How to be productive and make the most of your summer

Hello darlings!

I am so happy to be back with a new post today, especially as it's quite different to what I've been sharing with you so far. We’re coming to the last few days of July which means the holidays have finally started for most of you! Those early weeks of summer holidays are definitely a time I love in the year because school is finally over, the weather’s lovely and you have the whole summer to enjoy! But because you have so much time in front of you, I feel like it's quite easy to get stuck in a lazy routine and just let summer slip by completely, and before you know it, it’s the day before school starts and you might realise you haven’t made the most all the time you had! Of course, it’s essential to relax and slow down but I thought I would give you some tips on how to still stay productive during the summer holidays. I hope these will be useful!

Tidy your room and put your school stuff away

One of the first things you might want to do at the start of the summer holiday is tidy your room completely. Throughout the weeks, it’s likely pens, papers, books and so many other things will have accumulated on your desk and shelves so your room might be starting to look a bit messy; those first few days after the end of school are the perfect time to give it a good tidy-up. And while you’re at it, you might as well make the most of those days to sort through your school books. If you’ll need your notes next year, you might want to make sure everything is organised well and then put all your folders away in a corner of your bookshelf. But in my case, this year, I didn’t need anything anymore, so I emptied all my folders and put everything in a big recycling bag, only making sure I kept all the folders that were still in good shape so I could use them again next year. And finally, you can also empty your school bag, give it a wash, and put everything away ready for September. I think doing this is really helpful as it just puts school behind you and lets you start summer afresh – especially if you’re going on holiday, it means you’ll be coming home to a clean room and not a stack of school folders awaiting their fate in the corner – and because everything is organised, you won’t have to worry about it in the last week of the holiday. I know for me, doing this is essential to making me feel like summer has really started!

Make a to-do list

If you don’t do it already, something I definitely recommend you should do on the first proper day of the holidays, is sit down with a pen and notebook in hand and music playing in the background, and just gather your thoughts. I prefer to write a to-do list every week and split it up into separate days in my bullet journal as it means I'm not pushing everything back to the last week of the holidays. Instead, I feel more organised and it means I can have a look at my list every day and start doing the things I need to do, ticking them off as I go. It might be to go and buy a present for a friend which will take me out shopping, or packing my suitcase if I’m going on holiday soon, and sometimes, it might just be simple tasks I don’t always think of or have time for during term time but I know I’d like to do, like sorting through the photos on my phone. What's great is that it’s likely most of your tasks in summer will be enjoyable while also keeping you busy and saving you from doing pointless things on your phone all day.

Make a bucket list and start new projects

Apart from writing a to-do list, you can also want to write a bucket list for the summer. I’d never done it before, but this year, I made a small list of all the things I wanted to do during the summer holidays. Because you have so much time in front of you, summer is THE time to start new projects that will need time and keep you busy. Whether it’s writing a book, an art project, redecorating your room, or anything else, it can be really fun to start something new during the holidays that you might not have time during the busy school year. And of course, as well as projects, there are some really cute and cool things that you might also want to do over the summer, like sleeping under the stars, going for a midnight swim, going to a festival or on a long hike. I feel like summer is the perfect time to try things, experiment and just have fun!

Try a new healthy routine

Summer is the perfect time to reset your habits and fall back into a healthier routine. What I mean by that is definitely not that you should restrict yourself in any way. For example, have as much ice cream as you want and make the most of those sleepovers with friends by staying up all night if you feel like it; I know my summer wouldn't be the same without both of these things! What I mean is that you might want to try a new morning routine that's going to keep you more active and productive (you can find some inspiration in my last post) or set goals for yourself like drinking more water or reading on a more regular basis. I know that for me, changing things up and having healthier habits definitely makes me feel more motivated and it's likely that will make me more productive as well.

These are all of my tips and I hope I have given you ideas of things that you'd like to do this summer to enjoy yourself and make the most of it. I do want to add that the most important thing to do to make the most of your holiday is to embrace every opportunity and have fun!

I hope you enjoyed reading this post! Thanks to the growing support on this blog! I appreciate every like and comment and it's always a pleasure to chat to those of you who do!

I'll see you very soon for another summer post.!

Sixtine