This Book Will Help You Build Better Study Habits in PA School

You are probably thinking, “I don’t have time to read something unrelated to the material on my next exam.” I used to think that while in school as well. The thing is, you’re reading this article right now, right? It is important to take “mental breaks” while in PA school every once in a while. I completely understand that. It will help you to reset and refocus for times when you need to crack down and study hard. If you are doing well on all of your exams and feel like you have everything under control then you may not need to read this article. If you are barely keeping your head afloat, your health is suffering at the expense of good grades, or you simply want to build better habits, then I recommend taking 10 minutes out of your day for the next few weeks to read this book. Atomic Habits by James Clear is one of the best self-help books I have ever come across (and I have read a lot of them!).

The 4 Laws

Atomic Habits is a must-read for anyone looking to build new successful habits such as studying while in PA school. It also describes how to break bad habits. Truly anyone can benefit from reading this book but for this article, we will discuss how it will benefit pre-PA or current PA students. If you are about to start PA school you need to get into the routine of disciplined studying. You will undoubtedly need to study daily to do well. In this book, the author demonstrates the best way to build habits through a 4 step approach. The 4 steps for building a new habit include: making it obvious, making it attractive, making it easy, and making it satisfying. I have several ideas of how to incorporate these steps into efficient studying.

Make it obvious

The author recommends starting with clarifying when you will do the behavior, what time you will do it, and where. For example: “I will study anatomy at 4 pm in the school library.” Another recommendation by the author is to use habit stacking. If you are the type of person to work out on an elliptical every day then maybe you can prop your textbook up and read while you work out or watch a video of a medical concept being explained. Another part of this step is to design your environment. You could lay out your textbooks where you plan to study in your apartment daily. The reverse would be removing anything that may lead to a bad habit such as watching too much TV. Maybe give your remote to a neighbor when you have an exam in the next few days.

Make it attractive

This law is where you can use temptation bundling. Temptation bundling is when you pair something you want to do with something you need to do such as studying. Let’s say you’ve been stuck inside all day in class and it’s summer and all you want to do is go outside and enjoy the day. Why don’t you go to the park and study at a picnic table? Or maybe you are craving social interaction outside class. Go to a classmate’s house and study together. Creating a motivational ritual can also be beneficial before a major studying session. This could include something as simple as taking a leisurely walk right before sitting down to study. You want to make it something you enjoy and then start studying immediately after so that over time the cue of going on a walk always leads to focused studying.

Make it easy

There are several ways to incorporate this step into studying. Reducing the number of steps between you and the habit you are trying to build is a simple way to make it easy. If you are a pre-PA student and you know your best studying is done in a library, consider living close to a library so that it is an easy walk or drive away. As mentioned previously you can also lay out your notes and plug your laptop in ahead of time so that everything is laid out and ready to go when it’s time to hit the books. You can even invest in your studies. There are resources you can purchase such as the app Complete Anatomy or Sketchy Pharm that will make studying the hard subjects easier. When you make one-time purchases you will be more motivated to complete the future behavior.

Make it satisfying

This is the fun step. You can reward yourself immediately after you complete each study session. This could be in the form of paying yourself $5 every time you study to go towards that jacket you want, or it could be 30 minutes of watching your favorite TV show. Whatever reinforcement you decide to do, over time it will make the task of studying more appealing. Another recommendation by the author is to use a habit tracker to keep track of your studying sessions. Try not to miss a day. If you do miss a day, then just be sure not to miss two days in a row.

This book is not specifically made for PA students. However, I believe it can be a great resource for the student who is struggling to continue day in and day out. Especially, if you are a non-traditional student that has been away from school for a while. The bonus is by reading this book you’ll also be introduced to a ton of ideas on how to build other good habits in your life. I have used it to start meditating and journaling daily. This has led to better sleep and improved mood. If you have read this book and it has improved anything for you, please comment below and share it with us!