Preparing for medical boards can be a daunting task. It requires a significant time commitment, and it can be easy to get sidetracked or burned out. However, there are time management techniques that can help you stay focused and productive.
One such time management hack is the Pomodoro Technique.
Using a tomato-shaped kitchen timer (now known as the Pomodoro Timer), Francesco Cirillo, a university student, discovered that his study habits improved. Cirillo found that when he broke tasks into 25-minute sessions (now known as Pomodoros) followed by a 5-minute break and then took a long break after four Pomodoros, he could concentrate more fully on the tasks at hand and accomplish more work.
The Pomodoro Technique can be helpful for medical board preparation because it helps you to:
Stay focused: The 25-minute intervals provide a sense of urgency and help you to stay focused on the task at hand.
Avoid distractions: The short breaks help you to clear your head and come back to your work refreshed.
Track your progress: The Pomodoro Technique can help you to track your progress and see how much you have accomplished.
I recently suggested the Pomodoro Technique to a client studying for her medical specialty boards. This is what she said:
“I feel like the Pomodoro timer changed my life..! lol. I always get SO distracted doing things, so the incessant planning and scheduling work great for me. The Pomodoro was the cherry on top–how to break down my time even more..! It was always so satisfying to achieve my 10 Pomodoros daily.”
Here is how to get started
1. Choose the task to be accomplished (e.g., complete 25 MCQs). Minimize interruptions before you begin by turning off your phone and email/chat alerts.
2. Set the Pomodoro timer to 25 minutes. There are free apps for the Pomodoro timer that can be used with your iPhone or Android device and for your computer.
3. Commit to working on your task (and only that task) until the Pomodoro rings.
4. Take a short break (5 minutes is OK). Check your phone for messages or return phone calls. Use this break to rest and “recharge your batteries.” Get away from your desk, stretch, and get a beverage.
5. Continue your work sessions.After every 4 Pomodoros, take a longer break (15 – 30 minutes). Go for a walk, eat a healthy snack, clear your mind.
Try this strategy if you need help staying focused (or awake) while studying. It’s easy. It can help you hyperfocus and power through distractions, and accomplish things in short bursts. It trains your brain to focus for short periods, and with time it can help improve your attention span and concentration. To learn more, visit the Pomodoro Technique website.
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Linda L. Carr, Ph.D., Founder/Principal at Coaching for Medical Specialty Boards, is a medical educator and learning specialist who coaches physicians preparing for specialty boards through virtual, one-on-one coaching. Visit www.DrLindaCarr.org to learn more about her program and download her FREE Study Guide.
Studying for specialty boards after work is a challenge for everyone. With schedules stretching beyond their normal limit and exhaustion always near, losing study momentum is easy. After a long day at the hospital (or clinic), the last thing you want to do is to come home and study. But to be prepared for boards, you must study in the evenings (and probably in the early mornings, too).
The solution is to have a specific study plan when opening your front door. Otherwise, you may make a BIG MISTAKE, like starting to relax, and suddenly your good study intentions evaporate.
Chloe Burroughs offers five suggestions for how to find the TIME, ENERGY, and MOTIVATION to Study After Work:
1. Renew your energy during the TRANSITIONS between your daily activities.
Think about your commute home from work. In his book High-Performance Habits, Brendon Burchard explains that we should ‘release tension’ and ‘set intention’ to generate the energy we need to study after work.
As you commute home, spend a few minutes releasing the tension in your body and mind–close your eyes (when you’re not driving), take slow, deep breaths, and once you feel the tension lift, choose a clear intention for your evening. Say it out loud to yourself in the third person. Once you’ve set your intention, open your eyes, and get to work.
2. Identify when you’re going to study.
Look for large and tiny snippets of time that can be used for studying. Even 15 minutes can be helpful. Have flashcards always with you so that when you are waiting for service, you can make good use of your time. Try studying at different times, such as … as soon as you get home before dinner, right after dinner, as soon as your children are in bed, just before you go to bed. If you are an early riser, try studying for 30-45 minutes first thing in the morning.
3. Always know what you need to study.
Start studying with a specific plan in mind. Figure out what you need to study by checking your study calendar and your exam content blueprint. You might start by retesting a few critical questions from the previous day or reviewing recently made flashcards to rev your cognitive engine.
4. Don’t give yourself a chance to procrastinate.
Create a daily routine when you come home. First, put on comfy clothes, turn on your computer, and prepare your study materials. Make a cup of tea or a delicious smoothie. If you eat a regular meal, keep it light so you won’t get sleepy. Don’t check your digital devices; start studying.
The secret to making this work is not to interrupt the momentum of coming home. Burchard’s system works because you use this revitalized energy to study now so you can relax later.
5. Make the rest of your evening run more smoothly.
Let’s face it–making study a high priority is vital but also difficult when everything else vies for your time and attention. Stay focused. You’ll feel better when you’ve put your study priorities front and center.
How else can you make your evening run more smoothly so you have some time to study after work?
… Ask someone else to make dinner on certain nights of the week
… Batch cooking and meal prep during the weekend, so weeknight dinners take less time
… Hire someone to clean your house.
The idea here is to be creative in prioritizing what you need to do to make evening study work. By integrating these tips into your daily regimen, you’re well on your way to accomplishing your goal of successful board passage.
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Linda L. Carr, Ph.D., Founder/Principal at Coaching for Medical Specialty Boards, is a medical educator and learning specialist who coaches physicians preparing for specialty boards through virtual, one-on-one coaching. Visit www.DrLindaCarr.org to learn more about her program and download her FREE Study Guide.
This post is by Andy Cox, President of Cox Consulting Group.
Time for the important things in life is a real challenge. Have you ever ended the day with the feeling that you were as busy as you could possibly be, but didn’t make any progress on the really important things? Have you been resentful of the time and energy you have to spend on meeting the demands of others? Have you ever felt out of control – that outside forces take up all your time – and you feel like a victim? Take control of your time by following these ideas:
Decide what is really important to you.The 3 to 5 most important things in your life – no more than that. This sounds so simple – and so easy. It isn’t. I challenge you to sit down and write out the 3 to 5 most important things you want to accomplish in your life. Most people won’t do that. It takes time and focused thought – but it is the single best investment of time you can make.
Make what’s important to you the foundation of your goals. Then align your goals with the requirements of those people, institutions, organizations that are important to you and can contribute to your success. This requires a shift in thought from feeling imposed on by others to seeing the requirements of others as contributing to your success. Making that mind shift can be the most liberating thing you can ever do.
Adopt a “good enough” habit of thought toward the things you must do but that are not part of your top goals.Trying to make everything the “best possible” sounds laudable – but it’s a sure recipe for failure. “Best possible” and perfection can literally suck up all the time you’ve got, and for things that aren’t really that important.
Place a high value on creating structure and limiting your choices. See them as positive behaviors in your battle to preserve as much of your time as you can for the important few. Set boundaries of time, energy and money around the less important.
Create a habit of thought that allows you to replace instinctive reaction with considered response. It’s very easy (and lazy) to wait for an outside stimulus to create response. It’s hard to sort out and choose response – but critical to your own success.
Learn to say “No.”There will always be demands on your time in excess of the time you have available, and while the demands of others may be good for them, they may not be good for you. Work to act only on those demands that are a win – win. Remind yourself that the price paid for having too much to do and too little time is that nothing gets done to even a “good enough” level.
Make routine, predictable and structure all the “good enough” stuff.To the extent that you create routines, the focus of your thoughts and actions can be used for the important stuff. It’s amazing how much real thought and planning and decision-making can be accomplished while performing the routines of mowing the lawn, raking the leaves, doing the dishes. A friend who travels a lot on business sees routines as his close friends – they keep him supplied with all his day to days, and allow him to focus on the important things. An example – he always parks his rental car under a light post while traveling – always. Why? It’s easier to find it if he forgets where he parked it.
When it comes to the really important things, forget “multitasking.”A focused hour spent on a top goal beats a day spent on “thin things.” Busy is not the same as effective – often it’s just an avoidance tool – it’s procrastination dressed in activity.
Act with enthusiasm. Nothing makes things work better than energy and optimism – the belief that good things will come from our actions, and the expectation that our goals will be met and exceeded. And, if some of the routine things simply don’t call for enthusiasm, then adopting a mindset of acceptance places a much higher value on accomplishing them. Saying to yourself “As soon as I’ve got that done – I can get on to the neat stuff” creates a reward for yourself.
Enjoy the rewards of your self-discipline.When the combination of the most important and the “good enough” results in your success – however you define that elusive word – take the time to celebrate.
Write down the most important things in your life, then use these ten suggestions to protect as much of your energy and time and optimism as possible. The result will be greater success in the things that matter to you most – whatever they may be.
Andy Cox is President of Cox Consulting Group. The focus of his work is on helping organizations and their people increase their success in the hiring, developing and enhancing the performance of leaders and emerging leaders. Cox Consulting Group was started in 1995, and has worked with a wide range of organizations, managers and leaders – helping them define success, achieve success and make the ability to change a competitive advantage.
Article Source (used with permission): http://EzineArticles.com/1058760
