Studying for the bar exam is a challenging endeavor that demands your dedication, attention, and concentration on a daily basis. Many aspiring lawyers have reached their licensing goals by turning to innovative methods like Virtual Study Buddy and body doubling apps, along with the support of an accountability partner. These resources can push you to success, so you don’t have to do it alone!
What is Body Doubling?
The innovative, practical and accessible method known as “body doubling” involves studying with the company of a study buddy who may be working on a different task, even virtually, and providing you with an accountability partner while you are working toward your bar exam goals, within a structured environment.
Major benefits of body doubling for studying includes:
- Structure to your studies
- accountability
- social support
- increased focus
- reduced distractions
- enhanced motivation
- improvement to study environment
Why it Works
Such virtual study buddy platforms, body doubling apps, and accountability partners are a game-changing way to conquer the bar exam.
How? By providing you with a buddy system, and opportunities to enhance productivity and ultimately increase your chances of acing this critical exam in the following ways:
- Boosting Focus: When you study with someone, you have the support of a buddy to boost your focus and hold you accountable. As a result, you will significantly enhance your productivity.
- Structured Study Sessions: Body doubling will push you to create a solid schedule with specific time blocks for focused-bar exam work. With the right schedule planning including breaks to rejuvenate, you will prevent burnout and make study sessions structured and more efficient.
- Reduced Isolation: Studying alone for the bar exam can cause you to resent the study process, and even lead to feeling isolated and alone on this intensive road. However, body doubling provides a sense of social support. This benefit can truly reverse the effects of spending hours studying.
- Accountability: Your study partner can hold you accountable for your goals and tasks. Regular check-ins and discussions about progress ensure you are actively working toward your bar exam goals. As a result, accountability will help you to maintain motivation and commitment. Furthermore, having an accountability partner adds an extra layer of commitment to studying because you are not just showing up for yourself, but you are showing up for someone else too!
- Increased Productivity: A virtual study buddy can create a healthy sense of friendly competition, just the way jogging next to someone at the gym can push you to be more productive and efficient. A virtual study buddy who is also studying for the bar exam adds the benefit of having someone to bounce ideas off of or clarify concepts which can lead to a deeper understanding of the material.
- Collaboration: Virtual Study Buddy platforms, such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams, allow you to create study groups with anyone, studying for the bar, located anywhere. Take advantage of the technology available to you to check-in, collaborate, discuss and even share study materials.
- Emotional Support: Studying can be psychologically and mentally draining. Having a study partner provides emotional support. You can share your challenges, celebrate your victories, and navigate difficult bar topics together.
How to get Started
Using body doubling as a study technique is accessible, as there are apps that allow you to connect to these benefits at any time. With a loaded bar exam study schedule, and the possibility of needing a push at any time to keep you going, an accessible study buddy is a life saver!
Furthermore, you can adapt this approach to meet your specific needs and preferences. For example, studying alongside a bar exam taker for the same exam administration and jurisdiction can be the strategy you need for improving your study habits and overall productivity during bar study sessions. You can also seek specific study buddies from an online community and then use some of the collaborative platforms discussed to meet. Specifically, on Reddit’s Productivity subreddit, accountability-buddy channel, you can find study partners and even list your own requirements.
Give any of these tools a try to get started and discover your options:
- FocusMate
- Thinkdivergent.com
- Flown.com
- Deepwrk
- Youtube and tik tok “study with me” videos and live streams
- Focus and productivity apps such as FocusKeeper, Focus@Will or Forest
Give it a try!
Body doubling is a creative technique giving your study experience the makeover it needed. With newfound focus, structure, accountability, and emotional support, you can achieve better bar prep results while also making the bar exam road more efficient.
Remember, the next time you are about to head to the law library on your own, consider downloading one of the aforementioned apps, or websites to invite a study partner into your bar studies.
Ready to pass the bar exam? Get the support and accountability you need with personalized one-on-one bar exam tutoring or one of our economical courses and workshops. We’re here to help!
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