Reading week is now upon me. I am staring straight down the barrel of a 4,700 word loaded gun. But hopefully after one and a half years of uni I know how to get through the next seven days! Here are a few of the things I do to make deadline weeks a little bit easier...

Wake up at a decent time!
Its really easy to take reading week as time off. Which technically it is. But I find that if I want to be at my most productive, I need to get up around 9am. This way, after having a decent breakfast (usually breakfast biscuits and/or yoghurt), I can start working around 11am. By lunchtime I feel like I've already achieved something and want to continue in the afternoon. Plus, starting to work in the morning means that you have more hours in the day to get an assignment done. They will ultimately be better for it!

Waking up during reading week is hard, but it is worth it!

Create a to do list
Every morning write a small list of tasks you need to get done that day. If like me, you've got essays to write, set yourself a reasonable amount of work that you know you can get done. Spread your work over a number of days so that you don't get overwhelmed. I found this great post about different kinds of to do lists over at Sheknows.

Ticking something off of your to do list is a really great motivator.

Always have a drink by your side
If I'm working on my laptop, I find myself spending a lot of time spinning around on my chair and looking for things to distract myself with. If I have a bottle of water by my side, I tend to take a drink whenever I get distracted. I end up hydrated, and spend less time distracted.

I wish this was my desk...Deadline week for me usually means working under a pile of hefty textbooks, with water balanced on the edge...

Stock up on treats
I bribe myself to do work. It just works. Every 500 words/paragraph (whichever comes sooner) I reward myself with a treat. Recently I've been trying to eat more healthily so I'll probably opt for some of my favourite fruit instead of chocolate. But we all know when times get tough, the sugary goods will come into play!

Trying to be healthy? This is the deadline reality...

Use Netflix and Youtube whenever you want to
Chances are if you're bored and trying to work, you won't get anywhere. So if I feel like taking a break, I take it. Spending half an hour on Netflix or Youtube calms me down and clears my head. I then go back to my work motivated and happier.

By far the best remedy for writers block!

Make time for blogging/vlogging etc
Don't let your blog go to the wayside during a difficult study week. Keeping my blog going when I have loads to do gives me a well deserved break. So keep going, it will make you feel like you have achieved something out of your day if you've had a particularly bad study day!

Blogception!! This blog post was definitely a way to relax in between writing sessions!

Hopefully these tips will be of some use to you guys! I'm off now to go tackle a 3,000 word early modern history essay... Wish me luck!

Beth x