Be prepared your summer holiday survival guide

Be prepared your summer holiday survival guide Be prepared your summer holiday survival guidePosted November 26, 2013, by Marni Williams Its the first day of Term 1 and you cant believe its come around again. You swore you would get ahead but its been more Scrubs and Six Feet Under than Samuel Beckett and homeostasis. You wanted to return fitter and refreshed, but the parties and Christmas leftovers were irresistible. Most of all, you thought you were going to spend that precious five weeks working out what you wanted to do with your life and yet here you are at square one again. Well, you do have a new pencil case Ok, so thats not you but it was me back in January 2001 when I realised Id arrived at Year 12 having wasted my holidays and done nothing in preparation. You still have your summer holidays ahead of you to relax and revise so dont follow my example. Make like a Scout and be prepared. Community service I dont mean spend all summer playing backgammon at your nannas nur sing home, but make sure you fimmel off a few important things while you have the time Socialise servicing your own sense of community is just as important as helping others. You will need support throughout the year so work on putting some good times into the memory bank. Do something for your parents even if its just cleaning out the gutters, doing the washing or buying some groceries. Visit your relatives they can offer great advice and you can bank it for when you need to ditch family catch-ups for study later. Personal development This could be one of your last school holiday breaks at home, so take the opportunity to learn a few essential life skills from your folks. Learn to cook youre going to have to feed yourself when you move out of home, so take the time to learn a few tips and staple dishes. Driving if you havent learnt already then nows the time how else will you be able to do that road trip when you finish Year 12? Practise budgeting you wont be able to rely o n a weekly allowance forever, so learn to budget now. Work out how much youve got for the holidays and make it last. Orienteering If youre going to face your senior years then you need some clear direction. Make your way to a mountain top of your choice whether thats a corner of your bedroom or the local park and do some soul-searching without interruptions. You might want to take the UAC Guide with you and tischset some SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable and time-based) once youve set your compass on a future career. Pioneering Now that youre soon to be released from your desk, get out there and see some things in person. You will gain a new perspective on things if you make like Indiana Jones and discover things at the source. You can combine spending time with your friends and family with learning by planning trips to museums, galleries, library exhibitions, theatre productions, music concerts or expert talks. Find some events related to your subjects and marvel at your ability to kill multiple birds with one stone. Wilderness survival This isnt just about getting outdoors, its about not getting eaten up by the wilderness that is a directionless, party-infused five-week break as I well know, its far too easy to get lost. Disconnect you dont have to go camping, all it takes is to find some sun and leave the phone inside. You can get some real thinking done when theres no deadline and no interruptions. Schedule your social time in advance so your FOMO doesnt take over your precious downtime. Get moving again dont just oil up your rusty joints, take yourself out of the gym and off the beaten track. It takes a good few hours in fresh air to really feel like youre on summer holidays, so grab the sunblock, get some vitamin D, and look forward to sleeping like a baby when you get home. Get to the doctor line up all those appointments youve been putting off. You dont want to start the new year with weak glasses or still suffering back pain. Treat it and beat it before 2014. Books are transportable have a picnic with Hamlet or go for a walk with Melina Marchetta just make sure that you also take a notebook so you can return to your al fresco thoughts later. Whether youre travelling by plane, train or car, reading is a good reason for some alone time away from the siblings. Party in moderation you dont have to be a monk to make the most of your summer study time. Blow off some steam with your mates but be sure to stick to your rations and dont stay out in the wilderness for too long. Exploring The summer holidays are the best time for exploring. Check out your local university unigelnde, private college or TAFE when the students are out of the way and you can be free to take selfies around campus as you please. If youre ready for a challenge and really want to explore the world of university or college then you might want to consider summer school. Be prepared to veg out Ok, this one isnt a traditional merit badge but there is an art to vegging out with a purpose. Change things up by tracking down some course-related docos, TED talks and podcasts. You can even record your own notes and listen back for those times when you just. cant. read. another. word. And if you do seriously want to veg out, make it quality. Choose a full season of your favourite show and reward yourself with episodes rather than just surfing channels and wasting viewing time. Whatever you do, organise your viewing and listening ahead of time and dont get sucked into the Youtube/Facebook/Snapchat vortex. Most importantly, you need to be getting ready now Make sure you have all the course materials you need before final classes roll around. And if youre not already armed with chapters and sample tests, then ask your teachers to point you in the right direction pronto. Finally, if you can schedule at least one thing a day for work, one thing for fun, and something every other day for your body, then you are sure to wind u p feeling smarter and stronger in 2014. Or at least a bit like Chief Scout Bear Grylls, and mentally ready to deal with the situation when you find yourself dropped into the jungle next year. 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