As someone who didn’t have many free periods until this year, I thought they were wonderful  … and incredibly distracting. It was far too tempting to spend the period playing games on my phone or shopping online. Midway through the second week of school, I realized I couldn’t do that anymore, as school was starting to speed up and homework was piling up by the hour. Now, free periods are the most productive and important part of my day. Here are 5 ways I recommend using them:

1 – Write a list of goals.

When a dozen assignments and deadlines are floating around in your head, school work seems daunting. By writing down each task, we become more organized and prepared to get everything done. Plus, there’s nothing quite as satisfying as crossing out items on a long list!

2 – Have some incentive.

Losing motivation is really easy. Especially when you’re low on sleep, hungry, and stressed. To remedy this, find some incentives. For example, say you have to complete one chapter of reading for US History and do a quick chemistry worksheet. To keep yourself focused on the goal, encourage yourself with an incentive, such as candy or some TV time after school, to ensure you keep going so you can have that Hershey bar or time watching your favorite TV show (I highly recommend Grey’s Anatomy).

3 – Ask teachers for help.

All teachers have free periods! Many of them may line up with yours. If you’re confused on a math problem or you need an essay edited, try to meet with them. Even if none of your free periods line up with your teacher’s, then try to meet with a different one. A perfect example of this is the Literacy Center. Different English teachers are in there nearly every period to provide assistance to all students, not just their own.   

4 – Create a study playlist.

Sometimes the material we learn in school is not very fun. It’s really hard to keep doing a boring assignment and it’s even harder when a hard deadline is approaching. This is where music can help. Music can make the material more exciting, motivating you to keep going. On top of that, studies have actually shown listening to music improves retention!

5 – Relax!

These periods can be for other activities than conquering the textbook or memorizing notes. Free periods can be used to take a moment and slow down. Sometimes it’s best to take a break and write down some thoughts or read a book or enjoy a snack! Did you know the PR library offers coloring books to stressed out students who need a break? Don’t feel guilty: it’s perfectly acceptable to just relax and give your mind a break!

That’s how I use my free periods. What do you like to do during yours? Comment below!