Another thought I wanted to blog about tonight sprung from another one of David Allen's post I read recently. (for those who are new to the blog and don't know who he is check THIS post).
Have you ever sat on a bus or were driving in the car when you randomly remember that you need to replace that one light bulb in the house? or that you really need to call up an old friend? This week David Allen brought up something he calls 'mindsweeping' - a way to de-bulk your mind of all short term memory tasks.
so what is mindsweeping?
He describes it as making 'to do' lists of things you need to get done - those things you always say you are going to remember to do when you get home... but in all seriousness we ALL forget to replace that one light bulb. I tend to always forget those things that aren't of persisting importance and they don't really affect my immediate life. However, they 'bulk up' your mind of short term memory jargon that you could really do without. solution? Making lists according to a time line (not when to get them done but how long the action will take to do) it is supposed to clarify and organize your mind... that way you can stop reminding yourself of all the little 'to dos'. I've actually been doing this as part of my studying routine without knowing what it was termed; but I think David Allen was referring to do this in all aspects of life. Yes, you MAY end up with 20 post it notes on your wall, all categorized and colour coded. And, yes, you MAY look like a crazy person when people come and visit ... BUT I think you will feel organized and mentally "lighter". At least that is the goal.
I'm going to start this on the weekend; dare you to do so too - and then leave a comment to let me know if you found it helpful.
"rule your mind or it will rule you" - Horace
Your USMLE study schedule seems right on. Take an afternoon or morning off once a week would be my scheduling advice. Oh, and review the answers you got wrong on UWORLD. It should take a full 1.5-2 hours to go over the answers for the 1-hour practice test.
ReplyDeleteTake tests of increasing length from UWORLD to build stamina for the exam on the weekend. Do the two simulation exams before your test, and your mark will probably be pretty close.
Take the whole day or whole afternoon before your exam and make sure you get a good sleep before the exam.
If the school's anything like when I attended, you're going to be surprised how well-prepared you are for the Step 1.
Saba's methods are draconian, but highly effective. You leave the island knowing how to put in long hours and how to study. Both things that will put you in good stead for clinicals and set you apart.
All the best :)
Thanks so much for the advice! It's comforting to know that I am on the right track. And you are definitely right about leaving the island know how to sit in a chair for hours on end. I hope everything is going to pay off in about a month when I write the exam.
ReplyDeleteHope you are enjoying clinical rotations/ real world :)
Hey! it's good to finally see a real student from SABA! Thank you for sharing your experience at SABA. I just got admitted to SABA and have decided to enroll starting May. Is there any advice you could give to an incoming student like what to expect? I'm a bit nervous to be in year round school so far away from home (California), but I am definitely excited to start moving towards my future.
ReplyDeletewelcome to the blog and congrats on the admission. As for the advice... I'm not sure what to say except for get ready to study hard. It's definitely an adventure. If you have time, just read over the earlier posts and comments as other incoming students had questions that I answered. If you still have questions, let me know :)
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