LIFE

The last thing on your mind during your time off from school for the holidays is probably homework. Who cares about that book you’re supposed to read or that exam you’re supposed to study for or that essay you’re supposed to write? There’s so many other things you’d rather be doing: going ice skating with your boy, holiday shopping with your friends or curling underneath the blankets watching winter movies with your family.

And while you totally *should* do all of those things, you also need to focus on your school work. With these tips, you can make your winter-break work a lot less wretched.

1. Talk with your teachers before the last day of school.

If you have a big project the Monday you get back, you don’t want to be sitting in front of your poster board or idling by your computer on Sunday afternoon with with a million questions and no idea where to begin. Make sure to review the assignment before you leave for break so you can ask your teachers for all instructions you need. 

2. Keep a list.

Do this at the beginning of your break or, better yet, before school even lets out. Write down all of your assignments you need to finish in the next week and a half so you won’t forget anything.

3. Make a schedule.

Once you know everything you need to do, you can spread out your work time through your break so you’re not cramming everything to the last day. If you have to read a whole book by the time you get back to school, try to read 20 pages a day. If you have an exam the week you get back, set aside one hour every day to read over your notes. You won’t have to ruin the end of your break with cramming if you work little by little.

4. Take study breaks.

If you’re someone who struggles to focus, you might be worried about getting yourself to do work over break. Never fear! Every twenty-minutes or so during your study time, take a quick break. Walk around the house, play with your dog, check Instagram, chat with your mom. Then back to work!

5. Have fun!

Your chem test on Monday doesn’t have to ruin your whole break! Study hard that hour or so in the morning, then head outside with some friends for a celebratory snowball fight, or to the couch with a few blankets and hot chocolate to start watch Elf. If you get the work done early on, you have the rest of the day to enjoy winter break the way you wanted to in the first place—and you won't have to worry about doing so.

How will you get through the wallows of winter break work? Let us know in the comments! 

by Amy Garcia | 11/28/2016