6 Suggestions for Personal Reading During the Academic Semester/Year

Today is the second-to-last post on the back-to-school season. Many readers, especially those of us who are in school, know the hassle of trying to balance out our school schedule and our personal reading plans. This post was brought about by trying to figure out how I could do it and the fact that I've been publishing back-to-school posts this month.

Here are 6 suggestions for personal reading during the academic year or semester.

Suggestion 1: If you do monthly TBR lists, keep them small during the school semester/year.

Yes, I know: we want to read every possible book we can every month of the year. However, if you're a student, it can be tough to keep up with a larger TBR list while in school. You can always catch up with your TBR list in your off months (i.e. summer and winter breaks).

Suggestion 2: Save your longer books for your months on break/vacation.

Unless you're 100% comfortable with reading longer books during your school semester/year, it's probably the safer bet to save them for summer or winter break. What makes a book "long" is highly dependent on you and your reading habits, so keep that in mind as well.

Suggestion 3: If it's an anticipated read for you, this is another book you may want to save for when you're on break.

This may seem a bit of a weird suggestion, but hear me out. Unless you're at a point in the semester where things have settled down, your attention won't be 100% on your anticipated read. As a result, if you read it during your semester, you may not be able to enjoy it as much as if you read it while you're on summer or winter break.

Suggestion 4: Try not to choose books with heavy topics or subjects.

Books with heavy topics and subjects can be some of the most enjoyable reads. However, they can be hard to take in when you read them during your school semester/year (especially at the busier points). If you read these books outside of the school semester/year (i.e. while you're on break) or during a calm part of the semester, then you'll be able to better enjoy and understand the book.

Suggestion 5: Set times for when you'll do the reading that you want to do.

Setting a time and day of the week where you'll sit down and read books you want to read can really help you get through more books in the semester/year, even if it's not that many. If you don't do this, then you could go an entire semester without reading a book you wanted to read.

Suggestion 6: Don't rush your reading.

I always try to suggest this, no matter why I'm suggesting it. But taking your time with your personal reads can really help you out in the long run, both with your overall schedule and your mental health. You're not trying to fit 5+ chapters of a personal read in one day, but you are still reading. Not rushing your reading during your academic semester/year can also help you balance your time out.