Ah, reading week…A time to go on vacation, sleep in, have fun with friends, and … read? The idea of continuing to do work over your well-deserved break may sound a lot more tortuous than it is beneficial. I haven’t spent a single reading week in my university career where I didn’t actually read. I also haven’t spent a single reading week not having a fun, rejuvenating break either. By following these few tips, it really is possible to get the best of both worlds over your reading week – trust me!
Change Up Your Study Routine
Reading over reading week shouldn’t mean shutting yourself away in a packed library like you would any other week. This is your opportunity to venture home, out of town or even just off-campus to find new places to inspire your productivity. Every reading week, I go home and study at my hometown’s local library with my group of best friends from high school. By setting up study dates like this or even just switching up the location of your study session, the idea of getting work done becomes much more desirable (and even really fun)!
Tackle Your To-Do List Wisely
Just because it’s important to get caught up over reading week doesn’t mean you have to spend this entire week hard at work like you would any other. Because you aren’t in classes with a steady flow of new work coming at you, you’re able to focus on the work you already have at hand. With your whole week open to do with it what you may, this is the perfect opportunity to spread out everything you have to do throughout the week. A few days before reading week, I always make myself a list of everything I need to do to get ahead (or caught up) over the break. Next, I plan out my week so that I’m only tackling a small part of that list each day. Last year, I chose to work for 2-3 hours every morning, and then spent the rest of my days doing something fun with friends and family like going tobogganing. Reading week doesn’t have to be all work and no play – and it shouldn’t be!
Get Caught Up on More Than Just Work
With midterm season in full swing, I’m probably not wrong in guessing that most students have a lot more to get caught up on than just those textbook readings. Do yourself a favour over the reading week and get caught up on sleep! Midterms can wreak havoc on the regular routine of students, and by using the break to fix that, you’ll be able to go back to school with enough energy to take the rest of the term by storm.
Reading Week Shouldn’t Be All Work and No Play
Something I always ask myself is, “what am I going to remember about my student experience in ten years from now?” Chances are, you’re going to think of all of those times you went to coffee with friends, explored the town, and spent quality time with family. This is not to say that everything I have said about the importance of using your reading week wisely doesn’t still hold true, but it is extremely important to have fun and make memories wherever you can. Whether that looks like catching up with friends, hitting the ski slopes for a day, or simply curling up and watching your favourite movie, make sure you enjoy yourself this reading week.
Have a productive, rejuvenating, and fun reading week, everyone!