The vibe on campus for the past week and a half has been nothing short of tense. With deadlines looming, elections coming up, and general stress sinking in, everyone just wants a break. Luckily, we have one right around the corner. My mantra for the past week has been a continual countdown. Through each essay and exam, I’ve been reminding myself that I just have to push myself for a little while more and then I can relax.
The funny thing is that I always find myself so excited for break but then it often either ends up rushing by or being the kind of break where you never leave your pajamas. How do you find that balance between enjoying yourself and being productive?
1. Write down all the things you want to accomplish over break.
Grab a piece of scrap paper and write down the things you would love to do.
Examples: Train for a half-marathon. Learn how to knit. Visit museums. Clean out my closet. Make the perfect chocolate cookies. Learn Spanish. Find a summer job. Go vegan. Finish essays due for the rest of the semester.
2. Cross off anything that physically cannot be accomplished over break or doesn’t truly excite you. Modify some overly ambitious ones. Define some more clearly.
Examples: Train for a half-marathon. Start training for a 5K. Learn how to knit. Visit at least 3 museums. Clean out closet. Make the perfect chocolate cookies. Learn basic Spanish phrases. Find a summer job. Go vegan. Eat meatless three days a week. Finish essays due for the rest of the semester. Begin research and outlines for essays.
3. Choose 3-5 goals that you want to focus on.
Make sure that you choose goals across difference interests. You shouldn’t try to set goals to both clean out all the stuff you left at home and clean out your entire computer’s hard drive. You can do that another time; the true feeling of accomplishment will come from improving your life across the board. (Note: If possible, you can make a goal to organize your computer and closet. Important to highlight the if possible part.)
4. Make a plan of attack for your goals. Set smaller goals throughout break.
5. Go get it!
What’s particularly difficult is figuring out how to make break productive when you are traveling or working during break as it feels like you are already very actively doing something. My suggestion is to adjust your goals to your schedule. For example, you could pledge to work out for at least 15 minutes a day before you go to work or you could decide to learn as much history of the country you are visiting as possible. I think the biggest key to success (hi DJ Khaled) is to commit to what you want to accomplish. It doesn’t have to be encompassing you all of break (sleep in a little!), but it should give you plenty to talk about when you stop on Market Street to ask how everyone’s break was.