This week, as I sat down with students to help them create their own realistic plans for Spring Break, I realized that my own plans were quite lofty and unrealistic. I say this especially because I had planned to take most of Spring Break off for personal time (something I don’t do as often as I perhaps should). And yet I slated so many class and administrative tasks for this same period. So, as I helped law students set their Spring Break goals, I realized that I needed to adjust and be more realistic about my own goals.

The traditional paradigm for goal setting—SMART goals—can help you set goals that are “achievable.” And honestly, for many, I imagine setting goals that can actually be met may be one of the hardest parts of goal setting.

For me, setting realistic, achievable goals during Spring Break can be especially difficult because in my mind I have classified it as a “free week,” so I start saving everything for Spring Break (while also not realizing I’m doing that). And rather than seeing it as a week when I will still have regular things happening, my mind characterizes it as a week that I have nothing going on—no student meetings, no classes—so “I can get so much done!” Even when I was a student, the goal of “I’ll get caught up on everything for the semester” was often too much for the same reason. And then, much like I’d set myself up now, I struggled to reach my goals because I would also want to claw back time to rest, relax, and recharge.

So, this week as I met with students, we started by identifying the things they felt the most behind on. We also acknowledged what they most needed to accomplish to feel like Spring Break was productive for them. Then, knowing when they planned to dedicate time to their studies (and when they planned to relax), we divided the bigger tasks and mapped out smaller, more achievable goals.

And, in an effort to put my own advice to use, and turn over a new Spring Break leaf, I decided to do the same. This year, I started by identifying all the tasks I need to accomplish, —writing an exam, grading (and more grading), and finalizing my legal writing brief problem. Then, I broke them into smaller tasks and began prioritizing them, which was harder here because each of these items are “due” the week we get back from Spring Break.

As I worked through this list, I recognized some tasks I could make smaller and get done this week, before Spring Break even started, especially if I dedicated an extra hour or two in the evenings and over the weekend. From this list of tasks, exam and brief problem writing would take the most focused brain power, so I needed to dedicate those tasks next week. I also rarely get grading done at the office, so I often grade from home in the evenings. And I reasoned that by working on my blog posts and smaller grading “chunks” at night this week, I could free up time to write exams and brief problems next week. In doing so, I created a plan where I would be able to slowly whittle away at my larger goals. And by restructuring my plans, I was able to create a more manageable and “achievable” to-do list for Spring Break.

So, regardless of whether you are a law student with lofty studying goals for the break or an academic professional gearing up for the last half of the semester (or looking ahead to bar prep), I encourage you to set yourself up for success. Get realistic, think small, and rearrange a few things to have a positive Spring Break.

Happy Spring Break!

 (Erica M. Lux)