Structure
The first step of the SMART wellness framework and to managing stress in medical school is Structure. Structure and routine are not only important for providing the consistency needed for maintaining healthy habits, but it is also important for muti-tasking and for managing a busy academic schedule.
Therefore, managing academics and self-care starts with having a calendar. This also allows for effective time management so that you can schedule study time that will be productive. Additionally, when you can see all of your responsibilities and tasks on paper, you can see pockets of time where self-care is possible as well.
The calendar should have defined timeframes for everything from your morning/evening routines to your academic schedule, and should be as detailed as possible. For example, your morning routine should include time for commuting and scheduled study times should include details about the topics you plan to review. Including these details will help you stay organized and focused on academic content while taking time for self-care. It will also help you keep track of academic content (Bin Abdulrahman, 2021).
If you don't get to everything on your to-do list for the day, you can designate time at the end of each week for those tasks. This isn't about getting everything done, this is about time management and keeping track. To stay motivated, review your day each morning to determine if any priorities have changed.
Below is a step-by-step guide to creating a calendar that can accommodate a detailed academic schedule as well as help you incorporate mindful, self-care activities.
Step 1 - Creating Structure with a Schedule
Start with academic responsibilities that are mandatory. For example, lectures, labs, exams, and papers. Plot them out and give them their own color.
Next, plot out study time and give that its own color also. Also be sure to study at the library or somewhere where the environment is conducive to learning and is also time limited. This way you will be motivated to make the most of your time there.
You can also plot out any commute time that you might have as well.
Step 2 - Adding Detail: Study Habits of Highly Effective Medical Students
Bin Abdulrahman et al. (2021) identified 10 study habits for medical students who are considered to be highly effective. The first habit is time management.
Other habits that fall under time management are setting goals for studying as well as achieving other activities. Another habit is 'scheduling' study time so that it is time limited as well.
This sample schedule shows how you can add more detail to your schedule in order to set goals and achieve more effective time management.
Step 3 - Combine Mindfulness with Structure
This step helps you find ways to integrate mindfulness-based activities into your daily schedule as well as self-care and time to spend with a friend. If you look at your sample schedule that created in step one, you will see there are pockets of time where you can fit mindfulness-based activities.
Common times are usually when you first wakeup in the morning, in the evening as you are winding down, and during a meal break. However some activities such as breathwork can be practiced for two minutes at any time throughout the day.
See the sample schedule for identifying pockets of time for mindfulness-based activities.
Below is another example of what a 'day in the life' of an M1 can look like. You can also click the link for a blank downloadable schedule.
