As the semester winds down and winter break gets closer, it’s tempting to close the laptop, throw your backpack into a closet, and start hibernating until next semester. But before you recharge, there are a few simple things that you can do to set up a strong start next semester. These include 1) Giving yourself an academic reset, 2) Doing a quick career prep check-in, and 3) Checking your financials before the new year. None of these should take long, but all of them will help for a smoother start to next semester.

Academic Reset

Starting a new semester with unorganized remnants of last semester’s projects and assignments floating around can create chaos to begin a fresh new semester. While the semester’s content is fresh in your brain, right now is the time to take a few minutes and clear the slate. Here are a two suggestions:

• Clean up your digital space: This can include sorting or deleting old files that you know you won’t need again or organizing your desktop. Either of these options will clean your computer’s interface and make your life much easier in January.
• Note what worked or didn’t work: Take 5 minutes and think about study habits, routines, or environments that helped you succeed or fail this fall semester. Did you focus better when you had Spotify blasting in your ears or in the quiet environment of the COB study rooms? Did you implement a weekly planner? Was it effective or not? Capture those ideas now so you can repeat them.

Career Prep

While winter break may feel like the “off season,” it’s one of the best times to get your professional life in order. During the semester, these career prep items often take a backseat to the looming group projects or tests. A few simple steps now can make internship season much smoother.

• Update your resume and LinkedIn: Now is the perfect time to add relevant projects, presentations, competitions, part-time jobs, or leadership roles you took on this fall. Future you is going to thank you for putting in a few minutes now to save them potentially hours down the road.
• Make a short list of companies or industries to explore in spring: This sounds like a lot of work but the purpose is to jot down a few organizations or industries that you have become more interested in through the semester. Preferences always change, so don’t become too attached to this list. This can give you a great starting point in January when you come back to school refreshed and ready to go.
• Send a quick thank you message: Think about those professors, mentors, supervisors, or teammates that made your life better in some way. Sending a quick thank you message to any of these people in your life can build those relationships stronger over time. You never know when a small gesture can turn into a career opportunity.

Financial Check-In

Financial confidence starts with awareness, and now is the perfect time to look back at your money habits from the fall. You’ll notice that you may have spent too much money on things you could have cut back on. However, you would never know this without looking back at your money habits. Here are 2 quick steps you can take before break to review your financials:

• Review fall spending just to notice trends--not to judge: Questions you may find yourself asking are- Where did your money go? Did it mostly go to essentials like rent, food, or transportation? Or did you find a big money allocation to streaming services or video games? What purchases were worth it? These questions and more can help you narrow down what your spending habits were and whether they were in line with your budget.
• Set a simple financial goal for spring: The key is to keep your goal small and doable. This can include cooking at home twice a week, saving $20 from each paycheck, or reducing how often you go to 5^thStreet Bagelry (I am very guilty of the last one).

Winter break should be restful. But setting aside even 20-30 minutes in these three areas, academic rest, career prep, and financial check-in, with help you come back in January confident and ready for a fresh start. When you unplug with intention, you give yourself a better chance to plug back in with purpose.