Summer is right around the corner, and honestly, we all need a break from waking up at 6:30 AM and stressing over finals. But just because school is out doesn’t mean we should spend the next three months glued to our phones, scrolling through TikTok until our brains turn to mush. Trust me, I love a good binge watching session as much as anyone, but doing absolutely nothing gets old surprisingly fast. The ultimate goal for this break should be having a fun, productive summer. It’s actually the best way to make sure your break doesn’t feel like a complete waste of time.

Being productive doesn’t mean you have to turn into a mini-adult and work a boring nine to five. It’s just about doing stuff that makes you feel good and actually accomplishes something. When you balance fun with a little bit of productivity, you prevent that mid-July existential dread where every single day just blurs together. Plus when you actually do something cool or learn a new skill it gives you a massive confidence boost. You go back to school in September feeling like you actually grew as a person instead of just being the champ of sleeping in until 2:00 PM.

One of the best ways to get this balance is by tackling a creative project you never have time for during the school year. You could finally start that new hobby you have been eyeing or podcast you’ve been talking about with your friends, or learn how to edit videos using actual software instead of just phone apps. If you’re into music, you could teach yourself the basics of the guitar or keyboard. Even something like rearranging and totally redecorating your bedroom counts. It gives you a fresh space to hang out in and it’s super satisfying to see the before and after transformation.

Summer is also the perfect excuse to get outside and get moving, especially since we aren’t trapped in a classroom all day. You can grab your friends and organize weekly pickup games of soccer, basketball, or water polo . If you want something a bit more chill but still active, hiking local trails or going on long bike rides to places you’ve never been is an awesome way to explore. You could even challenge yourself to learn how to hacky sack or new hairstyles . It keeps you healthy, gets you some much needed vitamin D, and honestly hanging out outside is where the best summer memories usually happen anyway.

Ultimately, summer is what you make of it. If you spend the whole time staring at screens by late August you’re going to regret not doing more when you had the chance. By picking just a couple of cool activities to focus on whether that’s getting rich off a side hustle learning a new hobby or just staying super active outside you get the absolute best of both worlds. You get to relax and have a blast but you also head into the next school year with some awesome new skills and stories to tell. So let’s actually make this summer count!