Summertime is vacation time. Right? Well, not for all students. Summer time is also the time where master students sweat over their projects and desperately try to not look out of the window when everyone else is having off and they need to spend their days in the library or in front of a computer screen. The workload off a master thesis can be quite huge. However, this time will it also be the last time where you will work independently, without clients and on your own time schedule. Most students will go into work life afterwards and therefore I think you should try to make the most out of this last bit of freedom!
Taking a break from the easily getting monotonous thesis routine can be quite refreshing and boost your motivation. If your schedule is bursting with tasks and you feel like you can’t even afford one single day off you should read through my following tips for time management!
Plan ahead!
Write a time schedule for your whole thesis and include your holidays in it from the beginning. Then you know when you won’t be able to work and how much time you’ll lose. It is also quite helpful to set yourself little goals on a weekly to-do list. Reaching a goal can be motivating and if you have managed to cross all points from your list for the week you won’t feel guilty when you take some time off!
Pre-work!
If you want to go on vacation then do it! However, since you’re actually a busy master student you should try to pre-work. Maybe do two or three hours more each day which will allow you to take some days off for a vacation later on. It might first sound rather exhausting to work that way but trust me, it will pay off when you reach your holiday destination and you can have some lazy days!
Take your work with you!
You can take books, articles on your e-reader or phone or even your laptop or tablet with you. Even if you don’t want to work whilst sitting on the beach you could use the time on the train or plane to get stuff done. (Like me; I am writing this article with my foldable Bluetooth keyboard on my phone whilst sitting on a train in South-Germany on my way to Croatia! ;)
Use clouds!
You can bring all your documents everywhere with you if you save them in a cloud. Loads of cloud services also allow you to work offline on your data in case you won’t have internet access.
Self-discipline and self-motivation!
If you take work with you, you should be willing to work when a time window pops up so you won’t get behind your schedule. Even if you rather want to get a cocktail and enjoy the sun; you can get one after you’ve finished that paragraph!
Short trips!
If your schedule is overwhelming so that it is just not possible to take off a week then you could at least try to get away for a day or two; a weekend might be perfect! The weekly to-do list can help you to organise your tasks so you can get a short break. Some time off for your brain is better than no time off at all!
Being organised and planning ahead might first appear like extra work and it is eventually true but it will also save you loads of time, stress and anger during the working process. In the end, it will give you the opportunity to see how much time you can actually use for vacations and the nice things in life! :)
