The transition between college life and summer break is dramatic. One minute you are busier than you’ve been all your life, the next you have absolutely nothing to do. Sure you can get a job but depending on where you live, that's not always an option. You could also go on vacation, but some of us don’t have the money for that (probably due to not having a job). So what’s left for a person to do who has no job and no vacation plans? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
It’s easy to give in to the temptation of doing absolutely nothing. However, in my experience I often find myself racked with guilt after a completely worthless day. I’ve compiled a short list of some tricks that might help you feel a little better about your time spent during the summer months. Next time you’re lying around the house, basking in your laziness, you should try some of them.
1. Exercise
Yeah, yeah. I get it. Nobody likes to be told to exercise. And nobody wants to believe the truth either; that exercise really does make you feel more productive. Even if you do nothing all day, going on just a thirty minute jog or bike ride can boost your self-confidence and bump up your endorphin levels. Plus, exercise helps you sleep better at night. After a hard day of doing nothing, you probably won’t sleep as well which is bad because....
2. Set your alarm to 9 am
Everyone’s sleep schedule is different, but one fact is universal: college kids love sleeping in. However, when I sleep in until noon, I often feel guilty that half the day is wasted. I like to set my alarm for 9 am during the summer. Depending on when I go to bed, getting up at 9 am enables me to sleep in a bit while also starting the day off at a decent hour. If you don't like 9 am, find a wake-up time that works for you. You can still get up and follow your daily morning routine. After a while, you’ll automatically get sick of lounging around and actually want to do something. The question is, what could you possibly do?
3. Start a new hobby
Or continue an old one. Pick at least one activity that you really love to do and commit yourself to doing it every single day, even if it’s just for ten minutes a day. Personally, I have committed myself to practicing piano every day. You could become an expert at origami. You could knit a sweater. You could learn Swedish. The possibilities are endless. We college students have spent our entire lives setting and achieving goals; it’s what we live for. By accomplishing small, fun tasks each day over the summer, we can feel much more productive and satisfied with our time spent. So satisfied, that we might not even mind doing something a little less fun…
4. Do chores
This might already be a required activity for some households. Personally, neither of my parents have ever been strict about chores. Whichever the case is for you, either continue doing chores like you’re supposed to or do them even if your parents don’t ask you to. Hands-on activities are a great way to feel productive, and to take a break from staring at television and computer screens all day. Ask your parents if they would be willing to give you an allowance for helping out around the house. If you're doing nothing, you might as well help your parents out, and earn money doing it! Take out the trash, put away dishes, wash dishes, dust, vacuum, etc. After working up a sweat doing chores, you can feel relieved to plop down on the couch, kick up your feet and…
5. READ
Purposefully, I put reading separate from starting a new hobby. Reading should be something that everyone does already, right? So just keep doing it! I know how hard it can be to start a new book right when the school year ends, especially for English/Humanities majors. All we do the whole year is read. When it comes time to finally read for pleasure, we feel burnt out. I’m here to tell you that you actually can read for pleasure again. The first step is finding a good book to get you back into reading and then just do it. If you aren’t enjoying it, force yourself. Eventually you'll enjoy it… I hope. Reading is probably the best thing you can do on lazy days. How productive does it feel to close the pages of a book you’ve just finished in it’s entirety? Very. And, it doesn’t require any physical activity. You can indulge in your laziness while feeling productive at the same time if you just read!
By taking the simple steps stated above, hopefully you can feel a little better about those long, lazy summer days. Just think, you’ll be back at school before you know it!
