Summer holidays have begun and we don’t have to worry about going to school and studying hard. But these off-from-school days can also make us disorganised, untidy and lazy!

We need to understand that during vacations we are free but not free from all kinds of schedules and should not abandon good habits. Holidays are meant for relaxation and having some fun but the fun should not be at the cost of abandoning a healthy lifestyle.

So let us look at how we can carry on with our balanced lifestyle even during holidays.

Make a timetable

Following a timetable is an easy way to lead an organised life, so make one. A timetable for summer vacation would, however, be a little different from the one made for schooldays. A summer vacation timetable is for setting different hours of the day and different days of the week for the many fun activities you want to indulge in, as well as setting aside a few hours to study and do the homework for the holidays.

Fun activities depend on your choice, for example you may include a couple of hours for watching TV, playing indoor games, surfing the net, etc. Your timetable must also include helping out your mom in her day-to-day chores, such as tidying up your room, doing the dusting, etc.

A timetable for summer vacation must contain some outdoor fun along with the allocation of a couple of hours for studying.

Outdoor activities such as playing some sports, etc., or visiting a museum, park, picnic point, however, should be allocated to the late afternoon evening hours as going outdoors during daytime in summer can be difficult and not as much fun. The inclusion of outdoor activities in your timetable must be done after discussing with your parents.

 Get up early

Yes, even during holidays you must wake up early in the morning if you want to spend a healthy and active day. People who get up early remain more active and refreshed throughout the day, as compared to those who get up late.

So even if you are on a long summer vacation, do remember to wake up early in morning, have breakfast with your parents.

This will offer you an added advantage as well — you won’t find it difficult to follow your school routine after the holidays!

Stay neat and tidy

Vacation does not mean you stop brushing your teeth and hair, and skip taking a bath and changing on daily basis. Follow your cleanliness routine like you do during school days — take a bath after getting up in the morning and, if possible, before going to sleep and also after you come back home after hanging out or playing outdoors. Brush your teeth twice a day, comb your hair daily, trim your nails every week or after every two weeks, get your hair trimmed monthly and apply oil in them weekly to keep the moisture intact, keep your clothes tidy and change them daily.

Hanging out or playing outdoors in summer causes sweating, which eventually results in bad body odour. Take a bath after playing and, with your parents’ permission, you can start using a deodorant or body spray. Apply sun block before going out in the sun to protect your skin from harmful sunrays.

In addition to personal hygiene, you must look after your room and entire house too, as during holidays you are less burdened by studies so you can help out your mom in keeping the house clean, doing the laundry and dishes.

Exercise   Vacation does not mean you are free to become a couch potato. Make a habit of either doing some light exercises at home or playing some outdoor sports. This way your blood circulation will improve and you will remain fresh and active.

No unhealthy diet

During vacation, we often go out with our parents to fast food restaurants and gorge on unhealthy food. This results in weight gain, skin problems and sometimes loss of appetite as well. Eating fast food or deep fried stuff such as French fries, etc., is fine once in a while but too much of everything is harmful.

So even during summer vacation, keep a check on your eating habits, drink lots of water, stay hydrated and eat healthy food. It would be in your best interest if you eat homemade food, however, when eating out, try to avoid junk food.

Be creative

Besides studying your course books and completing your school homework, you can also spend sometime on any creative activities. If you love to paint or make handicrafts, try some unique ideas to decorate your home with your paintings or crafts.

Getting enrolled in some creative courses is another good idea in this regard. But make sure you don’t ignore your school books for any fun learning. Also if your parents don’t allow you to join any class during vacation, you can learn anything interesting such as cooking, crafting, graphic designing, etc., by purchasing books on these subjects or by extracting knowledge from the internet.

Even if your new academic year has not started, it is a good idea to see what you would be studying and try and start with things you can study on your own.

These were a few ideas just to guide you on how not to become disorganised and lazy during summer vacation. These tips will not only help you stay organised but will also make your vacation fun-filled and interesting.

Happy summer!