As fun and relaxing as Thanksgiving break can be, it also gives you a preview of the month-long boredom that comes with winter break. Especially after a semester of a jam-packed college schedule, having absolutely nothing to do is not always as nice as it sounds. After a few days of sleeping in, laying around, and barely getting out of the house, I start to get a little stir crazy. While it’s important to take plenty of time to rest, recuperate, and spend time with family, there is also plenty of time to be productive and accomplish everything you don’t have time for when school is in session. So, here is everything I plan on doing over break to inspire you to beat your winter break boredom.
- . Clean Your Car
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This one may be a little niche, but it is certainly on the top of my to-do list over break because it desperately needs to be done. This year, I have my car on campus but can never seem to find the time to take it through a car wash or vacuum it out. This is also a good thing to do if your car has been sitting at home, just to freshen it up and get it organized before driving around your hometown. Not only can you take it through the car wash to get the outside looking nice, you can also go through your car and throw out trash, food wrappers, and receipts that you’ve accumulated over the semester. After clearing out any trash, I like to vacuum the interior, clean floor mats, and wipe down the dashboard. Once your car is sparkling clean, you can buy a new air freshener, coasters, and decorations to get your car looking its best before picking up your hometown friends for a drive.
- . Closet Cleanout
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Cleaning out my closet is an intimidating but necessary task that I try to do at least twice a year. If you are bored over break, an in-depth closet cleanout is sure to take at least an entire day. When I say closet cleanout, I don’t just mean going through your clothes, I also mean taking literally everything out to be vacuumed, sorted, and reorganized. I like to start by going through clothes, trying things on that I’m not sure about, and sorting everything into a keep or donate pile. As someone who has a hard time getting rid of anything, a tip I use is to let yourself keep things you’re on the fence about, but keep them in a note on your phone. Next time you clean out your closet, check the note, and if you still haven’t worn it, you have to get rid of it. Once your clothes are sorted, don’t put them back right away, take everything else out as well. I have a bad habit of throwing anything I don’t want to deal with in the bottom of my closet, so this is the time to go through anything else as well. If you need to, you can also buy bins or other organizers so when you put everything back together, you can keep it looking nice.
- . Plan For The Upcoming Semester
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A great way to feel productive over break while also setting yourself up for success is to take some time to prepare for the upcoming Spring semester. If at first you don’t want to think about school at all, I totally get it, but I recommend doing this a week or two before going back, as it always helps calm my nerves about starting classes again. There are a few different ways you can do this. I like to start by putting my class schedule into Google Calendar, which helps you visualize what your daily routine will look like. You can go even more in depth, adding when you’ll do homework, workout, and go to club meetings so you have a good structure going into the semester. I also like to clean out my backpack and go shopping for any new school supplies I might need. The last thing I do is make a new laptop wallpaper on Canva and make new desktop folders for every class so I am organized before the semester even starts. Making everything aesthetic and organized is a great way to get yourself motivated and into the right mindset before classes start.
- . Do A Festive Holiday Activity
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The biggest perk of winter break is that it happens during the holiday season, which comes with plenty of fun activities to keep you entertained. You can shop around to build your Christmas list and browse for gifts to buy for your loved ones. You could also go out with friends and listen to Christmas music while you look at all the lights, whether you just drive around your hometown or go to large-scale installations. If you live around Springfield, Massachusetts you can drive through Bright Nights at Forest Park which is a huge, beautiful light display that spans the whole park. If you’re looking for cozy activities to do at home, I recommend building gingerbread houses, baking Christmas cookies, and watching classic Christmas movies with your family.
FInd your balance
As you go into winter break, I hope you take some inspiration from this list to keep yourself from rotting in bed for a month straight. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking things slow and relaxing after a crazy semester, you are always going to have days where you want to go out and feel productive, so I encourage you to find the best balance for yourself. Winter break is an important time for every college student, so listen to your body and take this time between semesters to rest as much as you need to.