It only takes 21 days to develop a new habit, so be sure to make it a good one! Here are a few tips on how to manage your time and do things you enjoy during your well-deserved winter break.
Tip #1: Start or continue using a planner for everything.
If you haven’t already been using a planner for the school year, now is the best time to start. Not only does the process of listing out your daily schedule feel relaxing, but it also gives you a better sense of time management. Even if the tasks are as small as showering, walking your dog or going to Target for the fourth time this week, writing them down gives you a sense of accomplishment and keeps the feeling of “wasting your time” (which isn’t really a thing) at bay.
Tip #2: Set a bedtime and an alarm — and stick to it.
Practically everyone has some sleep to catch up on after the end of the quarter (including yours truly). But although sleeping in until 11 a.m. for the next four days seems tempting, this pattern is sure to mess up your sleep schedule even more, perhaps even prompting a few all-nighters to offset the late mornings spent in bed. Instead, try setting a bedtime and a morning alarm that allows you to both catch up on sleep and fix the poor sleep schedule you had before. Try sleeping for eight to nine hours maximum each night for the first week, then adjust as you feel fit.
Tip #3: Tackle a new project every day, no matter how small.
One of my favorite things to do back at home is to go through all my old stuff: diaries, boxes of old clothes, the piles of unsorted books and old school papers that are still stuffed in my nightstand. Having a little adventure set for each day can not only give your room some necessary spring (or winter) cleaning, but can also add to that sense of accomplishment. Whether it is organizing and donating old clothes or creating a vision board, any kind of project that keeps you occupied for a few hours is better than being on your phone, even though it might not seem like it at first.
Tip #4: Relax!
Most important of all, relax. I personally like to watch cartoons when I’m back at home; it gives me a sense of nostalgia and peace that most of us don’t really get in the college environment. Just do anything that you’ve felt like you either didn’t have time for or was a waste of time during the quarter: bake, dance or play with your old Wii console. Just have some sort of fun before it’s time to head back to campus!
