Some people already have a detailed plan of what they are going to do during the holidays, and others are comfortable with being spontaneous. Though if you clicked on this article, then chances are that you want to be productive and make the best out of it. Therefore fitting in the category of being clueless.
Have no fear, for I have gathered a few ideas of what you could do in this time that is both beneficial to you in the long run as well as a few fun ideas because not everything has to be about work.
1. Take a break
This might come as a surprise and not something you expected to see in this article, but I can’t ignore the fact that your body and mind need to rest.
Think about it, you have just spent the entire school year studying, chances are that you are overworked. It is amicable that you want to be productive off the bat, and I applaud you for it. But take this time, at least a week, to relax and have fun. Whether that is reading a book, watching a movie, sleeping in etc…
This way when you are well rested, you will be able to give more than a hundred percent to your productive activities.
2. Prepare for the next school year
You might think to yourself, hey! I just finished school and I don’t want to think about it. Well, chances are that your school year was stressful, which gives you an opportunity to improve your next school year.
1. Reflect
I know, you’ve just finished school and justifiably don’t want anything to do with it at the moment. Though since you clicked on this article I am going to assume that you would want to have a productive school year in the next semester.
So wouldn’t it be wise to prepare for it now, rather than later?
Plus, everything about the previous school year is still fresh in your mind, making it easier to reflect on and find out which areas you need to improve on.
Look at your previous semester, what didn’t you do well? What were your shortcomings and how can you prevent them from happening next year?
Additionally, it is important to also look at what you did well, and see if you could keep on doing it. I mean, if the formula works, why should you change it?
2. Find the root of your shortcomings
Let’s say, for example, one of your shortcomings last year was the fact that you were always tired. The root of the problem could be that you weren’t sleeping enough. This can stem from the fact that you had many schoolwork and homework, therefore, didn’t have enough time to sleep. Knowing this kind of information can help you prevent or find a solution to your main problem.
Let’s see how you can fix the problem from the previous example.
Since you are on holiday, you don’t have school work, which means you should have enough time to sleep and build a sleeping schedule, that can be accommodated around your school timetable.
Though when school start, you might end up back where you started, because the main cause of the problem was “having too much school work and not enough time.” To solve this, you could perhaps start learning the topic a week in advance or create a realistic studying schedule with enough time to sleep.
3. Set goals for the upcoming semester
Set achievable goals for your upcoming semester. This could be getting an A in certain subjects, joining a sports team, trying out for certain clubs, making new friends etc…
Just make sure your goals are achievable, this will keep you motivated.
4. Set goals for your goal
To motivate and remind you to achieve your goals, set daily/ weekly/ monthly goals. For example: Let’s say your goal for the upcoming semester is to get an A in mathematics. Then your daily goal could be to do math exercises for at least 30 minutes.
3. Get a job
This might not scream fun off the bat, and I can’t promise you that it will. But look at it this way, you have nothing to do at the moment, so why not use this time to get a summer/ part-time job during school. Not only will you earn money, but you’ll learn essential skills and habits that can help you in the future. You will also get a recommendation letter that you can later use to apply for your next job or college application.
See, a complete win for you. Though I wouldn’t recommend working your entire holiday, maybe for 3 weeks max.
Part-time job during school
Please don’t overwork yourself.
When looking for a part-time job, I would recommend you make sure that the working hours don’t correlate with your school timetable. And that it isn’t too demanding, as you will need time to study and relax.
4. Start a project or business
If you ever wanted to start a business. Now is the best time to start, as you have enough time to research and plan.
Though I am aware that depending on what kind of business you want to create, the amount of time you’ll need to invest can vary from a month to years. Nonetheless, wouldn’t it be better to start now and give yourself the push to achieve your goal?
Want to start a business, but don't have a clue what sort of business you want to start?
No worries, we got you covered. Here is a list of business ideas along with a step-by-step guide.
5. Start learning a new skill or language
In today’s world possessing numerous skills and being able to speak more than one language is a huge advantage, be it in your social life or future career. And thanks to the internet, you can start learning a new skill or language in a matter of minutes.
There are various online courses, most of them being free that you could take and follow. Such as:
- Duolingo – to learn a language
- Youtube – learn pretty much everything
- Coursera – multiple courses
- Yousician – Learn to play an instrument
- Codeacademy – to learn to code
6. Write a book
This might seem daunting at first if you’ve never written a book before, and you are right. I won’t lie to you, writing a book off the bat is not an easy task but with the right tools and determination, you should be able to breeze your way through it.
My advice is to start small, for instance, you could start writing a short story with 1000 words and work your way up to perhaps 50 000 words.
7. Hang out with your friends
While I love to encourage people to be productive every chance they get. I can not turn a blind eye to the fact that we need time to relax and enjoy yourselves. Thus hanging out with your friends, once in a while wouldn’t hurt.
You could go on a road trip, take self-defence classes, have a movie marathon, cook together etc… the list is endless.
Summary
There is an endless amount of productive things you could do, be it in the summer holiday, in your free time or at home. The way to go about it is to choose one thing and stick to it. Finish it and move to the next.
I hope I was able to help you in some way, the same way you helped me by reading this article. If you have any more tips, you can comment below. You can subscribe to our newsletter, to get updated on similar posts.