Make this summer a fruitful one with these productivity tips.
As well as being a great time to take a well-deserved break, the summer holidays are a brilliant opportunity to achieve your goals. Here’s how you can stay productive this summer:
Set some academic goals
One way to stay productive this summer is to create some academic goals. You could pledge to keep up with global developments and interesting ideas related to the subjects you study by reading relevant news articles, books, and research papers. This will help you to build upon what you already know. It doesn’t have to take up lots of time either. You could aim to read something every week or fortnight.
Another goal could be to complete an online course linked to your studies or interests. There are lots of sites offering online courses, which can last anywhere from one hour to a few weeks, meaning you’re likely to find something that suits your routine. Lots of courses are free or discounted, so you don’t have to worry about breaking the bank.
Schedule some time each week to achieve your goals and complete any courses you wish to do, and arrange a recap session at the end of summer to look back on what you’ve achieved. Remember to be flexible with your schedule and make some time for having fun too.
Plan your future career
Setting career-related goals is another way to stay productive. This could involve researching potential career paths and companies that you might want to work for, creating or updating your CV, or networking on sites like LinkedIn. You could volunteer or get a summer job to boost your credentials. Your goal could be to learn a new skill to improve your CV, such as coding, via an online course.
If you do set some career goals, reward yourself once you have completed them. For example, you could treat yourself to a takeaway once you’ve written your CV. Rewards keep you motivated and productive, and give you a healthy balance between working and having fun.
Set your own personal goals
You don’t have to spend your summer studying or planning your future career. You could use the time to develop your skills and hobbies. Whatever you like doing - whether it’s sports, photography, cooking, or anything else - taking the time to do it will relax you and make you feel productive.
Your personal goals don’t have to be related to a skill or hobby, either. You could start a new fitness routine, or visit somewhere you’ve always wanted to go.
Making a to-do list each week will help you achieve your personal goals. Breaking your goals down into smaller tasks to do over time is usually the best approach. The feeling of achievement when you tick things off your list will encourage you to do more. Make sure your to-do list is realistic and be kind to yourself if you don’t get everything done; remember summer is a time to relax too.
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