If I have a free morning, what I really want to do is drop the kids off at daycare and then come home, have a bowl of cereal and maybe fold some laundry while I catch up on months of recorded television shows on our Tivo. Then I might catch up on email, and post something to this site. And then study for a few hours. If I am feeling really indulgent, I could take a nap.

This never happens. I hardly ever have a free morning, for starters. But let's just say it's a rare occasion. Realistically, what happens is I throw in load after load of laundry, letting the clean clothes pile up into baskets in the hallway, and wolf down a bowl of cereal while I try to catch up on my studies. Why not take a break? Well, I've learned that I can pretty much be called at any time during the day because someone has a fever, fell down, or has pinkeye. Especially during the winter months. I can live with unfolded laundry. I will fail my exams (not to mention be a terrible physician) if I don't study.

Prior to any major exam I've taken since the kids were born, someone always gets sick in the few days beforehand. It happened before Step 1 and Step 2, as well as several shelf exams. This is stressful to say the least, but what's it taught me is to try not to procrastinate, especially when it comes to studying.

Tags: health, school