14 • OPINION
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2021
Making the most out of your Reading Week SHOFFANA SUNDARAMOORTHY OPINION COLUMNIST
Reading week is fast approaching. For the students who moved off-campus for their class, they have a chance to go back home this coming week. Of course, it can be challenging in deciding whether to catch up on all school work or take the whole week off to treat yourself. The truth is … you can do both. Moderation with the work-life balance is crucial, and therefore, I would like to recommend some tips to ensure you’re making the most of your Reading week. Reflect on your semester so far Going into Reading week, you would have attended a week’s worth of lectures, tutorials, and/ or labs. Take a moment to think about what exactly you are doing well, alongside what you need to improve on. Ask yourself the following questions. “Was I able to attend all my classes? Did you leave yourself enough time to finish assignments, or did you leave them to the last minute? For the first half of the Fall semester, do you recall yourself feeling more burned out and/or unproductive? These questions will provide direction in the development of your game plan for Reading week. You can establish realistic goals that will provide a visualization of what you want your final result to be, such as completing your schoolwork or feeling more well-rested. Get organized Write a to-do list of the courses that you want to work on for the week and from there, break down each course into the exact tasks (ex. Completing readings or starting essays). You should then write down an approximate time duration that you intend to work on each task. To-do lists make schoolwork less daunting and more manageable. It
is a way that allows you to set clear expectations for what must be done and prioritize the more important tasks, verify that you have not forgotten anything, and makes you feel less stressed. Though, organization does not have to stop after Reading week. Whether through a planner or online calendar, try outlining a typical school week by making note of class times, extracurricular meetings, and so forth. Planning out your week like a blueprint gives you a visual overview which will help you instill a sense of a consistent schedule alongside how much free time you have. Do not procrastinate We all have our moments where despite an impending deadline, we end up leaving something to the last minute. It is okay to do occasionally, but making a habit out of it will do you more harm. For some, it may be hard to study back home due to distractions. I recommend going to a local café, the library, or even studying outside to get a change in working environment. If you have trouble studying by yourself, arrange a study date with your friends and that will motivate you more to start your work. Do not push yourself and remind yourself that it is completely to take breaks as long as you go back to working afterwards. In the event that you are already caught up with your courses, you can use the extra week to actually get ahead in some of your academics. Things get busier towards the second half of the semester, so getting stuff out of the way will put less pressure on you. Spend time with family Remember, having a great Reading week means moderation and
CONTRIBUTED IMAGE
Who should win the Nobel Peace Prize? SAM DUFFY OPINION EDITOR
The five Nobel Prizes, awarded annually to those who have made
great strides in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace, were the product of founder Alfred Nobel’s final wishes. The arms manufacturer, best
DARIEN FUNK/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER
Focus on your health
spending time with your family is important. You may have not seen them in a while, so it is great to catch up on how everyone is doing. Go out of your way to plan a family event, whether it is visiting a local Fall fair or an at-home movie night. This week also gives you the chance to confide in your family about your school experience. Learning in a hybrid/ remote format is not suited for everyone, so many have been dealing with their own issues. Your family is one of many in your support system, so openly talking with them can make you feel better and strengthen your familial bond.
In the heat of the moment, the first half of the semester may have led to us sacrificing some hours of sleep or not going out as much as we should. A healthy body and a healthy mind can go hand-inhand. Beyond the schoolwork, Reading Week is supposed to be your chance to relax and treat yourself. Take the time to establish consistent sleep schedules during this week to bring back the remainder of the semester. As for physical health, do it in a way that feels right to you, whether it means going to the gym, attending a Zumba class, or simply walking around the
neighborhood. Mental health is also important. If it means bringing your favorite show or having a spa day at home, make time for your favorite activities to relax. In addition, try to practice mindfulness and living in the moment to detach yourself from any outside stressors. Again, Reading week is not about prioritizing work or play over one another, but rather equally in moderation. We may all have different goals and expectations for our Reading week, which is completely fine. Make the most of the time you have and instill habits then to carry on for the rest of the semester.
known for the creation and production of dynamite, dictated that his large fortune would be used to set up a series of prizes for achievement in these categories upon his death. The most controversial choices are always for the Peace Prize. Innovation in physics and chemistry is easier to quantify. “Peace” remains hard to define in a world such as ours. Some atrocious choices haunt the list of Peace Prize winners. Henry Kissinger, for example, received the prize in 1973 for his work on a Vietnam ceasefire. Those who criticize this choice claim that Kissinger is the architect of crimes against humanity in half a dozen countries. Upon receiving his award in 2009, President Barack Obama claimed he viewed the choice as a “call to action.” And there I was, under the impression that prizes are given for doing something, not in the hope that it will motivate someone to action. He was even brave enough to acknowledge that giving the award to a leader whose country was fighting two wars seemed odd.
My dissatisfaction is completely bipartisan. The prize was intended to be awarded to an individual who worked for peace between nations and the reduction of standing armies. These choices hardly made the cut. Another group that has historically made the cut with no justification is organizations. I’m talking about the UN World Food Programme, last year’s winner, and the European Union, among others. The original mandate by the founder of the prize specificized that it should be given to individuals. Our modern sensibilities, if we can call them that, should not allow us to act like changing dying wishes is a noble act. If you want to award a peace prize to an organization, make a new prize. I feel that awarding a peace prize to someone bogged down in partisan politics when they’re not busy doing good work might also be a misstep. This year, those figures would be Stacey Abrams and Jared Kushner.
It’s really difficult to believe that Stacey Abrams is fully and completely committed to voting rights activism when she was trying to become Joe Biden’s running mate. It’s even more difficult when she takes money from Michael Bloomberg and then fails to endorse him. Jared Kushner is an equally inhospitable choice. The Abraham Accords were a productive step towards peace in the Middle East. Changing the location of the American embassy in Israel was not. My first choice this year is Alexei Navalny. I’ve wrote about the Russian opposition leader before, and the passage of time has only been my admiration for him grow. If you want to give the Peace Prize to someone working to bring freedom, democracy and peace to millions, with complete disregard for the personal costs, you pick Alexei Navalny. Poison gas attacks, prison, hunger strikes, and being forced to watch eight hours of state television a day, and he still campaigns for Russian democracy. That’s the kind of person who should win a Nobel Prize.
