How to Beat Summer Laziness | Student Life

Summer is, no doubt, the most fun time of year. Our dreaded morning alarms no longer ring and the all-nighters end. Rather than stick our head in prep books, days at the beach and hangouts with friends take up our days. Instead of binge-watching Fiveable videos, we binge-watch Netflix shows through the nights. But there comes a time when you've finished all the shows on Netflix and Hulu and-gasp!- you have nothing to do anymore! You watch other people live their lives through Instagram and Snapchat. Then, you stare at your ceiling and become friends with the dust bunny in the corner of your room.

Now that's a serious case of Summer Laziness... This type of laziness gets the best of us but don't worry! This will give you ideas on how to not waste your precious summer days:

All you need is some bleach, gloves, an old T-shirt, goggles (if you have), rubber bands, dye, and a spray bottle. A colored shirt is perfect since all you need to is bunch up the shirt and tie the rubber bands into your design. You can look up more specific designs online if you want to make an awesome T-shirt.

If you have a library card, see if your library participates with Overdrive. On Overdrive, you can access a ton of free audiobooks and eBooks in more than 10 genres of books! I recently listened to Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling and it was one of my favorite audiobooks I've ever listened to! Overdrive can not only connect to your Kindle, but you can also download the app via your App Store.

This might sound cliché but find a hobby that's simple to learn such as photography, drawing, writing (stories, poems, fan-fiction, etc.). To stir up some ideas, write a list of all the things you like and find a way to connect those things to a physical activity. For example, if you love Taco Bell, try to recreate some of your favorite menu items at home!

There are TONS of YouTube videos on how to learn to use programs like Photoshop and Final Cut Pro. One search in Google can take you a long way to learning a valuable skill.

Comic books are super cool because they have PICTURES and WORDS! Right now, I'm reading the original Amazing Spiderman from Marvel Comics (which you can find here if interested). If you search around the Internet for a little bit, you can find anything for free.

What's better than homegrown fruits and veggies! Look around the internet for the best way to start your garden. You can find all the materials you need at your local hardware store! My stepdad has a HUGE garden with tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, and so much more! A garden salad happens to taste so much better when it comes from your hard work!

If you're reading this, chances are you have exhausted your TV show sources. You might have even rewatched some shows. Make a spin-off or alternate ending of your favorite series with your friends or by yourself. This is a great way to hang out with your close friends and do something fun at the same time!

Summer means more time for people to bring their kids out to malls and local stores. Volunteer to help out some stores in your town for summer festivals and you might get a paid job in the process!

Document the ups and downs of your life (or the success or failure you've had trying these tricks)! It could be a fun way to reflect on your past self when you look it in the future!

This was one of my end-of-year projects in middle school. My teacher had us write letters to our future selves and she claimed that she would mail them to us on our high school graduation day. You can choose to have a trusted friend or family member mail it to you at a certain date. This is a great way to reflect on how you were in the past. It's a blast to the past, sort of like a time capsule.

 

I hope these tips help you get over the lazy phase in your summer. Being active is the key to making the most out of our much-needed vacation! So don't just sit around tapping through Snapchat stories, go outside and get your summer on!