Productivity But No Burnout: Summer Edition

I have two minor issues with summer: the amount of unfilled time there is due to the lack of work, and the struggle of filling out what to do because you want to remain productive. If you're anything like me (I have strict parents), you probably wouldn't be able to just drive off somewhere to go hang out with your friends on the beach. You're academically driven and you like having things to do. However, after a year of online school, you've burnt out and don't feel like working very much. Yet you want to stay productive. It's a constant cycle of back and forth between laziness and action that I'm here to help you navigate.

Here's the deal: you want to allot your time in an opposite format of what you might have done during the school year. In the school year you might have done 70% schoolwork, 10% extracurriculars, and 20% downtime and relaxation. Over the summer, it should be 80% relaxation, and 20% work or extracurriculars. You want to be able to maintain your productivity while also rejuvenating your mental health and spirits. Working should not be your main priority during the summer unless you know you can handle it.

Activities that feel productive but aren't studying/schoolwork:

• Volunteering

• Summer job (babysitting, dog walking, food services, grocery stores, tutoring, etc)

• Cleaning up and doing laundry

• Organizing and giving away old clothes

• Learning/practicing an instrument

• Leisure reading or writing

Activities that aren't productive but still fun:

• Picking up a new hobby (origami, art, baking or cooking, etc)

• Exercise (be wary of the heat though, it's warming up)

• Hanging out with friends

• Sleeping

• Gardening

• Talking to friends

• Watching movies (don't fall down the rabbit hole of constant electronics, though. It becomes draining)

• Summer camps

Activities that are recognizably productive:

• Studying for the SAT

• Summer work for upcoming classes

• Summer classes

• Internships

• Summer programs

In regards to that last section, please don't overdo it! You'll be undeniably busy once the school year starts and you'll miss the free time you had during summer. Yes, you can do them, but don't make that the only thing you do all summer.

My recommendations for your summer:

Find something fun to do and make sure you do it! It doesn't have to be a huge thing everyday but maybe sleeping in an extra hour or working on an art project will allow you to feel more like yourself again. If you want to feel like you're doing something, maybe start thinking about the next school year. Even setting up a productive plan for the fall feels like you're doing something. Find the balance between fun and work that works for you and stick with it. And of course if you're doing work and you feel tired, take a break to reset. Your brain will thank you later.