For many college students, summer begins anywhere from mid-May to early June with the likelihood of school resuming sometime in the late weeks of August or early weeks of September. For University of Michigan students, however, the word “summer” promises a dismissal of classes in late April, with classes resuming in the first week of September.
As such, we are blessed with the ability to enjoy our summer to the fullest. However, the downside to this is even if we do have a summer job all lined up, it can feel a bit boring going the entire month of May with absolutely nothing to do.
Given my, what some might refer to as odd, desire to constantly be occupied, this month-long period definitely serves as a time where I want to ensure I have things to do on a regular basis.
Whether you’re a student like me who needs this time to become productive or just someone who needs a loose structured-schedule, here are the 5 ways you can be productive at the start of summer:
1. Find a good book
Alright, so this one’s a bit tricky. I realize that not everyone loves to read, so for those of you who rejoice at the start of summer because you no longer have to keep up with weekly class readings, I apologize. Still, even for people who don’t love reading for a class, your opinion on it may completely change once you have some free time over the summer and are able to find a good book you actually enjoy. And for those of you who, like me, are slow readers, this will definitely kill some time.
2. Resume or pick-up a new hobby
Not all of us go off to college with a hobby and come to find that we just don’t have time to keep up with it as much as we’d hoped once classes start. However, whether you are someone who lost track of that high school hobby or simply a student who is interested in starting something new, now is your chance. Sign-up for piano lessons, buy knitting material, and download Pinterest baking recipes. Your previous or new hobby will surely help the days fly by.
3. Unpack and clean everything
No, this one is definitely not fun, but most of the time it is necessary, and it certainly will take roughly 2 days out of your open summer schedule. Even if you put most of your things in storage back at school or packed lightly on the clothing front, there’s always the inclination not to unpack since in 3 months, you’re going to have to haul everything back to school again. Unpacking can be useful though as it allows you to have everything organized and ready to use for the summer. What’s more, is that once you unload it all, you can clean and reorganize. Fun, right?! I’m in the minority, because for me, this is fun, but even if you’re not an organized person, I guarantee you’ll be glad you did this.
4. Travel
It seemed only right to follow-up that last point with something a bit lighter and more fun: like traveling! While it can require a lot of planning, traveling is the perfect thing to do in the summer, especially if you have a few weeks free prior to starting your summer job. Remember, traveling doesn’t mean you need to go somewhere far away or expensive. Simply taking a weekend get-away with a friend or significant other to escape some time at home can be a great stress reliever, and definitely feels productive.
5. Establish your summer schedule
Once you start working that 9-5 job, it’s going to be difficult to get into a new schedule right away with your new hours, so start early. In those first few weeks while you’re home, establish some kind of scheduling for how you will manage your time so that when you do get acquainted with that job, you aren’t stressed about fitting everything in. It will give you something to do before things pick-up, and it will definitely relieve some of that new job stress.
Some of you may have a few more weeks before you’re officially home for the summer, but for those of you who have that slot of time before starting your job, I hope these are some good suggestions for how to make things a bit more productive.
For now, cheers to the start of summer and here’s to hoping we stay busy!
