I’ve had more than a few friends ask me how I have time to get all the things done–study, stay up on the news, run the blog, work on personal passion projects , do academic research, connect with friends and family. My daily to-do list could go on and on. So I thought I’d take you along for a “Day in the Life” of a first year medical student being pulled (willingly, I might add!) in a thousand directions.
4:58am I woke up 2 minutes before my alarm, so that’s 2 more glorious minutes to lay in bed.
5:10am Roll out of bed and start the #1 ingredient to a successfully–COFFEE. Then back to bed for some Instagram and Twitter scrolling and check of my daily calendar.
5:30am French press coffee is ready, so I grab a mug and my laptop and get to work finishing the latest Your Monthly Prescription post.
5:40am Start writing this post and read the news. After a glance at the New York Times and Washington Post homepages, I head over to JAMA and read this interesting article on the new Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. It’s also a good reminder to me to move more! As I finish that article, my morning newsletter from Stat is delivered to by inbox. I immediately read this piece on the health impacts of the California wildfires and bookmark this longer read on the brain for the weekend.
6:30am Time to get to work and learn about T cells and the immune system!
7:30am Stomach is telling me its breakfast time–think I’ll have some apple peanut butter oatmeal to celebrate the gorgeous, cool day outside and watch some Sketchy microbiology videos.
8:40am Arrive at school and enjoy the glorious South Florida weather (it’s in the 60s this morning!).
9:45am Small group is wrapped up and so it’s off to the library for a few hours of lectures and general studying for the upcoming test.
12:00pm Take advantage of the glorious “cold” front and eat lunch outside.
12:45pm Find a study room and get to work on some immunology and pathology studying. Also make a grocery list of ingredients for Friendsgiving.
2:30pm Walked back over to school for a quick meeting about research opportunities and then back to the library. Need to get all the bacteria and fungi memorized for Tuesday’s test!
3:30pm And back to the library. I’ve been studying at home more often since the end of anatomy but being in the library makes me work a little hard–seeing everyone studying motivates me to get to it and get off Instagram 😉
5:30pm I didn’t plan to be on campus this long, so I’m out of snacks and getting hungry! I pack up my laptop and all of my notes and head to the metro.
6:00pm Home! I’m running low on food so I whip up a gourmet meal of tuna salad and veggies and hummus. And some wine. #TGIF
7:30pm My brain is done and not absorbing any more information. I put away my notes and decide to catch up on Grey’s Anatomy. 14 seasons in and I’m still watching!
9:00pm When you wake up at 5am, this is when you go to bed. I read a few pages of The Empathy Exams and then fall asleep with the The Office playing on my iPad.
That’s a pretty typical day in the life right now. Sometimes I get around to my research projects and sometimes (like right now when I’m studying for an exam) I don’t make much headway. Finding a routine that works for you and what you need to accomplish is so important. It helps you sleep better, which we all know helps you focus better!
Every module in school has required some small adjustments to my routine but thankfully we’re in this current one until winter break! My challenge to you: pick one thing in your daily schedule and make your routine from there–whether it be when you wake up, workout, or go to bed. There are only so many hours in the day, so let’s make the most of them!
Molly, mph to md 