Now that I’m in the full swing of Step 2 studying, I’m reincorporating a few time-saving hacks I used while studying to survive first and second year of school. Here are some ideas to help you save time when you’re up to your eyes in practice questions and reading:
- Become best friends with your crock pot. Seriously. This kitchen appliance has provided many a meal during my time in medical school because it’s just so easy. And that’s saying a lot because I’m a terrible cook! Throw some chicken, onions, and a jar of salsa in the pot in the morning before you head to school and turn it on low. By the time you come back from studying later that evening, you’ll have a nice, hot, perfectly marinaded meal waiting for you and filling your apartment with delicious aromas!
- Exercise with friends. Board studying can be really lonely and isolating if you tend to hole up in the library for the majority of your studying. If you can workout with friends, not only are you doing something great for you both physically and mentally, but you’re also getting your fill of social time for the day, too! Multitasking at its finest.
- Walk and talk. I save time by calling my parents, fiance, and siblings while walking the ten minutes to and from school each day rather than calling everyone at night during precious potential study time.
- Put the phone away. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Buzzfeed…Whatever your favorite form of social media, one of these is likely to be a huge time sucker for even the most disciplined medical student. Do yourself a favor and put your phone on silent and park it behind your computer so it’s not within your line of vision, tempting you with each loud message tone.
- Know when to throw in the towel. I’ve learned when I’m getting antsy from studying all day, sometimes you need to give yourself permission to spend 15 minutes on YouTube or going for a walk to recharge. Or even take half a day off. If you’re well rested, you’ll study more efficiently when you hit the books again.
