Hey, guys! So in the past year, I’ve broken a very terrible habit of mine. I used to be one of those people who feel very guilty about taking breaks. “Why are you watching Netflix? You could be studying or editing a blog post?” were common thoughts of mine.
This was a really bad way of thinking because (1) I wasn’t able to relax during my breaks and (2) guilting myself about self-care ruins the whole point of self-care. (I feel like I may have stated the same thing twice, but I’ll stick with it.) One of my goals for this year is to be more intentional about my time, which includes goals like waking up early and not being on my phone when I’m with friends or watching T.V.
A huge part of this goal is about using my time wisely and not spending it mindlessly. I didn’t want to waste my break time feeling guilty, so this is what I did.
//I Didn’t Regard Breaks As Procrastination
This is the number one thing I did. I used to consider many of my breaks as procrastination. Whenever I would watch YouTube videos on my phone or read blog posts, I would scold myself. During my Sophomore year of college, I decided to stop doing that. Because I treated my breaks as, just that, breaks, I was able to unwind faster and became a more productive student because of it.
//Schedule Your Days Hour By Hour
I schedule everything in college, including my breaks. If my entire day was just a to-do list, I would procrastinate and only finish the important things last minute. Whenever I write my daily schedule, I always plan breaks throughout the day. Many people preach about the Pomodoro technique where someone works for 25 minutes straight and takes 5-minute breaks in between. That doesn’t work for me. I’m much more productive when I work for long stretches of time and take 30-60 minute breaks. Schedule your days in the most productive way possible but make sure to include breaks. You know your daily rhythms and how your mind works. Take that into consideration when you plan out your day.
//Finish All Your Work Before Taking The Rest Of The Day Off
This worked really well for me in my first semester of sophomore year because of the way my schedule was laid out. All of my classes were in the afternoon and most days, I didn’t end up getting home until 8:00. This was great for me because it forced me to get all of my work done while I was on campus. Sure, I had time to study and do homework at home (I usually didn’t go to sleep until midnight), but I chose to finish everything while I was on campus. I would study and finish all my homework in the morning, then go to class in the afternoon. Once I got home, I was done. Unless something was urgent, I would wait to do the task in the morning.
This was really great. I would read books, watch YouTube videos, and blogged multiple times a week consistently during that semester. Since I had finished all of my work earlier in the day, I was able to block out a long period of time to relax and work on passion projects.
//Give Yourself Permission To Relax
This goes along with a previous tip, but I think it’s important enough to give it its own heading. It’s okay to stop working when you start getting distracted. I do it all the time. Don’t give up immediately. Try to get things done a few time before taking the break. Sometimes, we’re just not in the right headspace to study or write a paper.
I did this a lot in the month of June. I really did not feel like blogging, so I gave myself permission to take a mini hiatus. Taking little breaks can help you come back strong and be more productive.
//Treat Daily Tasks Such As Working Out And Eating Meals As Breaks
We’re college students. There never seem to be enough hours in a day. With our classes, jobs, homework, and clubs, it’s hard to make time for self-care and relaxation. Even though there are some days where I can’t make time to scroll through my phone and not think, I still feel refreshed. This is because I’ve treated regular tasks as breaks. I never do homework or study during meals. That’s one of my rules. When I eat, I am solely focused on eating. Sometimes, I eat with a friend and other times I just read blog posts, but I don’t do any work at meal times.
I also started treating my workouts as study breaks. Going to a workout class helps me break up my days in between classes, homework, and studying. Instead of treating exercise as a nuisance, I treat it as a break. This mindset is important when it comes to self-care. Don’t consider things like showering and exercising as tasks on your to-do lists. Treating them as breaks will help you be more intentional with your time.
That’s pretty much what I did. Being more intentional about my time has paid off ten times over in the past year. I’m more self-aware about how I think about things, I experience less anxiety and stress, and don’t waste as much time. I recommend this to all of you.
There are many other habits I adopted when I started being more intentional about my time, but I wanted to focus on taking breaks first. I hope you enjoyed and I’ll see you Friday.
What do you do to take intentional breaks in college? How do you unwind after a long day?