College course schedules can be much better than high school schedules. Classes are later, fewer hours are spent sitting in class, and there are breaks in between. But how many times have you had an hour or two in between classes and you don’t know what to do? You go back to your dorm, watch Netflix, surf the web, and all of a sudden, it’s time for your next class, and you’ve done virtually nothing. Being productive in between courses can be difficult, especially when you only have an hour. But it can be done! Here are some ideas on what to do when you have precious breaks during your day.
1. Review or rewrite class notes.
This can be very helpful for retaining information from the class instead of letting it slip out as soon as you leave the classroom. Head to the library, grab a coffee, and sit down with your notes and skim through them. It can also be beneficial to rewrite your notes or scribble a summary of what you learned on a sticky note. When it comes time for an exam, you will be happy you put the effort in now.
2. Write it down in your planner.
When starting your homework, your first instinct may be to write everything down you need to do that day. If you make a to-do list early in the morning, when you finally sit down to be productive, you can get right to it without having to shuffle through all your syllabi to figure out exact due dates.
3. Answer e-mails.
The little red bubble by the mail on your laptop can sometimes be extremely stressful. If you have a few minutes, read through your emails and send some quick replies to clear out your inbox.
4. Go to office hours.
If you just got an essay back and are upset with your grade, have a huge exam coming up and are not sure where to start studying, or even have a quick clarification question, office hours can be super helpful. Figure out which of your professors have office hours during your breaks in the day, head over to their office, and get your questions answered.
5. Get a head start on a big paper.
Starting a paper is always the hardest part. When you have a short break in the day, crack open your laptop and read over the prompt. Then try putting words on a page. Even if this is finding a handful of quotes for evidence or writing an outline, when you go back to your paper later, you will be glad that you have something written down.
6. Make a to-do list.
Sometimes everything you have to do is just floating around in your head, and you don’t know what to do or where to start. Clear your head and write these down on a sticky note or in a notebook. Your list can consist of anything from taking a shower to editing a paper. Either way, you’ll feel so much better when you can see everything you need to on one piece of paper.
7. Call your family.
It always feels good to curl up in your bed and talk to your family for even just a few minutes. You’ll feel less homesick, get to hear about what’s going on back at home, and tell your family what’s going on in your life.
8. Take a nap.
Taking a well-needed break may come across as lazy, but a twenty-minute nap can be what you need to get through the day. Curl up under a blanket, set a timer, and get some well-needed rest.