Winter break, which for most students is the halftime in their academic year, is nearly upon us. Winter break is an ideal time for busy college students to slow down, relax and do things that require relatively little mental effort, like watching TV or playing video games. Taking advantage of the abundance of snow that was showered upon us this past weekend by going sledding or having a snowball fight might be a good way to fit some exercise into the long winter break.

However, while break is certainly a good time for well-deserved rest, it’s also important to take advantage of our free time and use it productively. Spending some time looking for scholarships, applying for jobs or internships, polishing résumés and planning out the rest of the year are important tasks that most of us will eventually have to complete. Therefore, over break, we might as well get them done before homework, exams and those pestering online quizzes overly burden us. Figuring out how we can improve some of our study habits can also make the next semester be one of improved grade point averages.

Keeping our minds active and organizing our lives over break will make the transition into the spring semester a much less painful process. With new teachers, classes and work schedules, getting back into the swing of things at the start of the semester is never easy. However, without the additional stress of financial concerns and questions about how to plan the upcoming year’s activities, it will become much easier to refocus on our studies.

Winter break is a time when it’s perfectly acceptable to spend an entire day or two in pajamas playing video games and watching movies. Eventually, however, such unproductivity will cease feeling so rewarding, at which point it’s a good idea to spend some time planning and organizing so we can take the next year’s activities head-on.