list who I don’t know personally but that doesn’t matter haha. I discovered her on this influencer training facebook group I’m in and I love her content so much! Her instagram feed is bright and she also posts killer workouts. Some of them can even be done in 10 minutes or less which is perfect for when I just need to get off of my butt. Go ahead and check her out here!

I believe it is so important to follow accounts that motivate you and make you feel good, especially when it comes to health and wellness. I absolutely love following these women and I’m sure you will too! I also posted my favorite law school accounts to follow on the blog last week. Check out the post here!

Do you follow fitness pages on Instagram? Who are your favorite Instagram fitness pages to follow? Let’s chat in the comments!

4 Tips For Winning The Battle Against Your Post-Grad Blues

July 29, 2020July 29, 20207 Comments

Post-grad blues are no joke. While not everyone is affected by these feelings of sadness once they graduate, many people are. I know when I graduated I got my degree and said “now what?” I had been in school for the majority of my life, graduated with no job, and really no sense of purpose. Those first 6 months or so were really rough and I felt sad more often than not. I can’t even imagine how 2020 grads are feeling with their ceremonies having been cancelled or online due to the pandemic. However, in today’s post I’m suggesting some things that helped me get through the trying times of battling with post-grad blues and hopefully they will help you too!

Wake-Up and Say Those Affirmations!

The post-grad blues period after graduating can definitely get you down (they don’t call it post-grad blues for nothin’). One way I battled this overwhelming sense of emptiness and lack of purpose was through repeating affirmations to myself every morning when I woke up. While each person has to determine what they want out of life to come up with their own, I think the ones I used during this rough time are definitely a good place to start. I found these at this article here.

I also wrote a blog post about creating your perfect affirmations earlier this year. All that matters is you remind yourself that you are deserving and destined for greatness!

Journal About Your Feelings Towards Being Graduated (and your feelings in general)

For people like myself, it is easy to start feeling down when you are trying to find employment or have too much free time on your hands after graduating. One thing I have made more of a consistent habit is journaling. I try* process all my feelings by journaling at least 3 times a week. When I was unemployed I wrote about how being unemployed made me feel (leave out nothing…even the feelings of worthlessness and sadness). I’ve vented my frustrations and promised myself that I will never take being employed for granted again. While it is usual to complain about one’s job (unless it’s your dream job, which mine is being an attorney so I’m a long ways off), to be ungrateful for one’s job is not good for the soul. In cases where your boss is a jerk it’s different but at the same time, I have always hated being unemployed more than having a job I hate (blame my materialistic desires and FOMO). I hope to look back on my unemployment entries of journal should I ever start hating my jobs (hopefully I won’t).

Find a New Hobby or Invest Time in an Old One

Whether you’ve always loved painting but college got in the way, or you want to learn how to dance salsa, or anything in between you have plenty of time to do it in your down time on the post-grad job search. One thing I started doing again while I was unemployed is reading. One of my goals this year is to read two books a month and it hasn’t been hard thus far considering I didn’t have really anything better to do. Another hobby I dedicated more time to while I was unemployed was blogging. It felt good to be doing things I wanted to do in undergrad that I simply didn’t have the time to do.

Get Off Your Ass and Get Active

Seriously! This one is a good morale booster. Whether I was dancing, working out, going for a walk, jog, or run, dedicating time to working out wasn’t something I did until towards the end of my unemployment/post-grad experience and I wish I had a started sooner. Not only do you have time to figure out what kind of workouts you love, you can find a purpose in setting non-work related goals. One of my goals when I was employed was to walk at least 10,000 steps a day. This doesn’t sound like a lot but there would be days when I was unemployed where I sat around ALL day and barely clocked in 2,000 steps, YIKES! If you’re currently unemployed it doesn’t mean you have to sit around all day and become a sloth (I was guilty of this for a while).

The post-grad “Damn I don’t have a job/I’m done with school” blues are real and it can take over your mind, body, and spirit if you let it. Even if you are employed, being out of school after being in school your whole life is a rough transition for me. I have suffered from the deepest of post-grad blues and it is not pretty. Even if you are employed there are times where you can find yourself missing being in undergrad and carefree. The key to surviving this turbulent transition in life is to happen to it instead of allowing it to happen to you. If you already have a job it can be even easier to get caught up in the motions and find yourself still battling those post-grad blues. Find balance between keeping yourself busy and doing things you love. When you’re unemployed, finding things to occupy your time during your job search (and make sure you are ACTIVELY searching) will make the time in between graduation and being unemployed fly by. You may even walk away from it being more enlightened, educated, and experienced person than the day you got your degree. If you don’t have a job or haven’t taken steps towards career yet, don’t beat yourself up about it. These things take time and there is always a lesson in the struggle! ALWAYS.

(Author’s Note: If you think you suffer from depression or any other mental illness, contact a professional for help. These tips will not cure depression.)

My Biggest Struggles with Zoom School of Law

July 28, 20201 Comment

Most of my law school’s classes this upcoming Fall semester will be held online due to the ongoing pandemic. While I completely understand and obviously want to prioritize the health of all law students, staff, professors, and everyone in general, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t bummed about having to do ANOTHER virtual semester. Spring 2020 was literally the most challenging semester of my academic career and it wasn’t because of the subject material.

Law school is hard as hell in general…having to go to law school virtually is literally the WORST. I’m not looking forward to doing it again. It’s already been hard enough planning Gaming Law Journal’s virtual work week (where we train the new junior staffers for the upcoming academic year) and thinking about another virtual semester has my anxiety through the roof. I wish things could go back to law school in person “normal.”

I already talked about my 2^nd year of law school on here before and mentioned how spring 2020 was rough earlier in this blog. There are a few things that really made Spring 2020 a struggle fest of a semester. Most of my issues involved the following:

Remember to show up to my classes
My family not understanding that being home =/= being available
Not being able to do the fun part of law school: socializing with classmates

These are such first world problems but they did affect me pretty negatively this past semester. I’m definitely going to make sure I take the steps to prevent as many conflicts as possible on this list. I will write a blog post with tips for dealing with these problems in the near future as the semester gets closer.

Have another law school related topic you’d like my thoughts on? Ask away in the comments!

3 Tips For Figuring Out What Content To Create

July 27, 2020Leave a comment

Prior to the consistency challenge this month (and even during it), I have definitely been going through my own version of writer’s block…an overall creatives block. This often leads to not having much to blog about and having to figure that out and how the hell I was going to post for the rest of the month. I would like to say I somewhat figured it out and decided that I should share this process with all of you, especially my fellow bloggers!

Do a Brain Dump

createherstock-2017-Social-Bonus-Neosha-Gardner-19

The first thing I do when I’m not sure what I want to create is to have a brain dump session. A brain dump session consists of me getting a blank piece of paper, setting a timer (usually for 5 mins or so), and just dumping all of my thought onto the page. The fact that I already know what the purpose for the brain dump is probably helps my mind focus on thinking about content, my assignment, or whatever it is I’m trying to garner creativity from. I feel that 5 mins in the perfect amount of time to force yourself to just get everything out and then figure out what to do with it later. After I brain dump, I sift through the words on the page and see if anything sounds like something I can expand on and usually I have at least 1 or 2 good ideas to run with.

Research What Other People in Your Niche are Creating

createherstock-2018-content-influencer-neosha-gardner-18

I’m not saying that it’s entirely impossible to create never before thought of content or posts or whatever it is you need to create but let’s be real, many things have been talked about before and THAT IS OKAY. As a lifestyle blogger the topics aren’t necessarily what make me unique. What makes me unique is my perspective and experience with a topic. When I’m particularly stumped on what to create or write, I google “lifestyle blog ideas” or whatever topic I’m interested in writing about, whether that be “fitness blog posts”, “law school blog posts”, you get the idea. It’s okay to get inspo from other content creators. If the topic is entirely too specific, be sure to give that person credit and link back to their blog. The same goes for Instagram content as well. Creatives deserve credit, which I’ve made my thoughts on such known on my podcast as well (listen here).

Ask Your Audience What They Want to See

createherstock-2018-content-influencer-neosha-gardner-41

Don’t get me wrong, this may not be the best approach depending on your audience and/or your relationship with them but it doesn’t hurt to try. I remember when I was not entirely new to blogging but also still figuring it out I used to come up with ideas and conduct polls on my Instagram stories to see what kind of content my audience wanted to see. After all, they are going to be the ones reading and/or engaging with it. You might as well see if they have any suggestions for topics they’d like your opinion or help with. Definitely don’t do this one too often or your audience will wonder why the hell are you a content creator if you can’t think of any content. I would say this is good to do once every few months or so. When done properly, it can be extremely help. The reason I even thought to write this blog was due to a suggestion from one of my mutuals on twitter. Thanks Della girl! These are some of the ways that I deal when I can’t for the life of me think of what kind of content I want to create. Usually if I do one or all of these 3 things, I can get out of my creative funk and figure out what it is I want to write about or create. Hopefully these tips can help you if you are having a similar block.

Did I forget a suggestion that has helped you? How do you deal with writer’s block or get out of creative funk? Let me know in the comments below!If you enjoyed this article and found it helpful, please share it on your social media or with a fellow creative!