Maximize Your Time Off School

Our friends at CosmicCoachingCentre wrote us a great article about how you can make the most out of your time off this summer :)

Maximize Your Time Off School

School breaks are what most students always look forward to every semester or school term. Having some time off school allows you to do all the things you find really hard to do while at school, like watching TV until midnight, going out with friends even during weekdays, and just not having any books to read or power point slides to prepare.

While the thought of merely spending your time aimlessly is very tempting, it won’t be a good idea for you to consider this time off school as hibernation. It wouldn’t hurt much if you sleep late and spend time watching your favorite TV shows during the first week of your vacation; you deserve it. But after that, you must get yourself out of the couch and do something productive.

Here are some tips on how you can best make use of your time away from school:

1. Make a workout schedule to stay fit!

We all make so many excuses for not doing the activities that will make us physically fit. It is very likely that you didn’t have enough time to hit the gym when you were still in school. But now that you are free from all school work, there is no reason at all for you not to have a workout routine.

2. Apply for an internship

Internships are made available by companies and organizations particularly during summer and winter breaks. This is their way of encouraging students to be productive during their breaks.

By joining an internship program, not only will you gain a real life experience, but you will also make yourself known by more people in various industries. You may not really appreciate what this can do for you, but you have to realize that as you build your career later on, you will need connections who will help you find employment. Furthermore, an internship experience is something you can include in your resume in the future. Employers and hiring managers are always impressed by those who bother to become interns during their school breaks.

3. Clean up your room or apartment

Having a messy room or apartment is not normal for anybody, but it can be understandable for students like you who are always preoccupied with school work. If, however, you go back from vacation into a messy and dirty living space, this just means that you didn’t use your time off school wisely. The school break is the perfect time for you care for your things, especially your apartment or your room perhaps. By doing this, you will feel very excited about starting another semester in a pleasant living space.

4. Read ahead

While your school break is the time for you to relax, it won’t hurt if you pick up a book to read every once in a while. Reading ahead is an effective way of learning in advance what your professors will teach you during the semester. If you do this, you are actually relieving yourself of so much pressure and burden when the time comes that you have to make a report about the book you have already read.

By planning your school break schedule, you will remain productive and you can avoid wasting precious time. This is also an excellent time for you to do some career planning, especially if you are nearing your college graduation.

About the author:

Cecile Peterkin is a certified career and retirement coach, and a registered member of the Career Professionals of Canada and the International Coach Federation. She is also the Founder and Senior Career Strategist at Cosmic Coaching Center, provider of career and life management services for middle managers and mid-career professionals across Canada, United States and Europe