Tag Archives: Thanksgiving

Breaking Break: How to Make the Most of Thanksgiving

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Ahh, yes, it’s that time of year once again. The leaves are falling, the temperature is dropping (well, at least it should be), and the end of November is within grasp. This also means that a lot has been happening since our last little break, back in October, and the end-of-the-semester crunch is beginning to rear its nasty little head. I know I’m not the only one wondering where this semester has gone–let alone the rest of this year. Time sure flies when you’re having fun, right?

Wait, there are HOW many weeks left before winter break???

With final paper due dates looming in the not-so-distant future, different class projects that always seem to be due at the exact same time, thesis deadlines approaching far too rapidly, and this semester’s flex allotment nearing dangerously low levels, it is definitely the perfect time for a little break–from work, from stress, and from all the aforementioned factors that can really weigh us down this time of year. Enter: Thanksgiving break! The perfect blend of time off, relaxation, good food, and the last little rest before the final push of the semester. Whether you’re going home, staying on campus, or tagging along to someone else’s house for the holidays, the break is a great opportunity to take a mental break from the stress of school, but also finish up some of the work that can pile up before the end of the semester and finals time.

Me @ all of my assignments right now……yikes.

As someone who absolutely needs to do some work this Thanksgiving break, I’ve outlined some of the ways in which this Thanksgiving break can be the best one yet–getting the necessary time off that we all deserve, while making sure there is still some productivity happening during the days off. Have a look at some of the steps I will be taking to ensure I stay on top of things as I stuff my face with turkey and enjoy some quality cuddle time with my cat. Keep in mind, what works for me might not work for you. But, if that’s the case, then go ahead and design your own Thanksgiving to-do list!

See? You can be just as productive as this lil guy here.

So, without further ado, here’s my “Thanksgiving Break Productivity Cheat Sheet!”

(spoiler alert: it is very unlikely that I will be following all these steps to a tee, but at least the foundation for not completely sleeping through my entire break is on the table)

  • Before you leave (or before break “officially” starts), plan out the work, applications, or specific assignments that you want to get done, and make sure to bring whatever you need to complete it.

This is particularly important if you are going to be traveling over break–be it home or elsewhere. If you need a specific book for reference as you finish up a paper, or need that one notebook you scribbled down some notes in for that one class, make sure you bring it! There is nothing worse than remembering that somewhere, in the deep crevices of your backpack, is a small piece of paper that has a really bomb piece of information on it that will totally cinch your conclusion. If you plan accordingly for the work you want to do, it will make it that much easier once it’s time to sit down and start it.

  • Figure out a day (or days) that would work best for you to set aside for being productive, and make a plan for how you want to structure your working day.

For obvious reasons, the actual day of Thanksgiving might not be your best bet for having some time to get work done. I know that I will be waaaaayy too full of yummy food all day to even think about sitting down and writing–talk about a food coma. But, if that works for you, then go for it! Visualizing how you’re going to spend your break (whether it be with friends, family, or in bed snuggling with your pets) makes it easier to set aside some time for working, especially if you already know you have plans to work around.

  • Tell your family/friends/pets that you want some time to yourself to do what you need to do.

It can be very tempting over break to try and squeeze in as much time with your friends and family that are in town as possible. If that’s what you want to do with your time, then have at it! Seeing old friends for the first time in a long time is a great way to rejuvenate after a solid couple of months of school. But, if you have work that needs to be done, letting them know ahead of time can help you make more effective plans, without hurting anyone’s feelings.

  • Be realistic about what you want to/will get done! 

Look, it’s Thanksgiving break. If you get caught up in the holiday spirit, or take an impromptu trip with your family somewhere and spend less time on your essay or whatever, it’s not the end of the world. You deserve a little break! And, if you’re like me and know that you’ll probably get less work done than you initially planned, leaving a little wiggle room for some extra down time might not be a bad thing.

And, on that note……

  • GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK!

It’s been a busy semester, and this break is happening for a reason (besides a government mandate…..you know what I mean). It’s good for us all to take a step back and reflect on how the semester has been going so far, and sometimes that means just getting out of the school mindset altogether. Especially at this time of year, instead of worrying about everything that is coming up after break (and it can be a lot, don’t get me wrong), think about everything that you’ve accomplished at this point. For seniors, this is pretty wild–it’s our last Thanksgiving as college students! We’ve done so much in our 3.5 years so far! But even if you’re not a senior, try reflecting back on all the papers, all the tests, and all the hard work you’ve put into your education. Seriously, you deserve a break!

So, keeping this all in mind, go forth and have a restful, well-fed Thanksgiving break. If you get all your work done, then hey! That’s great! But, if not, no worries. You’ll figure it out.

Happy holidays, and enjoy your time off~!

 

 

Don’t You Wish You Worked at CP&R?

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I know that this blog post is coming on the heels of Thanksgiving, but there’s nothing like a national holiday devoted to being extra grateful to make me feel…well, extra grateful for all the help I’ve had.

I interact with the Career Planning & Resources office as a blogger, a career consultant, club leader, and of course, as a student; my multi-faceted experience has only made me more grateful to have a supportive network of women I know I can trust when I need help. Valinda has been incredibly supportive as the manager for this blog, and I appreciate the weekly updates she sends out so that we bloggers feel like part of the CP&R team, even though we might work from home. Grace is essentially my safety net when I’m on duty as a career consultant, and words cannot express how thankful I am to know she’s there when (not if!) I bungle an incoming phone call. She has the voice of an angel and could probably calm a stampeding rhino. I’m grateful to Lesley for walking me through the process of taking a Meyers-Briggs personality test. When students come in wanting to take one, I’m able to help them more effectively because of Lesley’s amazingly thorough explanations.

I’d like to offer a special shout out to Gretchen for training all of us career consultants back in August before school started. I’m grateful to her for a solid foundation in practical, career-related knowledge that I can use to effectively help my peers. Gretchen also does an amazing job of making our weekly job training sessions enjoyable and ensuring that we on the student staff feel like we’re part of the CP&R team.

Before I came to CP&R, I thought team building in offices meant awkward bonding activities and weirdly complimenting each other. Gretchen, on the other hand, has built our team by touching base as a group every Friday and providing a safe space to share feedback. I’m hoping to improve my own leadership skills by incorporating these practices into my extracurricular activities. I don’t know how else to say this, and most of you might think I’m weird for saying it, but I actually look forward to our regular training sessions. We’re all relaxed and comfortable being ourselves–Gretchen breaks out her killer Boston accent, Laurie and Janine practice being ninjas with the coasters, I make awful puns, and Megan and Chandra act like they’re too normal to be silly with the rest of us. I’m reading my post and okay, that doesn’t sound as funny as when it’s actually happening. Just trust me when I say you have to be there for it.

Last but certainly not least: Vicki is a bomb director and decision maker. She’s calm, cool, and collected in any event. A few months ago, I was working on a scholarship application in the CP&R Library when I realized that I wanted to make changes to a resume I had already submitted. The changes weren’t absolutely necessary and I believed the benefits might somehow outweigh the cost, but I didn’t want to attract negative attention to my application. Vicki showed me how to navigate this potential sinkhole by making my message about the reviewer instead of myself. In my short time at CP&R, I’ve witnessed Vicki handle sensitive situations with tact and poise. I’m grateful to Vicki for her emotional and professional support. I know that what I’ve learned from Gretchen and Vicki I’ll take with me even after I graduate. After barely three months here, I can’t imagine anywhere else I’d rather work on campus.

So Long, and Thanks for All the Books

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When I start to think of whom I would most like to give thanks for in my life, a lot of the people that came up immediately were family and teachers. Now, in my mind there’s not such a great difference between these two because your family are kind of like your first teachers – they’re the ones who start to show you how the world works, and in my case both of my parents are actual teachers. A lot of what these teachers have given me over the years- be they my family, or my actual teachers – is more than just knowledge, or grades, or the ability to sign my name in cursive (because to be honest, at this point most of us just scribble it, don’t we?). No, the biggest thing I am grateful for is my love of books, and of reading, and of writing.

I was lucky enough to grow up in a house of readers. My mother always has at least one book on her bedside table, and my dad usually has a pile too, although he gets through them much slower than she does. There are bookshelves in our living room, in our dining room, in all the bedrooms, and in the basement. I grew up surrounded by books, and quickly started developing my own collection. When I was in first grade I noticed that my mother seemed to be able to read a lot faster than I could, so my friends and I started doing speed-reading contests during “quiet time” at school. We would see who could get through more letters in the beginner’s dictionary within a set amount of time. Sure enough, I was reading faster than my mother within a few years time. I devoured books, and my teachers encouraged it.

I had a second grade teacher who required us to write short, paragraph-long stories every week using a list of vocabulary words, and it was doing those assignments that I first began to type on a computer. My third grade teacher challenged us to read a certain number of books over the summer – I don’t actually remember how many it was at this point, but I’m pretty sure I read about triple that amount. Those of us who actually completed the challenge, and turned in a list of the books we had read, were treated to lunch and a trip to the science museum on a Saturday during the fall of our 4th grade year. In fifth grade, with my teacher’s permission, I would stay in from recess and alphabetize the classroom library for fun, because I preferred the quiet to my screaming and running peers, and this way my friends and I could play card games or read our own books. All of these early teachers encouraged me in my outside reading, and in writing – both things that still help provide me with some sanity when I’m feeling stressed.

So in honor of Thanksgiving this year, I would like to say that I am thankful for my parents, for my sister, for Mrs. Zimmerman, Miss Quatrimoni, and for Ms. Lundell. And I am also thankful for the librarians of my Faneuil Branch library in Boston, and all of the amazing teachers I have had, from middle school up into my junior year here at Scripps. I can’t name you all, and I also cannot thank you enough, but you have had a great impact on me.