This post has been sitting in my drafts for 63866294 years and it’s about time I actually wrote it.
But basically, this is my last year of high school and it’s become a must larger challenge to try and balance my reading and blogging life with the amount of school work I have to do, excluding applying to university and just general life stress. So here we are today.
I will be drowning in studying for the million exams I’m writing this year so will really have no reading life, so these tips are really just for an average amount of school work.
Side note: do I actually use these tips in my day-to-day life? No, but they’re really just for me to try and use. Well done me #imfunny
Okay, let’s stop the rambles and actually get into the post.

TIPS TO READ FOR WHEN YOU HAVE A TON OF WORK TO DO:

1) Carry a book with you EVERYWHERE

This first one is pretty obvious but let me tell you how much it actually helps. And when I mean everywhere, I mean E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E. It’s so helpful because there are always random moments during the day when there isn’t enough time to do anything else, meaning the perfect time to read a couple pages. Basically our book should just be glued to your hands jk not really. Last year (also during some important exams) when I’d wait for my parents to come and get me, I’d read for 20 minutes and that time got me to eventually finish a book. I told you: HELPFUL.
This also ties in with my other tip which is to read in all your spare moments because there will always be some time when there’s not much else to do and you can read a bit.

2) PLANNING!!

Also pretty obvious, but genuinely is a life saver. Now you don’t HAVE to have one but it is always great to have a dairy or planner so you can add in all your homework and assignments. And then once you know how much work you need to do, you can fit reading time around that. I know from experience that planners are sometimes a waste of time because I forget they exist but they do actually work when you’re busy.

4) Stay focused

This is something I struggle with. I go through random spurts of wanting to be productive and get things done and others where I truly cannot be bothered. But I also know that when I do try and get everything done that I need to, it makes life so much easier. If you’re productive and use your time wisely, you have more time to read and do all the other things you’d rather be doing.

Sub-tip: Don’t procrastinate school work!

I’d be a hypocrite if I told you that I do all my school work super early. Because I do the exact opposite. But I’m definitely changing this since my workload’s increased.  We all do it, but I know that if I did my assignments shortly after they were given to me I’d be a lot less stressed. I’m going to try it, you should too. Basically, try not to leave your work till the last minute.

5) Don’t put too much pressure on reading

When we become busy and don’t read as much as we usually do, it generally makes us bookworms slumpy. Well, it does with me. When I get very busy and distracted it takes my mood off reading. I feel terrible because I can’t get to reading, which then causes me to not do anything at all. So, the best way to stop this is to just take a break from reading when school gets busy and know that you can return to it when it’s all over. I’ve been doing that recently and it really helps. I still read here and there but ONLY when I get the time and I know that as soon as we finish, I can actually put the time into reading.
I promise you THIS HELPS. Don’t beat yourself up over not having the time, wait it out and eventually you’ll find the time again.

TIPS TO ACTUALLY GET READING DONE WHEN BUSY WITH SCHOOL:

1) Read before bed

This one is obvious, but it only works when you actually can, because we need sleep. But if you used all my previous tips and actually got a lot done that day, odds are you’ll be finished with your work at a reasonable hour and have a bit of time to read and wind down. I do it a lot, although it’s usually not much since I haven’t been on my phone most of the day and have other things to catch up on, not relating to school. But I do manage to read for like half an hour, so it does help.

2) Binge readddddd

What I mean by this is that when you, for instance, work really hard during the week and have spare time on the weekends, it’s the perfect time to read a ton. I tend to do this as much as I can. I do a load of work during the week, reading here and there, and then my school finishes early on Fridays so I then take the day off and finish my book. Obviously, our schedules will be different so mine won’t be the same, but maybe see if there’s a day where you won’t be very busy and dedicate it to reading.

3) Choose books that suit your schedule

The worst thing you can do is choose a series or something when you’re swamped with school work because you obviously won’t be able to make much progress and can’t put the time into it. I tend to usually read contemporaries during periods like exam time because it’s not too heavy and they’re easy to read. Choose books you know you actually can read, and not impossible reads you know you’ll never get to actually read.

4) Try to stick to shorter books

This kind of ties into my previous tip but why this is so useful is because you can usually finish short books quickly which, you know, makes one feel more accomplished and less guilty, if that makes sense. With my previous tip, maybe you don’t like contemporary and only read fantasy, don’t try and pick up a large book knowing it’d take you a while to get through anyway. I mean you can but if you’re busy you probably won’t be able to put the time into it and will most likely not be able to stay connected to the story and forget everything, which is not good when concerning fantasy novels. Know what I’m saying??

5) Use audiobooks

Now I do not use them right now but I know next year when I’m at uni that they’ll be a lifesaver. Now I live in a small town so have like a 10 minute drive to school, I don’t wear makeup and there’s obviously no traffic. Plus I don’t exercise very often. These I know are prime opportunities to listen to audiobooks. Even though my country sucks and we don’t have really have a brilliant online library system, I know that I’ll be wanting to try and use audiobooks and that they’ll be very helpful when my day is packed.

That’s about it for my tips. I hope you find some of them useful. I swear I’m not lying about them, even though I suck and don’t stick to half of them, I’m trying. School work is stressful and idk how I’m going to manage later on this year but I’m keeping my thoughts away from that otherwise my anxiety would malfunction.

Okay, I’m going to go now.

ARE YOU IN SCHOOL NOW? IF NOT, HOW DID YOU BALANCE YOUR SCHOOL WORK AND READING? WILL ANY OF THESE TIPS BE USEFUL? PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

xo