peace, love, and productivity
i spent yesterday pretty much on my own. josh was home from work for just a few short hours (and then back at UNC for the night — lame-o weekend schedule if you ask me), and he was asleep for most of that time. as an extrovert with a tendency to overcommit, days like yesterday don’t happen all that often for me. but when they do, i am reminded that me-time is important even if i don’t crave it specifically.
i was able to take time to write yesterday’s organize tab (those take a while — i’m going to have to pace myself so that i don’t burn out!), and then i launched into some real-time organization and time management of my own . . .
the boards are coming
there’s no escaping at this point. the general pediatrics boards are in approximately 6 weeks, and the stakes are high. while i am generally a good test-taker and my yearly in-training exam scores have been fine (that test is supposed to be fairly predictive), there is a pretty significant fail rate (20% of first-time test-takers). not only would failing be somewhat demoralizing, but the exam costs . . . wait for it . . . a whopping $2300.
that’s 7.7 pairs of these cute elk camp wedge boots for those who need conceptualization of the sum in real-world terms
not exactly a sum i feel like shelling out again. so i need to pass the first time!
so: i’ve said it before, but now i really mean it: it’s time to take study-time seriously! i decided to play with gcal and make an online calendar listing a daily assignment.
if you’re curious, you can even link to it here
however, because i need (NEED) to check things off in the physical sense, i printed out a copy and stuck it on the wall.
i finished off all of this planning with a rather productive study sesh. i had been underlining things in the review book i was using, but decided to go a little more old school/tried-and-true and take notes instead.
i don’t know why, but things always seem to stick better this way. i guess the best information highway to my brain runs through my hand.
and so it goes
i plan on continuing the quiet / productive / relaxed vibe of yesterday throughout today. more studying, cleaning, and the like — and it sounds lovely. tonight, though, i’ll have to abandon my monkish lifestyle when we meet fellow MD/runner/blogger stevo and his girlfriend liv at mill town.
beer, pretzels, and good company = worth an escape from hibernation! as long as i get my studying done first . . .
because i’ve learned many a time, alcohol + study plans do NOT mix! (beer + clinic dictations are another story, however . . .) (kidding.) (. . . or am i?)
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9.11.10
workout: 45 minutes elliptical plus a non-rushed weights session (weighted forward & side lunges, step-ups, hamstring curls, wall sit, bicep curls, tricep dips, reverse crunches, and calf raises).
risotto for one: well, not really. i have piles of leftovers! but i decided that being on my own last night was no reason to forgo a nice dinner. in fact, i ended up enjoying the leisurely pace of cooking for an audience of just . . . well, me.
it helped that this butternut squash risotto from the current issue of clean eating came out beautifully.
a link to the recipe can be found here. i definitely recommend it for a drizzly fall evening . . . perhaps even one spent alone.
2 Comments
why is being a doctor so darn expensive?! totally not fair! good luck with the test. you're way lucky that you are a naturally good test taker 🙂
great looking risotto. if i'm ever in NC will you make that for me?! hahah
I'm with you. I really don't remember things I read unless I take notes. And I have to take them by hand, on paper…no laptop-typed notes for me. I recently studied (and passed!) my general science teacher licensure test, which is no where NEAR the level of challenging you are working on, I know, but I definitely wrote notes on each subject area I studied, and filled a whole notebook. Ridiculous, but it worked!