For some, including myself, summer vacation has begun, but for others, it has yet to arrive. I’m unable to secure a job this break because I’m leaving for Portugal in July, and there is no one out there who would hire me for a mere month. This has made it incredibly easy for me to become lazy, putting off the simplest of tasks while I have the house to myself, and as the days pass, I feel like I’m wasting away in a sense.

I still wake up around noon after heading to bed around two in the morning, and by the time I stir, my sisters are almost home from school. When they arrive, my house becomes a bubble of chaos once again, and it feels like the day is already over. I’m going to be honest: I hate it.

I hate knowing that the days are disappearing, and I feel like my energy is going towards nothing. Meanwhile, I have friends I want to catch up with, the time I want to spend with my family, an increasing list of books, movies, and shows I want to make it through, and Youtube videos I want to watch.

With coursework off the table, I find it effortless to fall into the repetitive routine of doing nothing worthwhile, and as it nears June, I’m ready to change that. I can feel it happening already. I met up with a few friends who’ve recently arrived home from school. I finished reading a new book. I finished writing a new book. And this has all happened in the past week.

It becomes very easy to say that there isn’t enough time when school beckons your attention, but when you’re on break, there is no excuse. Are you willing to put off the things you want to do because you aren’t in the mood at the moment? Are you going to complain that the vacation is breezing by when you aren’t enjoying the time?

For me, as an English major, I rarely have time to read what I want to read. My books are pushed aside in favor of coursework, and it’s often difficult to muster the energy to read those—much less reading for fun. Yet, since I’ve been home, I’ve only picked up a book this week. I had a small breakdown in Barnes & Noble the other day as I stared at the shelves, realizing how many books that I’d missed out on during the year and how long it would take me to catch up.

This may seem like a small issue in retrospect, but it hints at the larger problem: I’m not prioritizing the activities I want to do. There will never be enough time for the things you want to do unless you find the time; your routine centers around your own mental priorities, and with more free time, it becomes even more important that you’re doing what makes you happy.

As I’m slowly falling back in love with the things I enjoy doing, I remind you all to recognize where your priorities lie. Don’t let the time go to waste because you’re not reveling in it.

If you’ll excuse me, I have a tall pile of books calling my name. This summer is my chance to catch up on the things I love. This is the chance to read everything I can get my hands on, devour films and television, and listen to albums that align with my music taste and that don’t. This is how you continue to foster your creativity when you’re on break: by observing all of the ideas of the world.