Organize your planner for next semester

Break out those highlighters and gel pens! Create a planner key to keep you organized during spring semester — color coordinate by class or task and use different colors for school, work and your social life. Look up your school's academic calendar and fill in long weekends, breaks, and finals week to get you ready to crush your spring.

Get started on your resolutions

Why wait until January to start working on your goals? If you get started now, your resolutions will feel more like habits by the time the new year rolls around — and you'll be more likely to stick to them!

Get your class materials 

Sure, you may not be able to predict what exactly you'll need for each class, but check your campus bookstore or email your professors to see what materials are required for the class. Better yet, ask around and see if you actually need that $300 textbook or if you can slide by with notes.

Clean your space

Get a head start on spring cleaning! Plus, by going through your closets and storage before Christmas you may be able to find some lightly used items to donate to local charities for families in need this holiday season!

Work, volunteer or intern

Check with your campus offices to see if any of them need some help over break with students going home and earn a little extra so that you're not feeling too broke after the holidays! Or spread some holiday cheer by volunteering at a local food bank, animal shelter or hospital!

If you're in need of an internship, now is a great time to start looking — maybe not for spring, but for summer! Get those resumes in!

Update your resume or CV

Speaking of resumes, have you updated yours recently? Add in skills you've developed, volunteering you've done over the semester, part-time job experiences, and add classes to your CV.

Read a book (or two)

When was the last time you read a book for pleasure and not for a class? Yeah, me too.

Pick up a book or two for yourself while you're out holiday shopping or swing by the library and find a better way to relax your brain this month.

Answer your messages

Those emails you've been scrolling past all semester? Texts you planned on answering the next day...three weeks ago? Voicemails from Grandma?

Take a breather now that the semester is over and answer those messages! Don't let unanswered emails be a source of stress this break!

Get back into a hobby

Being in college often means little to no free time, and usually the things we love are the ones that suffer most from that. Pick up that scrapbook, go buy some festive yarn, tune your guitar or clean your paintbrushes and get back into your hobbies over break!

Try to keep them in your schedule for next semester so that you have a built-in stress reliever!

Take a break from the apps

Take a few days over break off from Facebook, Insta and any other apps you find yourself mindlessly scrolling through when you're bored. Being present and mindful is a big step towards productivity!

Take some time for self care

Put on a nice face mask, light some candles and relax! Let yourself get ready for next semester by taking time for yourself!