When the end of summer is right around the corner, it’s always important to get yourself in gear for a new school year, or get ready to say goodbye to friends and get back into your work schedule. If you procrastinate your own ending to summer, you’re probably going to get into some trouble in more than one area of your life, so here are some ways to get yourself ahead of the game:
Start Using a Planner
Some colleges and universities give freshmen a small academic planner before they start their new college life. It’s a great idea to get your hands on an abandoned academic planner, or a cute Pinterest-y one and start marking your days. Don’t forget to plan adventures outside of your daily grind too! .
Set Your Goals
Whether you start making a to-do list daily, weekly, or monthly you’re going to get somewhere. It’s important to always have goals and even a to-do list of steps to reach your goals. Whether you need to complete a summer project without procrastinating, or clean your apartment before your roommate arrives from vacation, always remember to split your tasks into baby steps so you know you can actually get everything accomplished.
Get Ready With Rewards
What’s the point of setting goals if your only accomplishment is being left with the “what’s next” feeling? Try adding some mini rewards to your goals. For instance, if you have a boring summer reading project, try setting out some candy pieces or dollar bills between chapters so you have something to look forward to. If your goal involves getting back into a workout routine, research some local fresh fruit cafés and reward yourself with a new smoothie bowl you haven’t tried yet.
Stay Connected
Remember, after summer ends, your friends aren’t disappearing forever. Whether you go to a different college than your friends, or you are travelling back home from a fun staycation with them, exchange numbers and get planning. Set up some trips to each other’s towns or plan a vacation where you and your friends can meet up somewhere for a spa weekend. A really awesome trick for keeping your friends up to date after you’ve started a new, busy job is setting up a day each week/month to get together. Tuesdays can be for your sister, while Thursdays are for your girls, and Fridays are for the BFF who doesn’t get along with the latest installment to your girls night out chicas. The possibilities are endless with social media, so don’t worry about your friends having their own lives or being too far away!
Make sure you know your schedule like the back of your hand before settling into your new post-summer lifestyle. Do what you can to get yourself back into some regular sleeping hours before meeting a new roommate or starting a new job. No matter how down and anxious you feel about the best summer ever coming to a close, just be sure to remember the next one will be so much better and you have a whole year to get ready.
Featured image via Anthony Shkraba on Pexels
