Summer is the deep breath you take after you finish your final exams. It’s a sigh of relief, a soft shower of rain on a hot day. Summer is also a time to move forward with goals you’ve been meaning to work on.

We are guilty of aiming too high, of thinking we’ll have our shit together when the New Year ticks over. You want to be fit and shredded before uni starts up again. You want to travel. You want to be fluent in French. You want to have $10,000 in savings for a brand new car or a holiday to Europe. These goals, while admirable, may be slightly difficult to achieve over a summer break. More often than not, you’ll find yourself lying in bed binging on Netflix or YouTube videos, eating ice cream out of the tub and looking up cute dogs on Instagram.

Believe me, I’ve been there too.

Here’s how you can feel somewhat productive during your summer break.

Sign Up With Language Learning Apps

I recall wanting to learn Russian, French and Finnish during my first summer break from uni. Needless to say, that was rather ambitious. Even taking the fundamental lessons for Italian in uni for a year left me tongue-tied and unsure between the differences of noi and voi. Languages are hard, despite how exciting they are.

But if you’re looking to learn some phrases, common words and how to ask for directions when you’re lost on the cobblestone streets of Berlin, Duolingo is a fab app to pick up. Spend a few minutes a day practicing by the pool with an iced tea in your hand.

Search For $0 Joining Fees At The Gym

Come January, you’ll start seeing joining fees drop from $100 to $0 and this is your chance to snag a deal. If you’re serious about getting into shape, find a gym, flash your student ID for that sweet concession discount and get started.

Aim for two sessions a week. Always start small and slowly work your way up. Do things you enjoy like a spin class or weight lifting. Exercise isn’t a chore, so don’t make it feel like one.

Put A Third of Your Wages Away Into Savings

Do you ever look at your pay check and think about all the things you can buy? It’s so hard to resist when you have so many dollars in your account. Yet that goal to save sits at the back of your head and suddenly, that holiday to Spain is so much more appealing than a $50 dress from Showpo.

The best way to start saving is cut a third of your pay check and stash that into a savings account. Saving is a mindset: tell yourself not to touch it unless it’s an emergency. No matter how tempting it is, that money is for something bigger and more important. Slowly but surely, you’ll start seeing your savings grow and that holiday won’t seem like a fantasy anymore.

Organise Your Upcoming Semester

I know, I know. Why bother with uni stuff during summer? Thing is, the best time to get it all together is now. It sucks to get into the next sem and realise you are absolutely not prepared (even after four years of uni, I’m still caught with no clue on what’s happening). Get a planner, a big calendar, or an app like Planner Pro to figure out your work/uni/social life schedule. Better now than never.

Actually Relax

When’s the last time you sat back and didn’t think about anything except the iced drink in your hand? Summer is all about rejuvenating, soaking in the lack of work you have to do. So take days off, hang out with mates, enjoy the beach, hikes or reading in a cute café. You deserve it!