In my most recent post, I wrote about how challenging it can be to make the time to check your progress or consider making any improvements to your study skills when you have just come off the short Thanksgiving break and are already anticipating the longer winter holiday break that is soon to come. While I hope you are taking the advice I gave you to continue keeping track of your grades and making improvements to your study skills, no matter how tempting it might be to neglect it right now, I also hope you realize that I know that it is far from the only thing on your mind. While my last post focused on where you are in your current grading period and how that impacts your approach to your work before, during, and after the holiday break, this post will focus more on how you can use your time as wisely as possible and balance your need to complete your work with making time for whatever special events and/or holiday preparations you also have in your schedule. No matter where you are with your study skills and how much you need to accomplish between now and the upcoming break, time with family and friends, special events both in and out of school, and holiday preparations and events are just as important, if not more so, because of the meaning they have in your life. While you shouldn’t neglect your studies right now, neither should you neglect the traditions and events that really matter to you. With careful planning, according to your schedule both in and out of school, you can make the most of this time. The more able you are to do that, the more able you will be to be present in each moment, and the more able you will be to make the holidays a special time without sacrificing the progress you are making with your study skills.
While I am sure you are anticipating your holiday celebrations and the upcoming break, and are looking forward to being present in all the special moments that will take place once you are out of school, I am just as sure that you have given much less thought to being present in the moments that are taking place while you are still in school. While I mean first and foremost that you should strive to be as focused as possible in your classes even as your break is approaching, I also mean that you should strive to be as focused as possible outside your classes and away from your studies as well. If your school does anything special at this time of the year, strive to be just as present at those events as you are in your classes – appreciate them, participate in them, and acknowledge what they mean to your school community. If they occur during school, focus on them instead of on classes you may be missing or work you could be doing. If they occur outside of school, make time for them while also making time both for your studies and for your holiday preparations and plans. Obviously, if a school-related event and a family tradition or time with friends are in conflict, you will need to weigh your options and figure out what takes precedence or if it is possible to split your time between or among events, but once you decide what is best, you should still strive to be present where you are instead of thinking about what you are missing or what lies ahead.
While your studies should be your first priority no matter what else you have planned before your break, it is perfectly natural and understandable that once your break begins, your first priorities will be celebrations and vacations, not your studies. Depending on how long your break is and what your plans are, you should be able to prioritize your holiday plans over your studies, as long as you remember to fit your work in whenever you don’t have plans. Determine at the beginning of the break which days are so busy that you won’t have time to work, which days you can schedule work around your plans, and which days are completely free or free enough that you can get work done while also taking at least some time to relax. First and foremost, plan to take Christmas and any other day your family dedicates to celebrating completely off from your studies, so you can be completely in the moment with everyone who is there with you. Once you have blocked that day or those days out, take a more critical look at the remaining days, as well as at the work you need to do, and try to find the best possible times to do what you need to do without sacrificing plans or saving your work until the last minute. Treat the remaining days as you would weekend days during the year, and find the best times to study so you can enjoy the rest of the time.
As I said in my previous post, make sure you make time to read for pleasure, whether or not you have other work, including assigned reading, to do. Reading, especially for pleasure, is the one thing you might even consider doing on Christmas or other extra-special days, as long as you are sure you have really found some downtime and are not keeping yourself from the celebrating going on around you or from assisting with meal preparation or other chores you might be asked, or even offer, to do. If you receive a new book as a gift, especially one you have specifically asked for and are really looking forward to reading, you might even find it difficult to wait for the right time to start reading it, but no matter how much you are anticipating it, make sure you stay in the moment while celebrating, so you can also be in the moment when it’s time to read. If you have assigned reading to do, be careful not to become so absorbed in your pleasure reading that you neglect the assigned reading, but don’t let the pleasure reading go for the sake of assigned reading, either. Just as with everything else when it comes to study skills, find the right balance between pleasure reading and assigned reading, and don’t let any of it keep you from enjoying this holiday and vacation time.
The best way to make sure you can be in the moment both before and during your upcoming break is to plan how you will balance your anticipation for the longer break and whatever celebrating you will be doing with what you need to accomplish with your studies and when the best time to do that will be. Being present in each moment, both those you can’t wait to get past and those you are so looking forward to, is easier said than done, but the more you think to do it and plan accordingly for it, the better both your work and your celebrations will be. No matter how much you have to accomplish, whether with your work or in preparation for and celebration of the holidays, remember that being in the moment means making the most of every opportunity not just to succeed with your studies, but also to make memories that will matter and endure far beyond any success you could ever hope to achieve.