“Summertime and the living’s easy” as Sublime would say. We should all take a hint from them, but how easy is it to fly free and on a whim during the summer?
At the start of the summer I was looking forward to having time to relax. With my drive and need to stay busy that didn’t last long. Before I knew it I had two jobs and stumbled into applying for an internship to hopefully add on to the chaos. This past week I worked nine straight days in a row.
Let’s face it. Us collegiette’s are on the go. We don’t slow down to take a break. That would just interfere with us taking the world by storm. We are smart and ambitious bright-eyed ladies that work hard.
But even the best of us need to take a break. With your schedules crunched for time, it can be hard to use your limited free time wisely. A free afternoon could turn into a few hours spent vegging out on the couch instead of having fun time to yourself.
Try these tips to make your next block of free time go the extra mile.
If you only have a couple of hours…
Map out what you want to accomplish before your break. Whether it’s reading a book, taking a walk, or working on a sewing project, having a plan beforehand will help maximize the time you have to be doing what you love.
And if you have chores and other such tasks that need to be completed during this free time… reward yourself afterwards! Working after you’ve finished work is no fun, but treating yourself to Rita’s after cleaning your room or washing your car is incentive to get done what you need to do.
If you get off work during the evening….
Don’t just go home to watch reruns of Gilmore Girls (or enter the show of your choice). Go and get dinner and drinks with your girlfriends! It’s a great way to catch up and have some good laughs. Besides, isn’t laughter the best medicine (especially when it comes to relaxing and de-stressing)?
If you have the whole day off…
If you’re not careful, the whole day could be wasted by sleeping in late and going to bed early. Us collegiettes might be burned out but we are no slackers! Instead, plan a fun day trip, catch up on a television series that you haven’t had time to watch, or treat yourself to a spa day for some complete relaxation.
By managing your time and scheduling activities for free time, you spend less time doing nothing and more time relaxing by doing something you love.
Thus summer may not be easymbut at least it’s manageable.
Got a tip to help me relax? Tweet me your tips and comments @NewsomeShelby
Image courtesy of Eamoncurry123/Flickr