So Spring Break Is Over. Now What?
With Spring Break over and summer less than eight weeks away, your will to work is most likely little to none. You might be sitting in Case at 3am, ready to throw in the bag and hoping your GPA is good enough. Luckily, there is still hope for you. Here’s a list of five helpful tips to get going again, brought to you by your fellow procrastination enthusiast.
1. Establish your morning routine
Waking up and actually having to be productive is always a struggle after a week of sleeping-in and staying in your pajamas till 2pm. That being said, one of the most important steps to getting back in the groove is re-establishing the start to your day. This is particularly helpful if you lack the morning person gene as I do because knowing exactly what you need to do and how much time you need to do it every morning can be extremely helpful when you’re regretfully waking up to make it to class.
2. Plan it out
I can’t emphasize this enough—having a calendar is key. You can find some big paper ones on a table in the Office of the Registrar (Lathrop 103) for each semester. If you’re not a fan of physical calendars, google calendar is also a life savior. Just the act of organizing your work and activities all together can help set you back on track and keep you realistic about what you do and do not have time for. Use the reminder app on your phone to remind you of when those things are coming up. You have no excuse.
3. Find the right study buddy
At this point in the year, you probably know which friends you can study with and which ones will lead you into the sticky situation of only getting one sentence done in three hours. If you’re not motivated to do work on your own, get the right friends and set a study time. The least they can do is be there to roast you for your lack of productivity.
4. Optimize the warmth
Let’s be honest, warm weather isn’t very common at Colgate, so take advantage of it when it comes! Whether that is going for a study-break walk or just getting you out of your dorm, I guarantee that the sun will put you in a better and more productive mood.
5. Prep that summer bod
Yes, this is a friendly reminder to go to the gym, but I swear there’s more to it than that. Being active is not only physically stimulating, but is shown to be extremely helpful to mental health and focus as well. Going to the gym (as much as it may suck) establishes an important routine that will set a structure to your day. If you would rather work out in the morning, waking up for that already gets you going for the day; if you would rather work out in the evening, you have that commitment as a goal to push you through your work. Still not motivated to go? Find a friend who can get out and go with you. In fact, gym sessions are prime gas-up time, ladies, and who doesn’t need a good gas-me-up to get you out of a post-break slump?
Above all, don’t forget that you’re almost through the year so now is not the time to give up! There is still time to turn around a bad grade, but only with the right habits and mindset. Hopefully these tips help you to finish the year strong—you got this!