No-stress Summer Learning Challenge ๐
Where did the idea of the no-stress summer learning challenge come from ๐ค?
I see do many posts about summer studying, that it makes me worried. People spend their time studying during summer holidays, already preparing for the upcoming semester/school year. It's your free time and, as someone, who already has a full-time job (and is trying to finish her thesis to get a master's degree), I can tell you, that you probably won't have that much free time in the summer once you start working. Yes, it's sad and unfair, but unfortunately, it's real ๐. So please, take your time, use it for something else, than worrying about exams, preparing for school and getting stressed and burnt out before school even starts. Don't waste your energy sitting in front of your PC/laptop, or with a course book, learing stuff by heart, while the sun โ๏ธ is shining outside, children are playing and other people are going out with their friends and families. And if you already work full-time, but also are still a student, don't use whatever free time you have on summer to study even more. Unless you absolutely have to, of course (I'm in this kind of situation, I have to write my thesis during summer, because the deadline is in September), but even then, don't use all your time for schoolwork. Although I consider summer studying an unnecessary stress factor, there's a difference between studying and learning. Studying is for school, learning is for yourself ๐. I'm not telling you to be lazy the whole summer, but to consider learning something, that doesn't include schoolwork. It may be related to what you're studying in college/at school, or it may be something totally different. It may be something about technology ๐ (programming, robotics, electronics...), art ๐จ (drawing, painting, embroidery...), nature ๐ฑ (gardening, foraging, birdwatching...), music ๐ถ (singing, playing an instrument, making electronic music...), foreign languages ๐บ๏ธ, sports โฝ, cooking ๐ฒ, baking ๐ฉ, kintting ๐งถ, sewing ๐ชก... the list is endless. So, as an alternative to summer studying challenge, you can start a no-stress summer learning challenge.
The main rules ๐
The main purpose of this challenge is to find motivation to learn for yourself ๐ again, so no exams, no homework, no grades, just you and your goal .
You're free to choose what you're going to learn, based on your own passions, dreams and ambitions ๐, without worrying about other people's judgement and expectations.
It's supposed to be stress free ๐, so there are no fixed schedules or deadlines. It's up to you to plan your learning and decide, how long it's going to take you.
To stay focused, please choose one topic and stick to it. It doesn't mean, you can't learn anything else. Actually you should, because staying concentrated on one thing for too long can make you burn out quickly, but have one main goal ๐.
Remember to take proper breaks ๐ฅฑ. Learning all the time will only make you sterssed and tired. It's not school, so you don't need to worry about any fixed due date or preparing for a test.
Don't be too hard on yourself and remember that mistakes are a part of learning ๐ฏ, not a failure or shame.
Preparing for the challenge and completing it ๐
Think about, what do you want to learn this summer. It doesn't have to be very specific at this stage. For example, it can be something like "I want to learn about cats ๐", or "I want to learn to draw ๐ผ๏ธ", or "I want to learn about tea ๐ซ".
When you know, what you want to learn, do your research, to be able to set a more specific goal. Read about this topic, watch some videos, maybe try to find people, who have more knowledge about it, than you, and talk to them. Let the "I want to learn about cats" become "I want to learn proper cat care ๐ธ", the "I want to learn to draw" become "I want to learn to draw manga ๐" or the "I want to learn about tea" become "I want to learn, how to brew various kinds of tea ๐ต".
You've done the research, so now it's time to find your "why", because to stay motivated, you need to remember that you're doing it for a reason and that this knowledge is useful. The "I want to learn proper cat care" becomes "I want to learn proper cat care to make my cats healthier and happier ๐ป", the "I want to learn to draw manga" becomes "I want to learn to draw manga, because I'm interested in art and Japanese culture ๐ธ" and the "I want to learn, how to brew various kinds of tea" becomes "I want to learn, how to brew various kinds of tea, because I like tea and I want to make it even better ๐".
Once you find your motivation, look for the learning resources ๐ป. It can be an online course, internet articles, scientific papers, books, YouTube videos, TikTok videos... whatever, depends on what you're going to learn. You can also contact someone, who is na expert in what you're learning, and ask them for help. While learning from blogs, videos, etc., remember to check the sources, to make sure the person, who created this content, knows what they're talking/writing about.
When you know your resources, plan the whole thing ahead ๐, considering your other summer plans (like traveling or going out with friends), to make sure, that you have enough time for learning and that the time you're going to spend working towards your goal is fairly evenly distributed to avoid stress and burnout, but remember to make your schedule flexible, so you don't have to worry about learning at a fixed time. Again, it's not school.
You've planned everything, now set reminders in your phone ๐ฑ and/or write it down in a planner ๐ or on some post-it notes ๐... whatever works best for you to remember about your goal and the time you've decided to spend learning.
To minimize the risk od procrastination, divide the tasks into smaller tasks. You can write to-do lists โ๏ธ (either digital, or on paper), so you can see your progress and know exactly, what needs to be done.
To avoid getting burnt out ๐คฏ, step away from what you're learning once in a while. Don't overwork yourself, you're not preparing for an exam.
To ensure you have enough energy โก, take care of your health, both physical and mental. Take breaks, sleep long enough ๐ด, go out with your friends, stay hydrated ๐ง, exercise ๐๐ปโโ๏ธ, spend some time in nature ๐ฒ.
Last, but not least: remember to post regular updates about your progress on your blog. It can be every day, every three days, once a week... you decide. It can include photos, but doesn't have to. Just make it regular and tag it with "no-stress summer learning challenge" or "no-sslc" ๐.
