The holidays are coming, and with them, family gatherings, travel, disrupted routines, and the very reasonable desire to actually enjoy the season. If you’re in the middle of board preparation, this time of year can feel like a threat to everything you’ve worked to build.
It doesn’t have to be. With a little planning, you can protect your momentum through the holidays without sacrificing the things that matter most about them.
1. Plan before the season starts — not during it
The worst time to figure out your holiday study schedule is when you’re already in the middle of it. Before the festivities begin, look at your calendar and identify which days will be high-demand (travel days, family events, holiday gatherings) and which will have pockets of available time. Map your study commitments around what’s already there.
Then make a list of the topics you need to cover and estimate how much time you will need to dedicate to each one. You don’t need a perfect schedule. You need a realistic one.
2. Lower the daily bar but keep it daily
During the holidays, the goal isn’t maximum output. It’s consistency. Studying something every single day (even a modest amount) is worth far more than two heroic sessions sandwiched between two weeks of nothing.
Instead of aiming for four Pomodoro blocks, aim for two. Instead of a full question bank session, commit to a specific number of questions. Small, achievable daily goals keep your preparation moving and prevent the inertia that makes it hard to restart in January.
3. Use travel time
Holiday travel is genuinely useful study time in disguise. Flights, train rides, and long car journeys (as a passenger, of course) are well-suited to study flashcards, review books, listen to audio content, and watch video board reviews. Pack your materials accordingly and treat travel days as low-intensity study sessions rather than lost days.
You can also use the days before or after departure for more extended study sessions.
4. Take real breaks. They’re part of the plan.
Rest is not a reward you earn after studying enough. It’s a requirement for the kind of learning that actually sticks. Take breaks. Do something physical instead of sitting. This will wake up your brain and keep you more alert.
Use actual rewards to stay motivated and avoid burnout. Schedule time for the things you enjoy (like meals with family, movies, sleep) and protect those commitments as seriously as your study blocks.
If holiday stress tends to affect you, proactive habits make a real difference: regular exercise, balanced meals, limited caffeine and alcohol, and brief mindfulness practices can all help counteract the perfectionism and anxiety that physicians commonly experience during high-demand periods.
5. Let your family know what to expect
One of the quietest sources of holiday tension is unspoken expectations. Before the season gets underway, tell the people around you what your study commitments look like. Be clear about when you’ll be available and when you’ll need focused time. Most families are more accommodating than physicians expect. They just need to know the plan.
Then, when you’re with them, be with them. Board prep and family time both deserve your full attention. Savor moments.
The holidays are a wonderful time to give yourself the gift of board preparation support.
The holidays will pass quickly. A few weeks of intentional, consistent effort — even if it is lighter effort than usual — will keep you in a much stronger position when January arrives and full preparation resumes.
If you’ve been thinking about working with a coach, now is the perfect time to start. We can build a study plan that carries you through the season and sets you up for success in the new year.