Recharging Over Winter Break

After months of rest from the last race, the gun fired yet again sometime in late August or early September. Like sprinters, we ran as fast as we could until we crossed the finish line. During our runs we expended all of our energy and ignored other interests.

Only a few of us made it to the podium. With another race coming in about a month, it is crucial to make the most of your academic offseason to reach your potential.

Equilibrium

Some people might call it “making a New Year’s resolution”, but it is much less lofty than that. Recharging is first and foremost a biological term. Students take a beating over the course of a semester. Poor diet, inadequate sleep, and persistent stress for months on end leaves us apathetic and slothful by semester’s end. To assuage your poor body’s woes, address your individual needs:

• Maintain a regular sleep schedule, but allow yourself a full 7-9 hours. Don’t go on sleep binges or you’ll suffer in the long run.
• Incorporate better food into your diet. Since you have much more free time, fast food should not be necessary. The microwave should get a break, too.
• Move! Honestly, even if there are two feet of snow outside, just bounce around your house like a fool for 15-30 minutes throughout the day. Do five pushups every time you notice yourself daydreaming. Clean inefficiently so you have to go up and down stairs more often. Do whatever it takes to get some exercise.

Once you have your sleeping, eating, and exercise habits under control, you will be able to pay attention to your backlog.

Who are you, and what have you done with my interests?!

I picked up my banjo for the first time in 3 months only to notice a definite 20% decrease in dexterity. I even found a book that I had marked as 75% finished during the summer. I couldn’t even remember the story.

School has to be a priority, but not always. For those of us who can’t find the time to keep up on hobbies and interests during the semester, breaks are a crucial period of time to do so. Reconnect with friends. Finish that book you’ve been wanting to read. You just finished a grueling few months; make sure that you don’t start next semester pining for another break.

Make the most of the time you have before school is back in session. Extract every bit of value from your break so you are more than ready to hit the ground running come January.

Getting Organized and Cleaning Up

As the break draws to a close, make certain that you are organized. Have a place for everything. File all of your papers from last semester or throw them away. Have binders ready for all of your new subjects. Take care of all the little things now while you don’t yet have any assignments to worry about. Wash all of your clothes, change your sheets, hell, even wipe the top of your ceiling fan blades so you stop sneezing all the time.

I’ve repeated myself quite a bit in this article, but I can’t stress it enough. First, recharge, get yourself back on track, and have a great time catching up on your life. Then, capitalize on your copious free time to be as prepared as possible for next semester.

Happy holidays, everybody – stay relaxed, and stay focused. (And try not to get fat.)