How to Survive Spring Break Without Falling Behind in School

It's been months. Spring break finally arrives. You come home on Friday and fall onto the couch exhausted and relieved.

But once break is over, most students start to quickly fall behind in school. The final stretch of the school year catches you off guard after that nice break. With final exams, choosing next year's classes, college applications, graduations, or simply looking for a summer job, it's almost like the break actually took more of your energy and motivation for school. This is the ugly truth behind spring break.

Why Your Schedule Falls Apart

As soon as that break hits, most people's schedules become a mess. They no longer have school that dictates how to live their life. Their schedule starts to drift. This has happened to me before. I would have a relatively normal schedule. Yet by the end of spring break I was sleeping at 2 PM for 12 hours a day and spent my time awake playing games and eating chips. Then by Sunday I was trying frantically to readjust my schedule for school, having done nothing very productive.

Why Spring Break Hits Different Than Other Breaks

Spring break being one to two weeks makes this behavior almost inevitable. Compared to other breaks like winter break, which is during the holidays and keeps kids busy, most students who have minimal responsibilities take the break from school and start to drift because there isn't much happening during spring break. Spring break isn't long enough to do something very meaningful but is short enough to be a "quick break." Not to mention that the break is during the final stretch of school, where students start to slack off since they see that the year is about to end.

The Monday Morning Reset

We both know that we're not going to be studying for 4 hours a day during break. Don't try to overdo yourself. Take your weekend off, but on the first Monday set an alarm and put aside 15 to 30 minutes so you can at least have a framework for how you're going to keep this spring break manageable. Write a list of things like:

• What is due immediately after break? List every assignment, quiz, or project with a deadline.
• Have a small window of hours that you can sleep that fits your school schedule. If you sleep at 11 usually, sleep anywhere from 11 PM to 1 AM.
• What activities can you do so you're not completely unproductive during break? Like working out, simply participating in the community, watching an informational YouTube video about an interesting topic, or writing notes.

Be realistic about your goals. Set aside at least 15 to 30 minutes a day doing something productive, something you already love. It helps build your discipline and isn't draining all your energy. It also keeps you from feeling the shock when coming back to school.

Watch Your Routine

Another big thing to watch is your schedule. Without school you start waking up midday, spend 2 hours of your morning scrolling, spend your days by yourself, or outside all day. Somewhere in your day, find when you seem to do your work the best. Whether morning or night, be consistent. It helps keep you accountable.

The One Thing That Actually Helps Most

One last thing you can do, which has personally helped me, is to plan when you come back. Whether that means sending a simple email to your teachers asking what topics you'll be covering when you come back, or checking Google Classroom for new assignments. If you alleviate the pressure of learning these new topics by exposing yourself to these ideas, even just in the background, you can actually slack off the first or second days as you readjust to school and not be behind. This also means to pick out your clothes the night before and find all of your school supplies so you enter school calm and not frantic trying to find everything.

Final Thoughts

Spring break isn't a time to completely let yourself go. It's a simple retreat. It's a time where you can regroup, sleep in, play games, but stay on your feet. The school year is about to end whether you're ready or not. By implementing small things throughout your day, your future self will thank you. When you return energized and calm, not completely unmotivated, you'll ensure you're not stuck after break trying to catch up.