I am sure your first reaction to the title of this post is to wonder how it is even possible not to become lazy in the summer, and that your second reaction is to call me a hypocrite for encouraging laziness in the summer after writing in an earlier post that I could not defend any adult who would ever call you lazy. The reason the contradiction between the post I wrote during the school year and the one you are reading now works, though, is really quite simple: while laziness during the school year has a very negative connotation, some level of laziness during the summer can actually be a positive. No matter how much assigned work you have this summer, no matter how much you choose to do on your own and/or have planned for you, and no matter how much of my advice regarding continuing to develop your study skills over the summer you choose to take, you should be able to find some time to enjoy yourself. Sometimes, that will mean being completely lazy, and that’s okay, because you have earned a break after the hard year you’ve had. Most of the time, however, enjoying the lazy days of summer should not mean actually becoming lazy. Instead, it should mean finding ways to balance the temptation to be lazy with the need, as well as the desire, to keep learning. The suggestions I offer on how to do this might seem impossible to some of you, but I promise you, they will pay off if you give them a chance. If all else fails, you can take the advice I’ve given in previous posts and find ways to schedule both work and fun this summer, but if you try combining them at least some of the time, you might find that you like it more than you ever thought you would!
My first suggestion is one I’m sure most of you have heard before, not only from me, but from just about anyone you know who loves to do it – when you head to the pool or the beach, bring a book! As I always used to say to my students when they tried to protest this idea, you have to come out of the water sometimes! While the pool or the beach is a perfect place for those free-choice books I’ve mentioned in previous summer-related posts, you can certainly bring required reading, or even actual studying, to the pool or beach as well – depending on how much time you have and how much you hope to accomplish on a given day, you can plan water breaks between study sessions or study breaks between water sessions. Since it is summer, the choice is yours! It is also your choice whether to bring easier or more challenging material – though reading easier material by the water might be more fun, the water could also provide a great incentive to read or study more challenging things. One summer, I studied economics by a neighbor’s pool – it wasn’t my best subject then, and it isn’t my best subject now, but I still remember the sense of accomplishment I felt each time I enjoyed getting to swim while also getting work done!
In addition to reading or studying by the pool or at the beach, you can also do it while traveling, whether by car, plane, train or boat! If you suffer from motion sickness, reading in a moving vehicle, especially a car or a less-than-stable boat, might not be the best choice, but you could listen to a book instead. If you do not suffer from motion sickness and have a particularly long ride ahead of you, reading for part of it can help break up the monotony of the trip. The more focused you are on your way to your destination, the more fun you can have, and the more lazy you can be, once you get where you’re going!
If you won’t be near water and won’t be traveling, you can also enjoy the lazy days of summer at home. You can read or study on your front or back deck, porch, or patio. You can lie in a hammock or on a lounge chair, or on a towel in the grass – wherever you can get the most out of your lazy summer days – and read or study at the same time. You can use books, or you can be on your laptop or tablet – take advantage of the portability of your study materials to enjoy the great outdoors! Even at home, you can balance study times with breaks – put down the books or other study materials and take a walk or ride your bike or do any physical activity you choose – whenever you want! If you need to make a schedule, make one, but if you can balance work and fun without one, summer is the best time to do it. Even if you have a lot of busy days in your summer, try to make the most of the lazy days when you get them – when the busyness of your new school year catches up with you, you’ll be glad you did!
You may not have thought so at the beginning of this post, but I hope you realize now that it is indeed possible to enjoy the lazy days of summer without becoming lazy! Wherever you go and whatever you do for the remainder of your summer, keeping that in mind should help you make the most of it!