Optimising Your Reading Week

Happy Reading Week to everyone at Leicester; we’ve reached the half way point of first semester…perhaps that doesn’t feel like much of an achievement to some but ask any final year and you’ll find that every little milestone counts.

Reading Week is sometimes referred to as the half term of university, but I think this term is misleading, because reading week is not a holiday as such. The week is a chance to keep up to date with your work, as well as taking a little time off to recharge, but primarily is still a working week. If you’re feeling a little lost however with what you can and perhaps should do, here is a few things that I like to try and do during reading week.

1.Go to the Place You Feel Most Comfortable:

Knowing that you have a week without classes does give students some freedom, in choosing where they choose to study. For me, being at home was always going to be the best option, with not only company from my family, but also someone keeping me accountable of the work I’m doing, besides my personal schedule.

However, you may find that staying close to university is the best option; you may be unable to travel home for such a short amount of time, or simply feel more productive, particularly with access to the library. Contact your friends and see where they are for reading week; organising a study group can be a really good way to keep you motivated.

2.Get Going with Assignments:

You may still have a few weeks until your first assignments of the year are due, but this week is a really good opportunity to get started, with little else to act as distractions. For my previous reading weeks, I’ve spent the week prior getting all the resources I need, and a plan, ready to start, then spent the actual reading week putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard to be more accurate. Equally, if your deadline is quite a few weeks away, getting some reading done, working out a plan, or even just finalising the topic you wish to write about is a good start.

3.Get Ahead for the Next Week:

Usually in the middle of reading week, it could be a good idea to start preparing for the classes in the following week. This way, you don’t immediately feel stressed coming out of your reading week, feeling like you already have so much to do. Having your notes ready will not only make you more organised, but also feel more in control.

4.Read:

Clue’s in the title, right? But reading week is a great opportunity to either catch up on any reading you’ve missed over the semester so far, or do a bit of reading around your subject, perhaps to get a better understanding of a concept you’re struggling with or delving deeper into something you find particularly interesting.

5.Have a Break:

I realise I’ve said that reading week should not be considered as a holiday, however you should definitely take advantage of your lack of classes. Chose a few slots of time, or maybe even a couple of days, and just plan something nice, for you to do. This could be a bit of retail therapy, a meal with friends or family, a creative project, or even something really simple like reading for pleasure (something I rarely get to do whilst at university). University is hard, taking time to de-stress is totally fine, it just shouldn’t be taken for the whole week; doing this will make you behind in your work, and completely defeat the object of trying to feel less stressed.

I hope this has helped any of you, who are feeling a little demotivated without a solid timetable. Reading week can be a blessing and a curse, being out of routine, but it should always be taken full advantage of. I wish you the best of luck in carrying on with your work, and hope you enjoy any fun things you have planned.

Take Care Everyone, I’ll Speak to You All Soon!