There are many different ways you could spend the first long weekend of the new year. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which falls on this coming Monday, could mean a three day mini-vacation, a time to get extra hours logged at your job, or a chance to have a holiday that doesn’t involve much of anything at all.
Or, it could be a bit of everything.
Make the most of the first three-day weekend of the new year with these four approaches that foster success in and out of the classroom.
Be a Friday warrior
The absolute worst way to spend a three-day weekend is not getting a lick of work done and not enjoying yourself because you’re too busy worrying about the laundry list of things you have to do when you return to a normal schedule on Tuesday. The answer? Don’t slack off today. While you may want to treat Friday as an extension of the holiday weekend, try to instead think of the extra day off as an incentive to get as much done as possible. This way, you can plan to enjoy yourself without being crippled by having too much to do that you end up doing none of it.
Make room for whatever
Set aside at least a half-day for whatever comes to mind. Maybe you sit around and do nothing, maybe you call a family member or friend, maybe you tell others you’re free and see what comes up. Either way, holidays are few and far between, and the opportunity to have three days away from school and work to recharge your batteries does not come around too often.
Plan a Monday workday
One approach that many craftier students take to three-day weekends is actually turning their day off into a work day. And it actually makes some sense. On Monday, coffee shops will be less hectic, school libraries will be next-to-empty, and all will be quiet for you to get as much work done as you wish. The other side of the coin is that on Tuesday when everyone returns to work, you can use the time to relax as movie theatres, restaurants, and parks will be much more cleared up than they were on the weekend.
Look up volunteer opportunities
Holidays are meant to bring people together, and few others do so as well as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Give back to your community by browsing volunteer opportunities in your area today. Just a few hours of charity work can have a big effect on changing the course of your school term as you begin to be more thankful for the opportunities you do have and less worried about the smaller stressors of day-to-day life.
Need more advice? ACI can help with everything from finding volunteer opportunities to managing your time. Contact us on Twitter at @ACISpecBenefits or on facebook, Google+, Pinterest, or YouTube. Also, feel free to contact ACI Specialty Benefits at (800) 932-0034, or email info@acispecialtybenefits.com.