How to Get Enough Sleep (And Why It Matters)
Coffee.
That’s how I powered through my early years of legal practice. By the time I was a mid-level associate, I was drinking 4, 5, 6, sometimes even 7 cups a day. Coffee played a lot of roles: it gave me a jolt of energy when I needed it, offered a break in the middle of my billable day, and served as a great excuse to network with future friends and mentors.
But it also wrecked my sleep and gave me daily 4PM headaches. I didn’t make the connection until my doctor pointed it out. Turns out: that was too much coffee. Now I stick to two cups before 10AM, and that’s it.
More importantly, I finally learned how critical sleep is to my performance as a lawyer (and a person). This is something I wish I had understood when I was a summer associate.
As I mentioned last week, one of the biggest shifts during your summer experience is how you manage your time. Unlike law school, where the rhythm is a sprint-and-recover model (finals week → collapse → school break), working in a legal office is a marathon. The work is steady, the learning curve is steep, and showing up every day as your best self is essential.
The never ending treadmill of work is often less pronounced during an internship or summer associate position. But even as a summer, your days may already be full of trainings, meetings, lunches, and the occasional 5PM research assignment. What often gets squeezed out is sleep.
That’s a problem.
Sleep isn’t just about rest. It’s a performance tool. That late-night document review, the early morning partner meeting, or your next assignment will go better—much better—if you’re well-rested. It might feel like you’re proving yourself by staying late, but what actually impresses is consistent, clear, high-quality work.
And you can’t do that if you’re running on fumes.
That’s why prioritizing your sleep is essential. Here’s how to make it work:
Set Your Non-Negotiables. Pick a consistent wake-up time (yes, even after events). Identify your minimum sleep need (most people need 7–8 hours). Plan your morning routine before you go to bed and try to keep it consistent. Most of all, know your best work hours and optimize for them (I’m a morning person, so I protect that time)
Manage Events Strategically. Find a time every week (Friday afternoon? Sunday night) to decide which projects you’ll work on when, which events you’ll attend, and which events you’ll skip for the next week. Try to find a good balance and be realistic about how many working hours you have a day and a week.
When Work Runs Late. Ask about real deadlines—not everything is “ASAP.” A simple question like “When are you looking for a reply—tomorrow COB OK?” is a good way to handle it. And if something lands late in the day, clarify expectations about your bandwidth to get it done. And most of all, use your core office hours well so late nights stay the exception.
Don’t Sacrifice Sleep for Show. Your summer isn’t about being the last to leave. It’s about building sustainable habits and delivering excellent work. Sleep is part of that. Your body—and your supervisors—will thank you.
Keep standing out,
Jonah
