When it's hard to keep going

For the last few hours I've been studying for my Ob/gyn shelf. I needed to take a break. I just can't find the motivation to keep studying something I don't really care about.

I'm realizing more and more how important motivation is. When I was an undergraduate, I could convince myself that just about anything I was studying was in some, way, shape or form, important to my future. These days I'm finding it hard to do the same during this clinical year.

I think that's because I have a lot more ways that I want to spend my time. Every minute that I spend trying to cram information into my head about a subject i know I won't use again in the future is a  minute I can't spend doing something else. That's particularly troublesome because more times than not, the 'something else' is spend quality time with my wife. It's a tough spot to be in.

I'm a proponent of broad learning. I don't think people should be so narrowly fixed on one thing, but as I progress through my studies, I think more and more that it's time I did narrow my sight to the area I want to specialize in. Life is short. And medicine just keeps getting more and more complex. The sooner I can focus on what interests me and what I'll use in my career, the better I think. I'm tired of being a dabbler. 2nd year, and medical school in general, is a lot of dabbling.

Anyway, I know this post isn't really very coherent. But I just wanted to get away from Ob/gyn for a while and rant a little. Thanks for listening. If you feel the same way as I do, feel free to sound off in the comments thread.