Fun and Fruitful Reading Week Tips

I have been waiting for the reading week ever since my semester started getting heavy with back-to-back assignments and midterms. Now that reading week is almost here, I wanted to plan for my reading week to be productive so I can prepare for the finals.

This week I came across a workshop for "Creating a Completion or Catch-Up Plan" hosted by an Accessibility Services staff member and a peer staff at the university. The goal of the session was to come up with a plan that did not feel too overwhelming but also helped us stay productive throughout the reading week.

One of my favourite tips from this session was to break down your major project into smaller chunks. Getting as small as possible. This really helps me organize my time since I use the Pomodoro Study technique. I aimed to finish one of my smaller chunks of the projects, every 25 minutes. I also found the google chrome extension "Habitica Pomodoro SiteKeeper" which keeps me away from distractions while I study online.

While creating a catch-up plan in the session, I also learnt that I must update my schedule as I go. Since things won't always go as I plan this will help me to prepare for any changes. The facilitator also mentioned in the session that these checkpoints are an opportunity to see if the plan is still realistic or not. Along with having studying days, I learnt that I should plan a buffer day just in case I miss out on any work. If not, this would serve as a great day to just have fun during the reading week and get a break!

I have always felt really guilty about taking breaks and allowing myself to destress. I would overwork myself and get really exhausted to the point where I would crash after finishing a big project. Over the course of a couple months, I realized that this was very disadvantageous. By taking breaks frequently and not overworking myself, I would be performing a lot better and I would also be well-rested. This would help me with studying since I could retain information better too.

During the reading week, I want to work towards my academics but I also look forward to getting a much-needed break from the rigorous schedules. I think that it is really important to find a balance between the two. The creating a catch-up plan workshop helped me destress and feel ready to head towards a fun and fruitful reading week!