Staying Motivated During Spring Break
Ah, spring break – a much needed hiatus from the chaos of collegiate work. However, spring break can become an academic nightmare, whether your professor decides to schedule their midterm the day of your return or you have a huge assignment that’s assigned to you for the duration of your “break”. However, here are some ways that can help you with staying motivated during spring break:
Keep a to-do list
Staying organized is a great way to prioritize what needs to be done when. Make a list of things that need to be done on certain days, or by certain times of the week. If you have a project, give yourself 30 minutes a day to work on it bit by bit (divide the project into pieces on your to-do list for the week). If it is an exam that you need to be studying for, treat it the same – nothing good comes out of cramming the Sunday before your exam, with a whole week of empty-headedness and (hopefully) rest and relaxation. Studying for even 15 minutes a day will make your Sunday cram session more of a Sunday review session, and you’ll still get to enjoy your break, whether you’re hitting up the beach or going on a road trip.
Find some motivation
If you have a creative mindset – spend spring break finding some motivation (or prepping some much-needed future inspiration). Make yourself a Pinterest board with motivational quotes and print some out. Tape them up on your mirror for when you need them once the semester kicks back up. Better yet, you can find yourself a motivational coloring book, take some stress out and fill in all of the pages, and then tear them out to use as motivational posters. If you’re feeling generous, share them with your friends – they likely need it just as much as you do.
Get some sleep
Take advantage and sleep in. Consider going to bed early, too. You might feel as if you’re a grandma, but your sleep deprived brain needs it more than you might think. Go out and enjoy your break, stay active, and if you end up crashing early by the end of the day, take advantage of it. Catch up on some Netflix shows or watch that four-hour movie you never had time for earlier in the semester.
Maintain a schedule
One thing that makes it difficult to transition back into the spring semester after spring break is that most people throw off their routine, whether it be with meals, exercise, and so on. Breaking your routine defeats the purpose of having a routine. Regardless of what your spring break plans may be, be sure to try and maintain a healthy schedule for your eating habits, sleep, exercise, and when it is time to have fun versus when you need to get some things done here and there.
Knock out your chores
Throughout the spring semester, your chores end up at the bottom of the list in terms of priorities. Between classes, extracurriculars, rehearsals, hitting up the gym, meal-prepping, and studying, when are you ever going to have time to do your laundry, finish up the dishes, and deep clean the bathroom? Even if you’re leaving town for the break, take the day before your trip or the day before classes to get some cleaning out of the way. Coming back into the semester with a clean, personal space will make it much easier for you to focus on other important things in your life.
Treat yourself
Spring break is called spring break for a reason – it’s a time do get away, get your mind off of everything school-related. So how are you supposed to treat yourself and stay motivated? Sometimes your mind and body just needs to get away from everything to feel fresh and rejuvenated. For some, this may mean taking a complete break from everything. Go somewhere far away, that you can’t go to over a weekend off. Take a break from social media. Pamper yourself, whether it is physical or mental.
Team up
Whether you’re taking a break from everything or using spring break as a time to tackle responsibilities that you may have fallen behind on, don’t rule out some of the most important people in your life – your best friends. Team up. Well, don’t fully team up. If there’s an exam or a project you need to work on, study and prepare as a group, that way you can still have fun and get things done. Take a break and hit up the pool or go out for lunch – maybe even watch a movie in theatres. Never forget that you have a support network around you. Whether you’re going on a trip or staying in, don’t forget about those around you!
All in all, what’s most important about spring break is that regardless of what you choose to do with your time, that you are safe. As much as you may or may not dread going to class, it is crucial that you return back to classes safe and sound. Stay motivated, stay inspired, and have a safe spring break.