If you are a university student like me, then you will most likely have tons of academic readings assigned to you every week, which unfortunately take up a good chunk of time also. After reading about 300 pages of a history book, the last thing you want to do is well, read. You get this burnt out feeling and the free time that you do have, you may choose to spend elsewhere. Lately for me, I've been watching tv (fall tv season just returned) or honestly, going outside and enjoying the last of the good weather! I am still however buying books and receiving books and I do want to read - it is just hard when you are in a slump and you are exhausted. So how can you balance both?
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1. Prioritize your books. If you are a fellow blogger, you will receive ARCs. If you know that you cannot handle a lot on your plate at the moment, hold off on receiving ARCs, so there is not as much pressure or simply speak to the person you are dealing with and let them know that school is really hectic at the moment so your reviews will be slower. Pick a book that you want to read THE MOST. By prioritizing your books a little, you will find yourself making time to read it because you are enjoying it.. and also, it helps to get rid of the ~forced~ feeling.
2. Shorten your To-Be-Read List. To remove the pressure, simply lessen your TBR pile. Instead of aiming to read 5 books this month, just aim for one. Small goals are a lot easier to manage with your school work.
3. Time Management. I am finding that setting aside a specific time to read during the day really helps with your hectic school schedule. I set aside about 45 minutes to an hour a day after school work to read for pleasure. It is a designated time solely for leisure reading!
4. Take reading breaks. I am doing this a lot lately! I will read a bit of school work for one class for example and then reward myself with a reading break with reading for pleasure. The only problem with that is that it can get confusing.. so pick a shorter book or some comic books to read in between of your home!
5. Realize that it is OKAY if you simply don't read. Let's be real for a moment you guys. School is definitely the priority here. If reading for pleasure is getting in the way of you finishing your homework readings and completing your assignments, that is simply a big NO-NO. It is okay if you can't read for pleasure while juggling your school work. There is nothing with that. If you can try and make time once a week to read for pleasure that's great. I find that even if I don't have time, I try to make time at least once a week, because it helps me just enjoy my school readings more (especially with dryer material that you sometimes need a breather from) and also helps you pick up your reading speed. Don't make things difficult for yourself and add unnecessary pressure. If you can't read this month, that's okay! Try for next month.
I am not sure if these were really great goals, but that is how I've been managing lately. I try my best to read as much as I can, when I can, but unfortunately sometimes it does not happen. I have been known for reading super fast, but it seems it has finally caught up to me.
This post is also a kind of ~update~ of how things will proceed. I am juggling course work, a teaching position and research work so it is quite hard to find time. So reviews will be a lot slower than before, but you can still track my reading progress on goodreads and on twitter. I will try and have a post up per week and I am still taking requests for reviews through email, so simply shoot me an email, since for me ARCs do take priority to ensure reviews are out on or before release date. Anyways, I hope that these goals have helped in some way. Let me know in the comments below if you are trying to find a happy medium between school readings and leisure readings. I would love to hear your tips and ideas on how to effectively manage both!
5. Realize that it is OKAY if you simply don't read. Let's be real for a moment you guys. School is definitely the priority here. If reading for pleasure is getting in the way of you finishing your homework readings and completing your assignments, that is simply a big NO-NO. It is okay if you can't read for pleasure while juggling your school work. There is nothing with that. If you can try and make time once a week to read for pleasure that's great. I find that even if I don't have time, I try to make time at least once a week, because it helps me just enjoy my school readings more (especially with dryer material that you sometimes need a breather from) and also helps you pick up your reading speed. Don't make things difficult for yourself and add unnecessary pressure. If you can't read this month, that's okay! Try for next month.
I am not sure if these were really great goals, but that is how I've been managing lately. I try my best to read as much as I can, when I can, but unfortunately sometimes it does not happen. I have been known for reading super fast, but it seems it has finally caught up to me.
This post is also a kind of ~update~ of how things will proceed. I am juggling course work, a teaching position and research work so it is quite hard to find time. So reviews will be a lot slower than before, but you can still track my reading progress on goodreads and on twitter. I will try and have a post up per week and I am still taking requests for reviews through email, so simply shoot me an email, since for me ARCs do take priority to ensure reviews are out on or before release date. Anyways, I hope that these goals have helped in some way. Let me know in the comments below if you are trying to find a happy medium between school readings and leisure readings. I would love to hear your tips and ideas on how to effectively manage both!
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