Today’s inane image of the day:
Throughout my life, when I’ve needed to study for something, I would head over to a coffee shop and sit there for extended periods of time. I started this habit in high school when I used to go to the Barnes and Noble Starbucks and enjoy a frappuccino over my biology textbook. There were times when I would meet up with classmates and we would do a group studying session. When I got to college [first at Bard College at Simon’s Rock then later at the University of Michigan], I always had to be in a new setting in order to be productive. When I was at Bard College, I would study in the library [since I didn’t have a car there and it was the middle of the Berkshires]. At Michigan, I was either at Starbucks or Espresso Royale. In medical school, I spent hours upon hours at the Starbucks a mile away from my home. In residency, I explored various coffee shops around Boston, but I especially loved going to Ogawa Coffee when I wanted to be productive.
All this being said, the pandemic has shut down this habit of coffeehouse productivity sessions and studying. Now, I’m stuck at home. And I have TWO big exams looming!
In this blog entry [and my YouTube video], I wanted to cover some of the ways I’ve stayed motivated to study while at home. Some of these tips are still relevant for when you’re studying at a coffeeshop or library, but I definitely focus on areas that optimized my at-home studying motivation.
Let’s dive right in:
1. Focus on the big picture
Why are you studying right now? What is it that you’re working towards? At every stage of my life, I’ve always been studying to become a doctor. I’ve achieved that goal, so my new goal is to become the best clinician I can be so I can provide the highest quality care to my patients. Becoming board certified in my specialty is one component of that big picture goal that I have. Hence, when I review cases and practice articulating my plan aloud, I am gaining knowledge and expertise to apply to a potential future patient encounter.
The big picture can also involve other priorities you’ve determined for yourself. I never want to be complacent about learning and gaining new knowledge. This is a priority for me – always trying to learn something new or push myself to face situations that make me feel uncomfortable. I’ve found that the older I’ve gotten, the more frequently I shy away from challenges; I’m trying to actively combat this.
2. Set an agenda or plan with achievable [i.e. “SMART”] goals
What is your agenda for this study session? What do you want to achieve? Is it a realistic goal? I find it really helpful to map out what I’m going to do or achieve during my study session. I’m extremely specific about this agenda; I’ll tell myself that I need to get through at least 2 chapters of a review book or since I’m studying for oral boards, I’ll tell myself I have to review at least 1-2 cases in a one-hour study session.
Most of you have probably heard of “SMART” goals, but if not, here’s a reminder of what the acronym stands for:
To make sure your goals are clear and reachable, each one should be:
Specific (simple, sensible, significant).
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/smart-goals.htm
Measurable (meaningful, motivating).
Achievable (agreed, attainable).
Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based).
Time bound (time-based, time limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive)
Consider assessing your agenda for your study session to determine if your goals are “SMART” or if you should tweak them a bit.
3. Reward yourself
What is a small motivating treat you can look forward to after your study session? For me, it has been bubble [boba] tea. I find that if I tell myself that I’ll go for a walk down to Chinatown after completing X task, then I’m more likely to get it done. Usually I’ll continue to enjoy my bubble tea when I return and have to get back to studying. Sometimes the treat is a fancy Starbucks latte, or a pastry. It doesn’t have to be something big, but I find that if I can reward myself with something small and enjoyable, I am much more likely to get the work done.
4. Take/schedule breaks
Have you ever felt like you keep reading a page but don’t absorb any of the information? That you keep reading a passage over and over again, but it doesn’t make sense? Generally, this happens to me when I need a break. When I was studying for the USMLE Step 1, I actually scheduled in breaks. I know that there are people out there that can study for ridiculous amounts of time [I think I saw a crazy 18 hour “study with me” session on YouTube – that’s crazy!], but I can tell you that I am not one of those people. I can tell that at a certain point, I am not gaining any new knowledge from studying and I need to take a break from the task in order to be more effective. The challenge with breaks is making sure that you actually return to studying afterward. I suggest making your break something active – like going for a walk, or a quick Yoga session – rather than binging on your favorite YouTuber’s videos or scrolling through social media. The goal is to reset your mind, not give you more stress [let’s be honest here, social media just adds more stress to our lives when we fall down the rabbit hole of “why don’t I look like that” or “why don’t I have that” or “why am I not as successful?”].
Lately I’ve been using a walk down to Chinatown to get my bubble tea as a break to help me clear my head.
5. Exercise
I don’t want to hear excuses on this one. Every minute that you get your heart rate up, counts. And exercise will help you think clearly and give you more energy to get studying done. I know that I’m a morning person, so I make sure to hop on my spinning bike [I just couldn’t justify the $2,000 cost of a Peloton; so I bought a bike from Amazon and use the Peloton app on my iPad] before I start my day. Even if I just do a 10 minute class, it’s better than nothing. You don’t even need fancy equipment – there are tons of bodyweight type exercises for free online that you could do on a carpeted area. Or, consider getting a Yoga mat and getting started with a Yoga series like Yoga with Adriene [this is actually how I started quarantine back in March 2020 – I used her videos to get into Yoga and while my heart rate did n’t rise as much as with my spinning bike, my body felt so much better; the videos helped get the stiffness out from sitting for long periods of time studying].
6. Set-up environment for success
My at-home working area really wasn’t working well for me. I setup my second monitor on our dining room table and while this works well for virtual conference presentations and for Zoom meetings, I found that the working area just wasn’t one I could stay in all day. Our dining room chairs aren’t super comfortable. I’m far away from a window. And because I missed the coffeeshop vibe, I would go to Starbucks everyday and get my favorite latte, only to be sad when I ran out. So, I decided to optimize my workspace a bit. First off, I discovered that one of the chairs in our bedroom is actually much more comfortable than our dining room chair AND the couch, so I started moving it into the living room. I also purchased a portable laptop table [I got the medium size, which is perfect for my Macbook Air w/M1 Chip – which, I’m now finding is CHEAPER in Gold on Amazon compared to Apple – OR my book and iPad for note taking] and use that to make my workspace more mobile.
Here’s my ridiculous looking setup:
In order to re-create a coffeehouse feeling, I decided to buy a Nespresso machine [I went with original line since I’m more of an espresso drinker rather than coffee, but I have toyed with getting a Vertuo line at some point] with adorable espresso cups. While there’s an upfront investment in the machine and the pods, overall, this is a much more financially sustainable solution than my $10 latte habit. I also bought some of my favorite teas [the Stash green and white blend is my favorite] so I can always sip on my favorite beverages while studying.
7. Use study with me videos
One of the reasons I loved coffeehouse studying was this feeling that I wasn’t alone. I was always surrounded by people. I love people watching. I also used to schedule study dates with my friends. Now that we’re still in the midst of the pandemic, I’ve been searching for more creative ways to re-create the feeling of having company while studying. Using study with me videos is one way of “studying with someone.”
If you want a silent [ambient noise], real-time study-with-me session, I’ve now recorded one [I anticipate a couple more in the future]! Check it out:
I’ve also enjoyed using TheStrivetoFit study channel.
8. Schedule virtual study/productive sessions for accountability
Now that everyone is a pro at Zoom, why not setup a study date with your friends? One of the big advantages of this approach is the ability to actually connect with your friends AND you can hold each other accountable. One of the biggest challenges of studying at home is that frequently there’s no one there to push you to do more. Relying completely on internal motivation can sometimes be inadequate. Having an external motivator can make a big difference in your success! Just make sure that who you work with is not someone that you’ll feel the need to “compete” with.
9. Know when to STOP
Sometimes you get to a point where your efforts to study are complete futile. Maybe you’re distracted. Maybe your brain is fried. Maybe it’s just time to decide that this particular studying session is done. It’s okay to decide that you’re not being productive anymore and it’s time to STOP. Do something else. Preferably, something enjoyable that will distract you from studying. It’ll be okay, I promise.
10. Celebrate your small wins
What have you completed during your study session? Did you read 50 pages of your textbook? Did you review 25 questions? Whatever it is, make sure to mentally pat yourself on the back for GETTING SOMETHING DONE. Many of us are really tough critics internally and no amount of work is actually good enough. That’s not a sustainable attitude. In fact, I’d argue that this is a recipe for burnout. It’s important to celebrate small wins, even if they don’t feel like “wins.” They are.