A Medical Student’s Ultimate Guide to Notion
This story starts, like most Notion stories do, with a productivity nerd’s search for the perfect dashboard. Not just any dashboard. The dashboard.
One that is beautiful and functional enough to stand the test of time. One that will see its way not only into next week, but even next month. One that you really see a future with.
The search turned out to be simple — strike a balance between big picture and focus. Know what’s pressing on first glance, but no need to be bombarded, right?
We are what we Notion as the saying goes. Carving out time for any form of productivity planning should be purposeful and reflect where your priorities lie.
Do you enjoy journaling? Have you wanted to record your habits for some longer-term reflection? How have you been feeling lately and did it impact your workflow?
Medical school bombards us with information that we’re supposed to indefinitely devour but often leaves little space for critical contemplation.
Perpetually drinking from a firehose.
If you’re reading this, then it’s fair to assume you’ve heard of The Zettelkasten Method — seriously give it a try if you haven’t already. Regularly reflect, even if only for a moment, on the content you consume and how it may be connected. You’ll be surprised and equally inspired by the meaning that emerges.
Productivity planning can be considered an evolving dance between goal setting and reflection. For some areas of our lives this is intuitive (…personal statements anyone…); for other areas it may seem more abstract.
Include in your Notion workspace the areas of your life that you want to be intentional about. For medical students, this usually involves some combination of work, play, and training. If it makes its way into your Notion, give it the time it deserves. But, as Marie Kondō says, “Discard everything that does not spark joy”.
Whether you’re in your pre-clinical years or beyond, build into your workflow ways to keep track of your clinical experience. Include a placement database that is linked to your clinical skills experience. Observer-ships. Volunteering. Electives. On good recommendation from students who came before me, I jot down the specific skills or knowledge gained on the wards, as well as any unique or interesting moments that left a lasting impression. You will need this information when residency apps and interviews roll around— future you will thank you.
For swift note-capture, use your phone and dictate your experiences directly into Notion when you have a moment on the wards — classic consultant style. Dictaphones may be championed by Louis Litt, but medical students are here to carry the torch.
Starting out with Notion can be intimidating. A world of opportunities that can leave you stalled at the gate. So start off simple. Consider this a new and improved Excel file, that links effortlessly to other important Excel files, in the most aesthetically pleasing way possible. With cover photos and icons and toggles. And integrates team sharing. And may mean you never have to send a Google doc link ever again.
Over time, your databases will grow, your content will connect and you’ll reap the rewards of productivity planning in Notion. As you move through the different phases of medicine, you’ll look back and realize much of the heavy lifting is already done.
And so, this story ends, like many Notion stories do, with a link to a free (*by-donation*) template tailored specifically for medical students. Cheers to creating a little more consistency among the chaos!
