THE KEY TO GETTING THE MOST OUT OF READING WEEK

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Reading Week is coming up soon. What associations come to your mind? Party hearty . . . sleep in . . . no classes . . . no labs . . . do that paper . . . catch up on reading . . . catch up on everything.

How often we make the mental note, “I’ll do that during Reading Week,” “I’ll catch those up Reading Week,” “I’ll be able to spend time on that Reading Week,” and for the moment we have a relief from the stress, we can do Something Else because we have mentally assured ourselves that it will get done . . . during Reading Week.

And Reading Week comes along. We need that break, we’ll get started tomorrow, then tomorrow, and we don’t want to miss out on the Something Else that our friends are into, and Reading Week is over and now we really do know what stress is like!

This blog is about avoiding that common post-Reading Week scenario. This week is the week to plan Reading Week for a more positive scenario.

I’ve already foreshadowed the Plan for getting the most from Reading Week in last week’s blog about The Major Project when I recommended scheduling to get as much done as possible before Reading Week. As is often the case, scheduling is key. But first, take a moment and settle into a Reading Week mindset. 

Reading Week Mindset

It’s pretty common for the Reading Week mindset to be a fuzzy blend of having a well-deserved break, having fun, sleeping, and getting lots of everything done. I invite you to explore a mindset of balance–but of specifics within that balance:

  • Think of the Something Elses that you anticipate–winter biking on a new trail? Getting together with family/friends? Tickets to a game, to concerts? Write these down. Imagine doing or attending each of these.
  • Mentally visit each course. One course at a time,
    • Revisit your min-max goals for that course.
    • Note what you want to have done to reach the minimum goal, and the maximum realistic goal.
    • Jot the steps down in point form.
    • Visualize yourself doing each activity that needs doing.

Stage One Planning: Choosing for Balance

Now plug in time estimates for each visualization. Also extra time, just in case. If you find you need a 180 hour Reading Week, obviously that isn’t going to happen. But despair not–the whole point of this exercise is to get as much done as is realistically possible, and to get done what’s really important to get done.

  • First, Reading Week doesn’t have 180 hours. But this week and reading week do. Even taking off 10 hours a day to sleep and eat, there’s still almost 200 waking hours.
  • Second, it’s decision time. With your list of time-estimated activities, do you have enough time to do everything on that list between now and the end of Reading Week?

If so, go on to Stage Two Planning.

If not, pare down the list. More will get done, and more of what is important will get done by paring down.

Choices need to be made. Review your goals and priorities to help you make balanced choices. Some examples:

  • Reading Week may not be the time to winter bike the Coquihalla. HOWEVER, it is the week to have at least a few enjoyable Something Elses planned.
  • These two weeks may not be the weeks to spend 10 hours a day reading journals, but they may be the weeks to finish reading the top-cited journals for each paper due.
  • These definitely are the weeks to make sure you are capable in your STEM courses, or are accessing assistance for them.

Stage Two Planning: Scheduling for Balance

Get out your scheduler, and schedule in your [pared down] activities. As I’ve recommended before, plan realistic work sessions, plan breaks, plan rewards, and plan reinforcement for effort.

Did you run out of time in your scheduler? Endorse yourself for making this discovery now, rather than on the last day of Reading Week. Then go back to Stage Two, and make some adjustments.

Stage Three: Working the Plan

Expect setbacks and glitches. Roll your eyes at the universe, then adjust your plans. For example, you may find that there are some tasks that have to wait until after Reading Week. You can choose to get ahead on other tasks, or to slip in a bonus Something Else: The key word here is “Choose.” 

Stage Four: Results at the end of Reading Week

Worst case result: Let’s say that your unbacked-up drive crashed with all of your literature review notes on it, the group leader of your project is in the hospital and can’t communicate the results of their interviews of key subjects, and your boss requires unexpected overtime for the last three days of Reading Week.

If you have gone through Stages One through Three—not perfectly, but pretty much—you will have a far better chance of salvaging the term:

  • You can go to your advisors and instructors for extensions. (Use this sparingly, if ever, but sometimes it is advisable).
  • You will not need as much time to reconstruct the lit review as if you were starting from scratch.
  • You will be further ahead on your STEM skills than if you had put them off.
  • You can parcel out the group leader’s re-interviews among your group members, and will have your own part of the group project in good hand even if not yet complete.
  • You will negotiate with your boss, your group members, and your instructors as best you can.

Now that is a far better position to be in than if all of this worst case were to happen, and you were depending on Reading Week to save your grade in several courses.

The Key

The key to getting the best from Reading Week is to get a head start on it. You’ll not only get more done and risk less chance of getting caught short on your courses, you’ll have more time for the important Something Elses.

I’m collecting “Worst Cases.” Contact me at [email protected] to tell me about your worst case academic scenario.

The information in this blog cannot take the place of support from your own mental health professional or community health resources. Reach out to them. And IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS  PLEASE DIAL 911.