While everyone needs a summer break, it’s important for students to use their time wisely. Summer vacation can be either a learning wasteland or a learning paradise. The temptations are great for children to spend hours watching television or playing video games, but with a little ingenuity and planning, the summer can be transformed into a time to stretch the mind, explore new hobbies, learn about responsibility and build on skills learned during the school year.

So here are ways you could stay productive all season and return to uni with more skills than ever:

1). Keep Cool:  It’s summertime and the heat is sweltering, but it doesn’t mean you have to be! Don’t let the heat cause your productivity to melt with it. Keep hydrated throughout the day, or take a quick break to catch some fresh air and pick up some iced coffee. Have some fun with it too, try out a new juice or refreshing smoothie.

2). Start with the Hardest Tasks:  If the morning is the time of the day you feel the most energy, start it by tackling your hardest tasks. It only gets hotter into the afternoon, but if you’ve got your momentum rolling at the start, it’ll be hard to put a stop to your productivity. Prioritizing the big tasks when you’re the most productive can increase the chances of you finishing your responsibilities for the day.

3). Plan your future goals:  Living in the present and making the most of it is great but you also need to be wise and plan. Sometimes reflecting over your short-term and long-term goals, helps you reach your target much faster. Rather than being preoccupied with everyday events, take a step back and look to the larger prospects.

5). Get inspired: Watch some inspirational TED talks or interesting documentaries on BBC, Youtube, Netflix. With the internet, the world is your oyster, and there’s inspiration everywhere, so make the most of it; and If watching is not your thing, listen to podcasts while you commute.

You could also use Pinterest or Instagram to look for some new DIY inspiration. If you prefer reading, why not head to our Knowledge Base where you’ll find plenty of content to keep yourself occupied for days.

6). Learn Something New: Keep your brain in tip-top shape by challenging yourself to learn something new. Maybe a new language or some fun tech ideas include learning how to code, putting together your own robot with a raspberry pi, building your own customized computer desktop, or attending a tech conference to learn about new technology that you are interested in. Keeping your brain busy for the summer will help you be more productive. Use what you learn and see how you can become more efficient, save money by doing something yourself, or start something new.

7). Take a crash course: Taking an extra course—or two—over summer break could allow students to enhance their transcripts, or explore a topic outside their major that they wouldn’t otherwise have time to learn.

8). Take on an undergraduate research project: In some fields—particularly those in STEM—research opportunities can wind up being even more valuable than summer internships. Undergraduate students who work with professors on summer research can often qualify for grants and fellowships to cover associated costs, too.

9). Work on Yourself; At this point, you might think I’m telling you to fill up your summer with as much work as possible – I’ve been telling you to go after opportunities, create structure, and constrain your time.

As you follow your plan, I’m confident that you’ll have a meaningful, productive, and fun-filled school holiday!