Posts tagged study habit

Scheduling Balance. Readers often ask me and I often talk about finding balance while being in medical school. It helps improve your learning, your productivity, and your lifestyle while preventing burn out. This is however - as I know first hand - easier said than done.  Today, I thought I might talk about one of the tools I use to scheduling balance: the calendar. We have all seen it; many of you might even use it on a day to day basis. It comes in many forms, from the large poster boards on your wall, to the agenda you carry in your bag, to the phone you carry in your pocket.  The balance I strive for is easily overcome by the demands of medicine. There is no shortage of work, calls, and rounds to attend if I was so inclined. To prevent this bias, my schedule has to be balanced by the counter argument: the personal events and interests. If there are important events or activities I would like to do, I waste no time putting them in, no matter how trivial it is. To have the calendars visible at all times side by side, reinforces the importance and interplay they have with each other. No calendar is more important than the other.  Since I am in a relationship, I have found the digital calendar that syncs between my computer and phone to be the best fit for me. Not only can I add activities and events from either device at any time, I also have access to my partner’s calendar and she mine, making it easier to plan get togethers. Scheduling balance works best when you are willing to put in the time to creating and maintaining your calendar as well as checking it regularly to make the most of your planning. Depending on how often you choose to do both, your mileage with the calendars may vary. With a calendar well stocked and at your side at all times, you can easily check before you say “yes.” At the end of the day, life balance cannot be achieved no matter what tools you use if you cannot confidently say “no.”

Scheduling Balance.

Readers often ask me and I often talk about finding balance while being in medical school. It helps improve your learning, your productivity, and your lifestyle while preventing burn out. This is however - as I know first hand - easier said than done. 

Today, I thought I might talk about one of the tools I use to scheduling balance: the calendar. We have all seen it; many of you might even use it on a day to day basis. It comes in many forms, from the large poster boards on your wall, to the agenda you carry in your bag, to the phone you carry in your pocket. 

The balance I strive for is easily overcome by the demands of medicine. There is no shortage of work, calls, and rounds to attend if I was so inclined. To prevent this bias, my schedule has to be balanced by the counter argument: the personal events and interests. If there are important events or activities I would like to do, I waste no time putting them in, no matter how trivial it is.

To have the calendars visible at all times side by side, reinforces the importance and interplay they have with each other. No calendar is more important than the other. 

Since I am in a relationship, I have found the digital calendar that syncs between my computer and phone to be the best fit for me. Not only can I add activities and events from either device at any time, I also have access to my partner’s calendar and she mine, making it easier to plan get togethers.

Scheduling balance works best when you are willing to put in the time to creating and maintaining your calendar as well as checking it regularly to make the most of your planning. Depending on how often you choose to do both, your mileage with the calendars may vary.

With a calendar well stocked and at your side at all times, you can easily check before you say “yes.” At the end of the day, life balance cannot be achieved no matter what tools you use if you cannot confidently say “no.”

Using Evernote. I have received a lot of questions about what program I am using to organize my notes. It is called Evernote and it is still something I am experimenting with but I am quite pleased with the results thus far. What appeals to me most about it at this point is the ability to edit and sync my notes on my computer to my phone so that I always have all of my notes with me anywhere without the hassle of notebooks and paper. That, along with a fast and responsive engine for tagging and searching makes organizing and finding my notes a lot less time consuming. As one reader was asking, it does support document and image attachments as well as recorded audio clips (that have thus far not been very useful to me). However, I do insert inlayed images often for diagrammatic purposes.  At this time, it is definitely a much more tedious operation to convert readings and clinical pearls to digital notes when I come home but over the long term, I think they will be more useful.

Using Evernote.

I have received a lot of questions about what program I am using to organize my notes. It is called Evernote and it is still something I am experimenting with but I am quite pleased with the results thus far.

What appeals to me most about it at this point is the ability to edit and sync my notes on my computer to my phone so that I always have all of my notes with me anywhere without the hassle of notebooks and paper. That, along with a fast and responsive engine for tagging and searching makes organizing and finding my notes a lot less time consuming.

As one reader was asking, it does support document and image attachments as well as recorded audio clips (that have thus far not been very useful to me). However, I do insert inlayed images often for diagrammatic purposes. 

At this time, it is definitely a much more tedious operation to convert readings and clinical pearls to digital notes when I come home but over the long term, I think they will be more useful.

Daily Readings. Every night I try to read up on the cases I see and the patients I encounter. It is the best way to develop a mental picture of a condition, especially if you have a real patient with a very typical presentation. Here is a sample of this week’s notes.

Daily Readings.

Every night I try to read up on the cases I see and the patients I encounter. It is the best way to develop a mental picture of a condition, especially if you have a real patient with a very typical presentation. Here is a sample of this week’s notes.

How did you manage your academics in your undergrad? Was getting good grades easy for you? Do you have any tips? — Asked by Anonymous

If you read the answer before yours, those advices came after a few years of undergrad. At the start, I was not very well balanced in this department and I struggled to make the most of my time and find ways of studying that worked well for me. 

Doing well in university was never that simple in university. I worked very hard to get the grades I got and to get where I am. It is always a struggle to get the most out of my studying. We are only human. 

You can read the tips in the previous post for what I do or just search “study habit.”

I am a senior in high school and currently applying to colleges. I've taken AP courses throughout the past four years that have forced me to develop successful study habits, but I am still a bit nervous about the rigorous courses I plan to take in the near future. I plan on attending Vanderbilt University for undergraduate school and Johns Hopkins University for medical school (hopefully) to become an oncologist, so some useful studying tips would be extremely helpful. What advice do you have? — Asked by taylor-el

Everyone has different studying tips. I have written a bit about this and you could search for it here under “study habit.”

My general advice is to take breaks when things are not sinking in, refocus, then restart. This goes for regular studying or when you’re cramming. Your brain does not have unlimited stamina; it needs rest.

The other advice is to use multiple approaches, and not just repetition. Your brain generally learns best when the message is reinforced through different modalities. Try some flow charts, make tables, or flash cards. If something is not working, discard it for a better method.

Next, set some goals for yourself. Decide what you need to focus on, what you can accomplish, and do as much as you can. It is alright to sometimes bite off more than you can chew, but always know your limits and keep pushing forward. Even if you only review a bit every day, in the long run you will have read through the material quite a bit.

Lastly, review often. The freshest material is always that which is covered most recently. Go back often to freshen up older material. The subsequent passes you will get a feel for what you have forgotten, what you have remembered, and focus yourself appropriately where you are struggling.

I hope this has been helpful to you. Good luck and take care.

Can you do a survey with your followers asking how often one drinks coffee and/or take stimulants to help with studying? I'm a coffee addict and I don't know how I feel about students taking prescription drugs. I feel like we should all be driven by our own internal motivations to study. Yes, I know, caffeine itself is a drug and has a tendency of addiction and abuse but substances such as adderall and ritalin to me gives fellow students an unfair advantage. What are your thoughts? Thanks! — Asked by Anonymous

I think that taking a stimulant without a medical purpose or a real problem is not a good idea. For those who have real challenges, real difficulties, and real reasons for taking stimulants I have no issue with the necessity. It is a matter of requirement, need, and moderation.

Stimulants may have varying effects on the host as seen in this preliminary research published in Nature; caffeine likewise may not work for everyone. 

As you say, caffeine and stimulants are chemical compounds. Drugs. And as such, they have the capacity of abuse, but in this case, the abuse potential and the repercussions of one are greater than the other. That in my opinion makes caffeine a lesser of two evils.

In an ideal world, I would give up coffee, and people would not feel pressured to try stimulants. But this is not the case, so all we can do is resist the temptation. I would also suggest reading the submissions to the New York Times, titled “In Their Own Words: ‘Study Drugs.’”

To my knowledge, the use of stimulants without medical cause is frowned upon by the faculty and it is ill-advised and I would say the same. 

What are your thoughts on the subject of stimulants? What food or drink do you have to help you study? Discuss or leave your comments below.

Mail: Everything and the Kitchen Sink

Given my recent opening of anonymous questions and the latest feature on Tumblr Tuesday, my inbox has exploded. I have been trying to answer these as quickly as I can. To help me clear off a large slate before the end of my summer, here is the latest mailbag.

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Hello! I just found out about your blog and it's amazing :P Also, I'd just like to ask if you have any tips on how to make yourself less sleepy when studying? :P hehe — Asked by woesandwy

Now that is an interesting question woesandwy. If there was a fool proof solution, you can bet your money that medical students would have been all over it years ago. Unfortunately, life is not always that easy and it hides her secrets well.

Here are my suggestions:

  • Sleep more. Obviously this is playing a role somewhere. If you are not getting enough sleep then it will affect you for the rest of the day.
  • Proper sleep hygiene. A poor sleep hygiene habit that many of us have is studying in our own bedroom or worse, on our bed. Rooms should be compartmentalized based on function if possible. The dining room is already for eating, the kitchen for cooking, why not extend that to studying? Study in a study room, and sleep in your bedroom. If you study in your bedroom, it can increase your likelihood of feeling sleepy.
  • Give yourself a break. The monotony of studying can be mentally taxing. I personally tend to study for 20 minutes, then take a 10 minute break. While it is not perfect, it does give my brain new stimuli and that can help combat sleepiness.
  • A drink of your choice. Now, we are bringing on the big guns. If you must, then you can try tea or coffee. Black tea has a little more caffeine in it so if you need a little more kick that could be a good choice. On the extreme end of the scale, something I would not recommend are energy drinks. I know people who have used them for exams and honestly, if you are so awake you cannot get a solid night of sleep, it probably was not worth it.

These are the tips I keep in mind when I am studying and hopefully they will work for you too. Good luck and take care.

Do you have tips on combatting sleepiness while studying? Leave a comment below.

One topic at a time. Here I am reading up on chest pain and the possible aetiologies. The doctors whom I work with are all lifestyle conscious. They were trained in a time when “medicine comes first, personal life comes second,” with often disastrous consequences to family, friends, and personal wellbeing. Now they aim to make sure my generation does not repeat that same mistake. Their suggestion to me for home studying is: one topic at a time. 

One topic at a time.

Here I am reading up on chest pain and the possible aetiologies. The doctors whom I work with are all lifestyle conscious. They were trained in a time when “medicine comes first, personal life comes second,” with often disastrous consequences to family, friends, and personal wellbeing. Now they aim to make sure my generation does not repeat that same mistake. Their suggestion to me for home studying is: one topic at a time. 

Hi Tom :) I was just wondering how you keep your notes and handouts. Do you keep them separate according to blocks or subjects, like anatomy, pharmacology, and such? or do you keep them together somehow? — Asked by oneoutofallpeople

Our curriculum is structured around systems such as neurology reproduction or blood and lymphatics, so I tend to just keep every block separate. Pharmacology, anatomy, pathology, and histology is covered within these systems blocks but as they are also examined as their own self-contained exams, I tend to keep those notes separate from the rest of the pile to make it easier to sift through.

Hope that answers your question and take care. :)