If you’re a college student like me, you’ve probably just finished finals and took a few days to sleep until well after noon. Maybe you just vegged and did absolutely nothing, or maybe you made a few half-hearted attempts at getting some work done. Then, the it happened:
Reality set in and you realized that you have 3 months to fill!
You have a list of things that you either want or have to do, but you have no idea how to complete them now that you’ve had your taste of freedom! You start to think about how you can finally relax and just lay in bed gaming or watching Netflix all day, everyday (no? just me?).
Yesterday, I sat down and made a list of all of the important things that I need to focus on this summer, before my mind gets drunk on the freedom of not having a set schedule!
This is the list that I came up with!
⇾ This website! I really want to put a lot more work into this website over the summer. It would be amazing if I could blog full-time for a living!
⇾ My paid employment. I can’t blog full-time currently and pay the bills, so I still need to keep up my work at my paid job! As a college student, I need to have some way to buy groceries and other necessities.
⇾ My summer internship! I will be starting a summer internship with the NCSU SOUL Garden as a photojournalist, which is super exciting!
⇾ My health. I want to make sure to keep exercising and eating right so I stay on track!
⇾ Work on my relationships. I am living with my boyfriend again, so that is a relationship that I really want to work on. There’s also my family and my friends to think about, though!
⇾ Myself. I want to take the time this summer to relax and enjoy my life. I would love to focus on what I am passionate about, such as photography and reading.
Making time for what’s important!
With these things in mind, I started to make a timetable of my daily activities. I can work 29 hours for my paid job (at 30 they have to offer me health insurance, so they cap me at 29!) and I need to put in hours at my internship towards my 150-hour graduation requirement.
Now, you’ll notice that I have only scheduled things for Monday through Friday. That is because I want to keep my weekends free for spending time with people or pursuing other interests, although work will inevitably bleed in there somewhere! Additionally, this is only for the time until June 26, when my summer classes start and the demands on my time will change.
Here are a few tips to get you started!
1. Write down a list of your priorities so you know what you need to specifically focus on.
2. Determine if any of your events have specific times attached to them, like a work schedule or a quota.
3. Determine if any of your events have specific locations attached to them, so you know if you need to factor in driving time.
4. Take into account how much sleep you need each night and when you wake up every morning.
5. Make sure to leave time for yourself! Don’t book everyday fully with boring, adult things. Leave some time for watching TV, playing with your kids, or whatever else makes you happy!
If you want a few more pointers on how to have a productive week, check out one of my other posts: How to Have a Productive Week!