As a medical student, learning how to best manage your time in medical school is the number one way to succeed. I, personally, don’t think the content of medical schools particularly difficult. I think there is so much of it, just trying to learn it in the short amount of time is the hardest.
However, I have learned how to best manage my time so I am able to do well in school and participate in extracurricular activities. This list is for my Type A readers (Type B, I have nothing for you but to wish you good luck). You don’t have to do everything on this list, but by mastering a couple of these hacks, you may be able to better manage your time in medical school.
1. Keep a planner
My planner runs my life, and I run my planner. This is my number one way that I organize my life. Planners help me keep everything in one place. I can plan ahead, make adjustments, and truly organize my day, week, month, and year. I hope to one day create a planner for my site. But for now, I use Day Designer planners. They are so fun and cute, have stickers in them, and plenty of space for me to organize everything.
If you want to learn how to better manage your time in medical school, then consider getting a planner. You don’t have to be super anal about it, but it is nice to keep everything in one place where you can see it.
2. Plan rest time
The number one mistake I make when trying to manage my time in medical school is not accounting for the fact that ya girl gets tired. There is nothing worse than have a perfectly plan day that is messed up by a nap or an extended lunch break (I blame TikTok).
It’s not so much about a lack of discipline or being a procrastinator. It’s more about working at a high level for so long, that you just get tired or maybe even burned out. But, if you can account for some rest or “me time” in your schedule, then you may be able to avoid these ruts of fatigue.
This rest time can be a whole hour for lunch. Or maybe you work on a Pomodoro Method where you study for 45 minutes and break for 10? Create a schedule so you have something to work towards. Also plan so your day realistically includes times that you are tired.
3. Prioritize your day
A great trick for learning how to manage your time in medical school is to make a priority list. This priority list can either be based on one of three things:
- what’s the most urgent
- what takes the most time
- what is the hardest task to complete
Whatever your priority list is, figure it out and plan your day in that order.
What you may want to start with first is identifying any upcoming deadlines. Things that are right around the corner should probably go first. Next, think about what time of day you are most productive. I am an early bird, so I like to do my hardest tasks in the morning because I know the evening is a toss up. I may or may not be super productive, but in the morning, I am normally pretty ready to go. Decide what kind of person you are and schedule your toughests tasks for that time.
Then figure out what’s going to take you the longest. Decide do you want to start with all of the short tasks and get them out of the way. Or, do you want to start with the tasks that take a long time, and then finish with the short tasks. These decisions are all based on your personal preference. But make a decision, and then plan your day in that order so you can set yourself up for success.
4. Be realistic
Another thing that I struggle with when it comes to trying to manage my time in medical school is being realistic. It’s easy to underestimate how long things actually take. It is likely, you won’t be able to get through 15-20 lectures in one day. Each one is not going to take you 30 minutes. Some will take you an hour and thirty minutes. Others may be shorter. Once you figure out how to study for medical school, you will have a better idea how long things take.
When you are making your schedule, it’s better to end up with extra time than to run out. Then your day gets pushed behind and the stress and anxiety creep in. Be generous with how much time to block out for certain activities. If you simply just don’t have enough time to do that activity, save it for another day or plan ahead better next time.
There are certain things you can do fast. But life happens and so do disruptions. I could be in the middle of studying and get a phone call that disrupts my whole schedule. Traffic can make getting somewhere take longer. And don’t forget to factor in fatigue. By then end of the day, you are not going to be working with the same level of efficiency that you were in the beginning. Think about all of these things as you make your schedule. Just don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself by limiting your time.
5. Works towards a goal
One of the most useful tricks that may help you manage your time in medical school is to work towards a goal or a reward. Most people like to receive some sort of reward when they finish something. You can use this to help motivate you to get through some tasks and stay on schedule. My reward is being able to relax and watch TV at the end of the night. But I can really only do that if I do what I’m supposed to do during the day.
Because the night is so far away, sometimes I need additional rewards throughout the day to help get me through a study session. This is normally some extra time on my phone, or some sort of treat. I am highly driven by incentives. If you are too, then choose little ways to reward yourself throughout the day. This will help you stay on schedule, maintain your motivation, and make you a very efficient and productive person.
Everyone should have a goal, especially a SMART goal, but sometimes they can be so far away that they aren’t that motivational. Graduating medical school is a very long way away for me. Therefore, that’s not the best day-to-day or hour-to-hour motivator. Figure out what you most value and what’s most available right now, then use that as a reward. If your incentives are your family or spending time with loved ones, then that should increasingly motivate you to get things done.
6. Daily to-do lists
Another way to help manage your time in medical school are daily to-do lists. They serve two purposes. First, they are great for organizing what needs to happen that day so you are not overwhelmed by all of the tasks of the week. Second, they are great for feeling fulfilled at the end of the day when you see all that you have accomplished.
I like daily to-do lists because I have my week laid out, and the daily to-do lists helps me accomplish whatever I had planned for the week. It breaks my goals and to-do lists up into more manageable pieces. As I work through them, I cross off the activity, and move on to the next one. At the end of the day, I’m able to see all that I have accomplished and it’s great!
You can use your planner or calendar to write down your daily to-do lists. Or maybe you jot a note down and carry it with you all day so you know what needs to be done. The most important thing to do is create a list of things that need to be done that day so you are not overwhelmed by all of the other tasks of other days. Just take it one list at a time, and by the end of the week, you’ll be amazed at all you were able to do.
7. Look ahead
Looking ahead at your schedule is a very beneficial way to manage your time in medical school because you know what’s coming up. If you have an exam, it’s pretty unlikely that you’ll be able to study for it the night before and do well. Medical school exams are heavy, have a lot of content, and require days to weeks of preparation.
You can avoid being caught off guard and scrambling by looking ahead to see what is in store. That way, you can start mapping out tasks and what needs to be done days in advance. Same with participating in an extra-curricular activity or planning an event for an organization. Waiting until the last minute is stress-inducing, normally wastes more time, and puts everything else on hold. This creates backups in other areas of your life.
I like to take the last day of the month to look ahead at the next month for tests, quizzes, events, meetings, conferences, etc. This gives me an idea of which weeks are my busiest and slowest. Then, I make a note of when to start studying for tests, when to complete certain tasks, and so on. These notes are a reminder to not wait until the last minute. This tactic has really helped me manage all of the things that I’m involved in while also keeping my stress levels down. It also helps me plan time to spend with my family and significant other because I know which weeks I can afford to take a few hours to hang out, and which ones I can’t.
8. Be efficient
The longer I’ve been in medical school, the more I’ve learned to be efficient. Being efficient has saved me a lot of time while also ensuring that I’m getting the information that I need. If you want to manage your time in medical school, you will have to learn how to streamline all of the information that you get. You will be learning so much, and if you don’t learn how to condense it and find the high-yield material, then you will be bogged down in all of the minutiae.
When I am studying, I use lecture as my first pass of the information. That is where I’m being introduced to what we are even talking about. I’ll highlight the information that professors emphasize. I also will mark what is for context, and what is “testable”. You learn to distinguish between the two the longer you are in medical school.
Then, my second pass is when I’m going through the lectures again, by myself, and in great detail. I look for a variety of things:
- What is the broad topic of what we are talking about?
- What are the subtopics or ways the information is being organized?
- Are there any diseases or pathology being presented?
- Are there any diseases or pathology that are similar to others? If so, what differentiates them?
- What are some key takeaways or main points of this lecture?
After that, I may use other resources to expand my knowledge. But using too many resources can be overwhelming and take up a lot of time. I choose to mostly focus on the lectures, and use supplementary materials as needed. For the remaining passes, I’m working on memorizing and better learning how to distinguish between similar topic areas.
The more passes I have, the more I narrow down the material to what the main points are, making my studying very efficient.
9. Use technology
Technology is a great way to manage your time in medical school. There are so many tools that can be helpful in a variety of ways. When I make my schedule, I sync my paper planner with my online calendar. This means that the same information is in a variety of places. I use my planner for day to day planning and I use my online calendar for scheduling meetings and reminders of recurring events.
Online calendars are great because they remind you when to do certain things. If you are someone who needs a “ding” to help keep you on schedule, then I suggest using a digital calendar. There are also apps and websites that can help prevent you from procrastinating. One that many of my classmates use is called Cram Fighter. They are using it to help them prepare for their board examinations.
Daily reminders are also helpful, especially because you can ask Siri, or Alexa to remind you to do something so you don’t forget. Technology is definitely your friend when it comes to planning. You can do so much with it. Use various ways to help you organize your life and you will find ways to better manage your time in medical school.
10. Do it right the first time
My final advice for how to manage your time in medical school is to do it right the first time. There are so many tests, quizzes, etc., that it can be so tempting to say “forget it” and take an L on it. I urge you not to do this. The consequences are going to be worse than the pain of just doing what you need to do the first time.
Overcome temptations and desires to procrastinate or blow off school. Try doing a little bit each day instead of going very hard on some days and being burnt out the others. That’s a more inefficient way to manage your time and your wellbeing.
Think of medical school like a marathon instead of a sprint race. Sprinters go very hard for a short amount of time and are exhausted at the end of their race. They need quite a bit of recovery before they can do the next thing. Marathon runners keep a solid pace while working hard the whole time. Marathon runners are normally tired, but still able to talk, move and do things after their race.
That’s how medical school is. The gunners and crammers can go very hard, but need a lot of recovery after. The problem with medical school, is sometimes you don’t get a chance to get that recovery and something else suffers. But those that do a little bit everyday are able to keep a better pace.
Do what works for you
At the end of the day, this is your education. You have to do what works best for you. These are just some of the things that I do to maintain a good schedule. I’m very active, I am in a lot of organizations and I am making good grades. This method works for me. I have spent a while cultivating it. Find a method that works for you and keep tweaking it until it’s a great fit.
If you have any other tips for how to manage your time in medical school, please leave them in the comment section below!
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