Balancing degree reading with personal reading is challenging in a way I never expected. I signed up to study Literature because I love books, and yet I often finish my required reading for the week and think, ‘I can’t look at another page.’ As a Literature student, burnout hits fast. You’d think that being surrounded by books all day would make me want to dive into my TBR the second I get home, but honestly, after a long study session my brain sometimes feels like it physically rejects more words.
What’s helped me is acknowledging that ‘reading’ doesn’t have to look the same in every context. Academic reading just demands a different part of your brain; it’s constant analysing, annotating, thinking about themes and context. So when I reach for personal reading, I try to deliberately break out of that mode. For starters, I find switching genres works wonders: if my coursework is full of heavy theory or older texts, I’ll go straight to something completely different like romance, manga, or even memoir-esque books. If that doesn’t work, I switch up the medium entirely. Audiobooks are a lifesaver when my eyes are done for the day, and webtoons are perfect for when I still want a story but can’t face another block of text. Letting myself enjoy stories in different forms helps me remember why I loved reading in the first place.
Writing is a whole separate issue, especially in December when every essay seems to be due on the exact same day. When I’m drained from academic writing, the idea of sitting down to work on my own writing feels overwhelming. Instead of trying to write something polished or long, I do tiny one-off scenes. Silly interactions. Character moments. Two lines of dialogue that have been stuck in my head all day. It’s low commitment enough to remind me that I actually like my characters, and it takes the pressure off producing something big or impressive.
If you’re stuck in a book slump or feel guilty for falling behind on your TBR, be gentle with yourself. Required reading is real work, and it’s okay if your personal reading slows down. Try shifting formats, changing genres, or even rereading old favourites for comfort. And with writing, let yourself play. Creativity survives best when you take the pressure off and let yourself enjoy stories again, whether you’re consuming or creating them.
Words by Megan Ingram-Jones
As students crawl to the end of the first semester, the past months feel like they’ve rushed past, full of reading lists, assignments and staying perpetually behind on your Goodreads 2025 Reading Challenge. Try not to feel ashamed, I’m in the same boat with less than a month left and only 14 books read of a pledged 25.
It can be hard to balance the bare minimum of submitting your coursework on time, getting a good night’s sleep, and still finding time to hang out with your friends; reading for pleasure might not even be on the table for you!
It also gets weary to spend all day doing essential or wider Uni reading (like the week I had two 700-page books, a play, and 6 articles to slog through), and at no point afterwards do you dare to try and pick up a book, feeling like your eyes have been through enough and your brain just can’t process any more words. If those aren’t reasons enough, sometimes you ARE in the mood to read, but struggle to find the time – it’s not exactly an activity you can do while watching telly with your housemates or during pre-Yolo drinks!
So… How do you, as a busy student, find time for the things you enjoy? Here are some tips that have been helping me this semester:
1. Habit-stacking your reading with other activities! Audiobooks aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, and they’ve never been mine either, but I urge you to trust the process! Pairing food shops with a cheesy romcom, my Sunday cleaning with a self-help book, or my daily walks in Bute Park with a thrilling Agatha Christie tale has been an absolute game-changer for me!
2. If that isn’t your thing, try and reignite your reading spark by rereading your favourite books, even ones you loved in childhood – I’ll certainly be rereading Enid Blyton’s The Magic Faraway Tree before its film adaptation comes out next year!
3. Encourage your friends to pick up a book too, either to have a joint reading sesh while sofa-rotting or even just to hold each other accountable.
It takes one good book moment, that perfect read, to remind you why you love reading. Search for that moment, find your own way of making time for reading, and remember why you love it so much!
Good luck!
Words by Anjali Shukla
Photo by Carles Rabada on Unsplash. License found here.
