I don’t know about you, but I always find myself falling to extremes during Reading Week. Either I burn myself out trying to catch up and get ahead on my work, or I procrastinate under the guise of “taking a break,” end up getting no work done and then scrambling for the next couple weeks. This year will be different. This year, I’m going to find a better balance, and I’m going to share how.
Make a schedule
Be reasonable about what tasks you want to accomplish and pick two or three small tasks or one large task to complete every day. Worried you won’t be motivated to do your tasks? Make your schedule fun or pretty, and give yourself a spot to check off tasks as you complete them.
Get outside
Take a walk around your neighbourhood. If you’ve got a car (and maybe snow pants and boots), try a winter-friendly hiking trail, like the Kettle Valley Rail Trail or Rose Valley. If you’re feeling more adventurous, try a winter sport, like skating at Stuart Park or cross-country skiing with Rec at Sovereign Lake.
Indoor activities
Not feeling the February chill? Invite a friend over for a movie night, play some games at Scandia, or volunteer in your community. You could also check out an art gallery or go to a Rockets or Heat game.
Try something new
Get out and explore Kelowna. Try a new restaurant (I highly recommend Frankie We Salute You!), or check out that café or bakery in your neighbourhood you haven’t had the chance to try yet.
Relax
The Midterm Break is supposed to be … well … a break, so take some time to do things that have nothing to do with school. Take long walks around your neighbourhood, FaceTime a friend you haven’t had time to talk to. Don’t overwork yourself this week. If that means scheduling some do-nothing time, then schedule it!
Get your head right
Do what you need to do to come back next week feeling refreshed. Take advantage of UBCO’s counselling services or the Student Assistance Program, which is a 24/7 counselling service that can be accessed virtually or over the phone, and in multiple languages.
Sarah’s ideal break
- Start my mornings right by making a pot of tea and doing a quick mobility stretch (I have bad knees, don’t @ me)
- Work on upcoming assignments/study for tests using the Pomodoro method.
- Do the dishes every odd day. Just get it over with, Sarah
- Work on blog things ?
- Take an hour each day to clean a different area of the house
- Call my sister
- Read and bullet journal every night
- Get involved on campus
Looking to upgrade your downtime this reading break? The Get Involved Leaders are holding volunteer activities on February 23–25 at the Okanagan Food Bank, the Men’s Shed, and more. Take a break from studying AND give back to the community? Deal. You can sign up for these volunteer opportunities through their Qualtrics form.
Did these methods work for you? Let me know in the comments, and enjoy your reading break!
About the author
Sarah Kloos is a transfer student from Okanagan College. She’s a Creative Writing major, a collector of cool rocks, and a lover of novels. While she’s still not 100% sure what she’s going to be when she grows up, she’s okay with that. For now, she’s learning everything she can from her co-op work term, and loving every minute of it.
