Being Productive When You Have Nothing To Do

Alternately titled: How To Be Productive While You're On Break

I suppose it would have made more sense if I had made this at the beginning of break and not the week before classes are in session again. But truly, how would I have known these things had I not taken all of break to figure out what worked for me and what didn't? This break was sort of a trial and error process, split between legitimate time off and then time at work.

On the days I had work, it was pretty simple getting out of bed and dragging my butt to the parking lot to drive to work. But the days where I don't have anything to do (even going to Target gets me out of bed and productive), motivation is far and few between. And as a person who constantly needs to be doing something, lacking motivation and not doing a single productive thing in a day drives me crazy. So, through trial and error, here are a few tips I picked up that helped me get out of bed and do something with myself on the days where I had nothing on my agenda. 

1. Treat it like any other day

On days where I don't have any work, I still get up and go through my normal routine. I pluck my eyebrows, I wash and exfoliate my face, I brush my hair and tie it up into a topknot. I'll put my moisturizer and topical treatments on and will generally stop there, just because there's no point in me putting makeup on when I'm not going anywhere. I'll have my usual coffee and bagel for breakfast and then I'll get dressed instead of lounging in my pajamas all day. My attire as of late has been an oversized turtleneck from Madewell and a pair of my fleece lined leggings. Fuzzy socks are optional! 

Doing this just makes it feel like a normal day. I'm still comfortable, but I've at least put a little effort into the start of my day to jumpstart any activities! 

2. Write yourself a to do list

To do lists are the one foolproof way to get me to do things. Shocking, it's right in the name. But honestly, I have a colorful array of post it notes at my disposal and I dish them out multiple times a day (I hate messy to do lists). I'll write down anything and everything on the list, even doing laundry or washing my makeup brushes (as well as things like blog posts and emails and what not). I don't use my school agenda over break, so I rely on post it notes to tell me what I need to get done and when!

3. Start small and take breaks

Obviously, there's no need in being in full of work mode when you've got a day off, so just start with little tasks. Maybe mine is to read 20 pages of a book or to finish a shorter magazine. When I'm working on actual school work or something bigger for work, I generally don't let myself have breaks, or at least not big ones. But I'll take frequent dance or tea breaks when I've got a day or two off, just to remind myself that even though I still want to be productive, I should still treat it as well deserved time off. 

What's your favorite way to stay productive when you're at home?