Weekly Musings: Life After High School – What do you do when you have nothing to do?

If you had asked me how I felt about completing my final exams two months ago, I would have said that I was ecstatic and looking forward to it like no other. I found myself counting down the days on the calendar I had taped up on my bedroom wall until I could finally let go of the breath I’d been holding since the beginning of the year; but when the day came, I felt strangely indifferent.

If you’re anything like me, you sometimes feel oddly unproductive after a full day of rest and relaxation even though you have no exams coming up, there’s no homework due, and there’s no school to attend the next day. I would say it’s because we’re the type of people who always need to have some sort of project going on.

These are a few of my tips to negate those feelings of unproductivity during the school break:

1. Write out everything that you want to do during this period. It might seem a little trivial and tedious to list out things that are fun and relaxing, but it will give you a clearer outline and a reminder of everything you want to do during the break. It will also be a good reference in case you do find yourself a bit lost.
2. Find a job. This way, you’ll have some savings for the next stage of your life, whether it be going back to school, travelling, taking on an internship…
3. Teach yourself something new. The break after high school is usually longer than any other school holiday so it’s the perfect time to learn something new. This could be learning a new language, a new skill or even a new sport.
4. Improve something about yourself. This could be something simple, e.g. cleaning up the bedroom that you’ve allowed to become a mess for the past year; or something that requires a bit more effort e.g. doing one nice thing for someone every day.
5. Find a new hobby. This is a great time to pick up a new hobby before life catches up again and you find yourself without time.
6. Have a movie marathon. This can be a fun way to pass time or perhaps refresh your memory if there are any sequels set to release soon.
7. Watch a new tv series. This is another relaxing way to pass time, especially if you’ve put off watching television during the final school year.
8. Read one/a few books. Many of us have a list of to-read books, why not use this time to cross some off?
9. Set goals for yourself. This is my personal favourite thing to do since there is a broad range of ideas out there to suit my needs. You don’t have to set a big goal for yourself unless you want to, just be realistic and choose something that you can reasonably accomplish during the time. This can be as simple as writing down a line of gratitude each day or perhaps going out for a walk a few times a week.

Reflect: Does this apply to you?