Tips to Enjoy Summer While Staying Productive

Summer is the ultimate craving students have after a year of donkey work and stress. It seems that in that span of about two months, young adults want to find their “new selves” in time for back to school. To return to school as a better version of themselves. Yet, between summer assignments, the rush of summer plans, and the anguish of the next year, it’s hard to unravel and rest.

Here are some tips to enjoy summer while still being proactive.

This might sound very poetic and corny, but manifesting goals is a way of getting into a great mindset. There is a lot of information about manifestation and law of attraction; let’s talk about the practicality of it. Yes, it sounds like a fantasy of daydreaming mixed with goals, but it is far more than that. The way I see it goes like this: when you manifest things, your mind has a positive implicit chain of thought about the subject.

But how exactly do you do that? The way I like to approach it is in a very sensible way: practicality and feet on the ground. It comes from the idea that your energy attracts what you want. In theory, if you are in a negative mentality, you are going to attract things you might not want to achieve. It makes sense once you think about it; when sending out positive vibes to the universe you will be not only in a better mood, but you will also be open to embracing what life brings to you. Yet, I understand that that may be very difficult because of the anguish of school, social life, and work. But with small shifts, you’ll find that you are more aware and open about life. For example, instead of thinking “ugh, I hate being stuck home the whole summer,” think: “I’m going to go out more, make more plans, go for a walk…” It’s the same idea, but, it has a completely different energy. Summer is a great time to get into the habit of looking at things through a more grounded positive way.

Start with small steps, believe me, it’s going to change how you look at life.

Sometimes, we are so excited for summer and sleeping in that we forget that there is life outside of our own comfort. The idea of a fun summer linked with spontaneity may sound like it will occupy the entire two-month break you have, which might be true in some cases. I, however, have found that having a simple scheduled look at your summer helps you keep grounded. Not only does this motivate you to do more things, but it may help you handle your free time with no stress. Now, you don’t have to have a complex plan for each and every day of your summer break! Just remember that having a routine and a sense of time is important. How many times have we woken up not knowing what day of the week it is? I especially recommend this for people that have summer homework. Dedicating time to work is an investment no high schooler wants to do. Yet it’s rewarding when you are one of the few students who have at least looked at the homework before the night before the first day. Work aside, having a routine and schedule motivates you to go out and make plans (try new restaurants, have a picnic, have a pool day). It doesn’t have to solely concern daily work. There will be some days where you might wake up and want to do something different to what you planned, and that’s okay. Ultimately though, having plans written out, whether they are high intensity all days plans or a self-care day, allow you to have control.

As you get older, you have the chance to explore and go into more advanced classes like IB and AP. Something that I did last summer — and planning to do this summer as well — is to do a little research on such range of classs. With research, I don’t mean start learning the material. Research is more about understanding the class and what it is about. Yes, every school may administer these classes, but the good thing about AP and IB is that there is a lot of information online. Use that as a resource to find out what you will learn, how the test looks like, and what are the key concepts you will get from it. It is very grounding when you walk into one of those classes knowing what it’s about. Of course, you’ll find out anyway, but as a student that took AP Seminar sophomore year without knowing what it was, let me tell you it saves you a lot of time and cramming. Also, you’ll be one of the few people who seems like they have their life together.

Now, this tip might apply more to upperclassmen, but there is no harm in doing it if you are not. As school comes around, the same anxious siren of “college talk” will be among us all.

You might not know what you want to study, or even if you want to go to college, but take some time out of your summer routine to do some research. Sometimes as students we overlook the lifestyles universities represent: whether they are rural, urban, large, or smaller, or if they have clubs, sports, opportunities for internships. These college characteristics are ignored because we are so focused on prestige and price.

Even if you don’t know what you want to study, it’s important that you start looking at what kind of lifestyle and educational life you want after you graduate. Additionally, if you have the opportunity to visit any campus, even if they are not what you are aiming for, is a great summer plan. Even if you don’t like it, at least you can be able to see what you don’t like and find somewhere else that may work for your liking.

Enjoy your summer the way you want to. These tips have helped me because they are very adjustable to anyone’s situation. Make them as you want. But most of all, UNWIND. The school year is full of stress and deadlines, and there is no need to make summer about that. Even if you are doing an internship, a family trip, a summer camp, or just going with the flow, make sure to take time to reflect on your goals and what you want to do for the next year. It is important to look forward to things as you march forward.

So… summatively speaking: manifest, keep a routine, investigate your classes, and start thinking about your future (without stressing too much)! 🙂