There’s only two weeks left in Michaelmas Term, which means it’s hard not to think of the upcoming winter break and holiday season. This longing for rest, relaxation, and (hopefully) time with family is magnified by the exhausting nature of COVID-19 hanging over our everyday lives and impacting our daily decisions. At this point in the semester, there is an element of trying to power through to make it to the break. And that’s completely understandable, especially now. But as we look toward the holidays and 2021, which will hopefully be a brighter year for us all, it’s a good moment to start reflecting on how this first term has gone and what you’d like to change. Now, I’m not advocating you overwork yourself over break; this semester has been too long and arduous for that. However, take the time to think how Michaelmas Term went so you can make Lent Term even better.

With a semester under your belt, you’ll likely have a firm understanding of how to navigate your coursework and what your professors expect of you. This understanding allows you to fashion a strategy for how to approach your work so you can perform at the highest level. For Lent Term, maybe you know which types of readings to focus on or what your professor is looking for in class. Perhaps you realised it’s better to start planning that essay a little sooner than you previously did so you can spend more time writing and editing it. Or possibly you’ve been spending too much time focusing on one class to the neglect of others. Whatever it is, the holiday break is a good time to reflect on how you’ve done so far and in which areas you’d like to improve.

However it’s gone so far this year, there’s always room for improvement. The first step in that process is taking the time to think about how the previous term went to better prepare for the next one. Reflection is the key to self-improvement, and while you have a few weeks off, spend some time contemplating how you’d like to reset for Lent Term and start 2021 off strong and on the right foot. Along with spending time with family and having a well-deserved break, you’ll be making very good use of your time.