I know, I know. You don’t even want to think about this semester’s finals, let along the beginning of a whole new semester already. But listen! Thinking ahead is the primary objective with secondary education. Plan now and you’ll be rewarded in the future, right? The keys to success generally revolve around good habits. Which isn’t to say you should be afraid to break from routine – you are on break after all! But getting too far away from good habits will make the next semester all the more difficult. Below are some tips to keep in mind over break, that’ll help you kickstart things when the new semester rolls around again.
- Make a To-Do List – If either for day-to-day tasks or writing down what you want to accomplish over the entire break, it may be easier to complete tasks once you see them clearly in front of you. Plus, nothing feels better than crossing off a completed goal. Look at all of our tips below and consider if they fit appropriately in a day planner, or perhaps a monthly wall calender.
- Planning Ahead – By now, you should already know what your next semester is going to look like. Consider emailing your future professors an introduction of yourself and requesting the course syllabus ahead of time (if they have it ready). You can also use this to learn what books you’ll need and can buy them used for cheaper than what your school book store will be selling them for.
- Maintain a (Relatively) Set Schedule – Even if it’s just to read a book that has nothing to do with your major, keep your mind moving. Don’t get too comfortable with your new gadgets or video games; it’ll be that much harder to break out of that comfort once the new semester begins. Mark a time to keep off all social media or distractions on your computer or phone even if for just an hour a day. Now that you have the option of studying morning, noon, or night, pick which time of day works best for you.
- Get Some Sleep – As an addendum to the above, don’t get into bad sleeping habits. Yes, finals are over and you may want to sleep in a day or two, and you feel nice and toasty wrapped in your comforter and plastered to your bed. But you know if you start sleeping ten hours a day, you’ll never want to stop. The best way to get into better sleeping habits is to…
- Eat Healthy and Exercise – The holiday season is full of tasty, hearty, but maybe not the most healthy of foods. Cooking for yourself is a great habit to get into. Start with large pots of soup, chili, or pasta; cook on Sunday and you’re good to go for the rest of the week. Getting in the habit of cooking high power brain-food now could turn into a semester long practice. Likewise, getting in a good exercising habit is a great idea: healthy body = healthy mind. If you live in a snowy climate like I do, consider looking into a gym on campus or in the dorms, or even doing at home exercises like yoga.
- Enjoy the Break! – Be social. See friends, see family. Take advantage of the free time now, because as you know, things are about to kick it in to overdrive again. And sooner than you want! While you’ll want to keep in mind all of the above, remember that you are, in fact, on break. Enjoy yourself and don’t stress out – that’s what the semester is for!