How to Productively Use Your Winter Break: A Beginner’s Guide

By Ian Donnelly

Winter break is the oddball of vacations. It’s not long enough to settle into like the dreamy months of summer, and it doesn’t have the same “let loose” time limit that makes spring break so much fun. Depending on how you use it, winter break can feel like a lethargic, TV-binging lifetime or a chance to play catch-up with no time at all. But it doesn’t have to be a choice between extremes—here’s a few ways to make your time off productive while still enjoying your well-deserved freedom.

Apply for Future Opportunities

Applying for scholarships and internships is time-consuming, and chances are there’s at least one application you’ve been putting off during the semester. Winter break is the perfect opportunity to sit down and fill that bad boy out. Of course, you don’t have to spend your entire vacation applying for scholarships and internships, but even if you set aside a few hours a day for working on your applications, you’ll make a dent before those hard deadlines roll around.

Build Your Network

It’s relatively easy to spend your winter break on social media, but you can turn that urge into a more productive undertaking by replacing just one of your social media sessions with some career-oriented networking. Instead of scrolling through Facebook or looking for a new meme account to follow on Instagram, you can update your LinkedIn page and find more people to connect with. If you haven’t set up a LinkedIn yet, you can also email your favorite professors from last semester, thank them, and arrange to keep in touch with them as a solid reference down the road. It takes no time at all and it’s more constructive than filling out an endless string of BuzzFeed quizzes.

Work It Out

No one judges you for the steps you had to take to make it through finals. We personally know that it is an “anything goes” scenario, so we don’t have to talk about the IV drip of caffeine, those meals that are better described as pure sustenance than as actual food, and the unspeakable amount of time spent in a dark corner of the library. That’s one of the best parts of winter break—all the dark days of finals can all be undone with a healthy diet and an active exercise routine. Be sure to take advantage of your down time by getting enough sleep, eating right, and focusing on self-care.

Plan Ahead for Next Semester

You’re probably looking forward to the first day back at college—returning to campus, reuniting with friends, starting new classes—but the beginning of the semester can be hectic if you’re not prepared. You will not want to waste that first day of quality catch-up time buying text books, mapping the routes to various lecture halls, or figuring out how to cram a lunch break into the ten minutes you gave yourself between classes. Get a jump start on planning the Spring semester while you have the time! If you get a handle on your schedule and stock up on supplies now, you can fully enjoy the aspects of campus you miss.

Work on a Personal Project

Have you always wanted to start a blog? Keep putting off that DIY project? Never got around to opening your Etsy store? Then make it happen over winter break! This is the perfect time to create and/or meet a personal goal. With a few weeks of free time to buckle down and focus on another ambition of yours outside of college, you can get your dreams off the ground whether it’s a starting up a profitable side-hustle or acquiring a new life skill.

If you point your energy in the right direction, your winter break has the potential to be a constructive and creative holiday with just the right amount of time to unwind. All you have to do is use your time wisely and consider these ideas that are sure to increase your productivity and overall happiness during your time away from campus.

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