Summer is here, and for people who don't have jobs (yet), it is easy to fall into a slump of laziness and lack of productivity. But I'm sure you can think of a million things you ought to be doing (resumes, job applications, cleaning your room) instead of Netflix, phone games and checking your email 17 times per hour. And if you can't think of anything, I'm sure your parents have a to do list that stretches down the street and all the way to the grocery store (in fact, the grocery store is likely on that long laundry list-- come to think of it, I'll bet laundry is on there somewhere as well).
It is very important to stay productive during these months, so that when you go back to school, or find a job, you are accustomed to accomplishing goals. If you sit around watching Netflix all day for the entire summer (and no, finishing all ten seasons of "Friends" for the seventh time does not count as accomplishing a goal), you'll be mentally and physically out of shape for getting back to work. You won't want to do anything when you really need to, because you'll be out of practice with working. One of my professors told us in class that you have to get in good writing habits; if you write for 20-30 minutes per day, every single day, you'll be in the habit of writing and writing will come more easily to you. It will feel strange not to be writing. The same is true for anything else. If you accomplish something each day, you'll stay in the habit of being productive.
Make yourself a to do list so you can see that you are accomplishing something. Do a few items on your list each day so that you stay on top of what you have to get done; this way, you won't have a long list of things piled up on your plate that you MUST do all at once, and you won't burn yourself out. Make sure you keep SOME time to do things that rejuvenate you -- you don't have to cancel your Netflix subscription, but maybe limit your screen time. Go for a run. Go to bed early. Color a picture. Learn how to do something new. Go swimming. Make sure you don't neglect your body and mind. You need to eat, sleep and have some personal time. Just don't let yourself have an entire summer of personal time.
Spend some of your free time with your friends and family. There are a lot of people who care about you who are very busy and need to learn to make time for rejuvenating and hanging out. Help them to stop and smell the roses with you. Life is a balance; find the way to get feng shui in your life and the lives of those around you. We are all racing through life, or racing through nine months and then neglecting ourselves for three; there must be a way to restore the balance of work and play that is so essential to our bodies and souls. Exercise, eat right, sleep, work and play; only you can determine the best percentage of each. Go experiment, find your balance, and have a great summer!
