If your "schedule" is unbearable, then you likely need to make some adjustments in order to make it more workable. Most people find that when they cut out useless activities (or learn to multi-task), they have more time for resting and refreshment (needed to keep up efficiency."
If you are going to "noodle on the computer" or other things like this, limit the time to 10 minutes and then get back to things that you need to do.Toss the telly or strictly limit your time in front of this time-waster. File TV under "useless activities". A radio is a much better alternative and can be in the background as you so something else.
When I was in medical school, I carried things on index cards to review and study on the underground. I could use that 45 minutes to work on things but I could also use that 45 minutes to relax and not think about studying if needed (time for R & R). I also used my subway time for chatting on the mobile phone. Again, phone chat can eat up and waste loads of time. If you have periods of time during your day where you have to wait or ride, use that time for phone chat.
I kept a schedule but didn't make it so "rigid" that I didn't have time to make adjustments as needed. Believe me, medical school will either increase your time-management efficiency or overwhelm you. Undergraduate is a good time to start becoming efficient but you can't be efficient if you are overloaded in the first place.
If you are getting everything done and have some down-time, then you can add to your schedule if you are able to get the new task accomplished and still not feel overwhelmed otherwise, cut back until you can comfortably manage everything. You are proving nothing by burning yourself out except that you can't manage your affairs.
I also found that checking off items as they were completed gave my mind encouragement to keep working at things. I never look at "how much I have to do" but rather look at what I have accomplished and completed.
Overloading your schedule with "stuff" can also make you much less efficient. Loading up on coursework only to burn yourself out or not be able to give everything the attention that it demands is less efficient than taking on only what you can efficiently accomplish. You don't have to be a "super person" only to find yourself so mentally exhausted that you waste time doing things that get you away from your demanding schedule.
Finally, as a surgeon now, I have a demanding (but not nearly overwhelming) schedule. I am out of bed at 3:30 AM and on the hospital wards by 5AM every morning and get loads accomplished before my first cases at 7:30AM. My office hours and teaching are in the late morning and early afternoon. I am home by 7:00PM most days and in bed by 9:00PM.
The biggest time-wasters for me are:
- Meetings face to face (I do these online which is way more efficient).
- The telly (I have one but don't use it much).
- Chatty phone friends (I turn the cell unless I am on call). The beeper is more efficient.
These are just some things to think about as you determine how "busy" or not "busy" you might be. Being an accomplished person isn't about how much you do but about how much you can successfully accomplish.
