How to Stay Productive Over Summer

By Alex Wen on July 21, 2014

Between the sweltering heat and the rainy nights, for many students mid-July is also the halfway point in their summer vacation. You’ve made being lazy a fulltime occupation and your idealistic list of productivity is gathering dust, but it’s not too late. Here’s some activities to keep the mind active, without having to get out of the summer mood.

Podcasts: These modern day, bite-sized radio bits are perfect ways to brush up on interesting topics or learn something new. From the journalistic stories of This American Life to entertaining science lesson from Radiolab, there’s a podcast for every niche and hobby. Most podcasts are either weekly or monthly and they’re always free to download to your phone or computer. This flexibility combined with its compact format makes it a convenient companion for commutes and bedtime listening.

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Novels: The nemesis of many students growing up, books can actually be a lot of fun when you’re in control of what you read. Libraries always have a vast collection of books to borrow and they’ve stepped into the modern world with Overdrive, a service that lets you borrow ebooks and audiobooks. With more free time over summer, take a break from TV shows and movies to immerse yourself into a literary adventure. It’ll keep the mind active, while also keeping you entertained.

Textbooks: Even more detested than trudging through Shakespeare, the humble textbook can also be entertaining when you get to choose the topic. Most secondhand bookstores and online auction sites sell old textbooks for dirt cheap. Whether you’ve always wanted to learn a little about cinematography or psychology, reading textbooks is a great way to branch out and learn something outside of your major. The best part is that without academic pressure, you can read the chapters that interest you the most, all at your own pace.

Reddit: The king of time-wasters can also be used for good. The self-proclaimed front page of the internet has a vibrant community that shares and discusses every topic under the sun. The fun comes from digging past the homepage to find subreddits (sections within reddit) that contain a wealth of educational knowledge and platforms to stay up-to-date on your favorite hobbies. /r/AskHistorian is one example of a subreddit populated by historians and professors that answer interesting questions on history. /r/WritingPrompts is a subreddit that allows you to flex your writing skills and be critiqued for it.

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Writing: It’s simple, it’s flexible and it’s useful. Writing can be used as a reflective tool, while also improving core soft skills that can be handy in a future career. Whether it’s writing a journal on your daily life, writing for a blog (like Uloop) or freelancing on a subject you are passionate about, writing is an underutilized tool of expression and communication.

It’s important to relax. After all, the nice weather days are numbered. However, the wealth of resources offered by the internet and local communities allow everyone to stay productive while having fun. You’ll be able to start classes confident about the knowledge you’ve gained and happy about your productivity.

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