The school year is over and summer is finally here! At first, you may be overwhelmed with joy. I mean, now you have all the time in the world to unwind and relax, don’t you? There are no more tests, assignments or assignments that need your attention.
But, resting and watching TV all day can get old pretty quickly. Soon you start wondering what you’re gonna do all summer. Maybe you need to start studying for the SATs. Or maybe you are an artist who wants to strengthen your drawing skills. If you’re determined to dedicate some of your break to pursuing your passions and achieving your goals, whatever they may be, it’s entirely possible. Finding your motivation, while difficult, is crucial to having the summer you want and hope for.
1. Understand your goals
Identifying what you hope to accomplish this summer is key to understanding the steps you need to take to get there. More importantly, to have specific goals in mind will prevent you from procrastinating and postponing important tasks.
2. Set realistic goals
Your summer can be the one where you both reach your goals and Have fun; there is no need to choose between the two. That said, when it comes to creating plans, it’s wise to consider the time you’ll be spending with friends and family, as well as fun leisure activities. Your schedule can and should have room for work and pleasure. A successful summer is a balanced summer. Don’t let your goals keep you from enjoying your break.
3. Avoid overloading yourself
I admit that I am guilty of sometimes putting too much on my plate, both in the summer and during the school year. But, to spend a balanced and pleasant summer, you have to treat yourself with kindness and patience. Sometimes, even as soon as I’ve checked off the last task on my to-do list, I feel the urge to Do more. This mindset of constantly wanting to work until exhaustion is dangerous and you absolutely have to break it this summer.
If you consider yourself caught in this toxic cycle, encourage yourself to still stop working once you have completed your to-do list for the day. In other words, create boundaries between working towards your goals and having fun, because overloading yourself with too many responsibilities and tasks will inevitably lead to burnout and lack of motivation.
4. Make work fun
Now is the time to find out how you can make achieving your goals both efficient and enjoyable. The image of “work” in most people’s minds is hunched over a desk for hours, but there are many ways to really fun to get things done. Let’s say there’s a cafe nearby that you wanted to try. You can decide to visit it and spend some time working there. Or, you might want to cross off some tasks from your to-do list in your favorite bookstore. Staying productive and motivated is much easier when you love what you do.
5. Start each day by making a to-do list.
Having vague ideas about what you want to accomplish on a given day is sometimes not enough. To ensure productivity, start each day with a sheet of paper and a pen in hand. For some, it is enough to list the tasks they want to accomplish. However, for others, thinking more deeply about when they plan to complete each task and how long each task will take them is necessary.
When creating your to-do list, be sure to be reasonable with yourself. If you’re sure the number of tasks on your list will easily overwhelm you, postponing some of them to later days is a smart move. Feeling overloaded will only make motivation harder. At the end of the day, you know yourself and know what you can handle best.
6. Establish a pleasant morning routine
In my eyes, a good day starts with a good morning. I’ve found that having a consistent morning routine gives me the motivation I need to spend productive and effective time. Your regimen can be as simple as waking up, getting ready, cleaning your room, and making breakfast. Or, it can include other activities, like going for a walk or reading a few pages of the book you enjoyed.
7. Take time to rejuvenate
Throughout each day, it is so important to take time to recharge. Before you know it, the school year will be starting again and you’ll be wishing you had enough time to relax and have fun. Whether you feel calm and relaxed when swimming, exercising, cooking, reading or painting, do the things that bring you nothing but joy.
You can recharge in the easiest way. After working at your desk for an hour, take ten minutes to play with your dog. Or take a break and prepare yourself a delicious snack. The smallest of things can make the biggest difference.
Regardless of what you hope to accomplish, approaching the season in the right headspace, where you understand the importance of balance, is key. By taking your summer day by day and taking advantage of the present, nothing will prevent you from succeeding in this parenthesis.
