A break from college might feel like precisely what you need after a tough semester, and the temptation is there, for a lot of people, to simply sit back, relax, and let the days go by until they’re ready to get back into their studies. However, college is when a lot of young adults start to become more truly future-minded, understanding that they may need a little extra work on themselves to become productive and capable people ready to get into the workforce. As such, here are a few ways you can use your break a little more productively.

Take on a summer job

A summer job might strike some as menial work that’s only fit for wiling away the hours while you earn a little extra money. This can be true, there’s no doubt that there are plenty of retail and food service employers looking for extra help in the summer, and you can always use that extra money to help you pay your way through college, even if it’s only to keep up with the costs of living. That said, you could potentially hook yourself up with a more future career-relevant part-time job if you take a closer look at some of the summer opportunities available.

Sharpen up your resume

If you’re taking on new work experience, then you should make sure that your resume is reflecting that as well. You may be one of the many who has gotten this far without writing a resume, which means it’s time to get stuck into it. Even if your work history is relatively short (or non-existent) you can start learning how to better present the skills you have learned in both education and extra curriculars. You can also upload your resume to things like professional social networks or job hunting sites so that if you do look for a worthwhile summer job, you have an easier time of it.

Work on yourself 

You have so many extra pressures during the school year that it’s easy for some of your usual priorities to slip. A lot of students find that their health and fitness, in particular, can suffer some if they’re too buried under the stress of studying to really take care of themselves. The summer break can be the perfect time to look and feel your best. Start going to the gym more regularly, or consider finding at-home workouts or walking and cycling routes to get a little more active, and start actively thinking about ways that you can improve your diet. It’s not just good for your body, it can help improve a healthy mind, as well, making you sharper and better motivated when you get back to school.

Get into diving

There are fewer better times to get into a new hobby and pick up a completely new skill than when you’re enjoying your summer break. After all, it’s hard to get such a long stretch of free time and, what’s more, the weather tends to be great for a much wider range of hobbies. One such activity that can enjoy a lot more freely is, for instance, scuba diving. If you live near the coast, you could pick up scuba diving courses and learn a whole new way to enjoy the water and to see sides of it that others may never get to. Scuba diving can’t be done only in the summer, but it’s definitely one of the best times to at least start picking it up thanks to the sun.

Shape up your space

If you’re moving into a new dorm or apartment at the beginning of the next school year, you might not have to worry about this too much. However, if you’re coming back to the same space, you might want to think about how you can better arrange it for work and living. Decluttering your room can help you start to prioritize what you want to keep and what could probably get thrown away. You can make more room for a space to study, while also getting rid of the visual distraction that really can make your room a more stressful place to be. Getting a desk organizer, cup pen, and other little additions for your study space can make it a lot more useful, as well.

Get writing

If you’re looking to get some extra value from the time that you have spent in college so far, and you enjoy writing, then it can be a great idea to put down your thoughts, experiences, and lessons so far. Sorting through the year that has been can help you get a better perspective on what value it has had to you and, what’s more, can help you better think about what you want to do with your next year as well. To that end, you might want to look at writing a blog. Writing a journal can work just as well but with a blog, you might find yourself connecting with like-minded people, sharing tips, and even learning a few things.

Pick up a productivity podcast

Even if you’re not doing a whole lot with your summer, you can make sure that you’re ready to do a lot more when you get back into another year of working hard. To that end, you should take a look at some of the productivity podcasts that are out there. You can learn more effective ways to organize your working day, how to stay motivated when you’re working for hours, and ways to make sure that you can find what’s driving you and make that a core of all of your efforts going forward. Productivity podcasts might sound like motivation mumbo-jumbo for those who have never experienced one, but they do tend to be full of pretty useful tips and tools you can use in daily life.

With the tips above, you can make sure that you’re making truly productive use of your time off while getting refreshed and ready for a new year of college.