LifeHack.org offers a few tips on making studying more enjoyable and productive. I have used several of them when preparing for UMSLE and ABIM and it worked for me — I consistently scored above the 95th percentile on most exams and was invited to talk to medical residents how to score well on the boards. The key is to make studying more fun.

LifeHack advises to:

Use Flashcards
Create the Right Environment
Use Acronyms to Remember Information (mnemonics)
Listen to music
Rewrite your notes.
Engage Your Emotions
Make Associations (mind maps)

Writing

your own notes, mind maps and mnemonics may be especially useful. Joshua of KidneyNotes posted some interesting experiments with mind maps:

Workup of Hypertension (Primary and Secondary)

Treatment of High Potassium (Hyperkalemia) and Protein in the Urine (Proteinuria)

There are more examples of mind maps on Flickr. If you choose the creative commons search, you can use the images to illustrate your own blog posts.

References:
How To Study. LifeHack.org, 2007.
How to Score Well on the Boards? Clinical Notes.
Image source: KidneyNotes.com, creative commons license.

Original post by Clinical Cases