This week, I thought I'd share 20 ways to be productive while still enjoying some down time!

1. Spend time learning more about a particular area of interest such as the art of tea blending, water colour painting or photography!

2. Watch educational youtube videos such as CrashCourse or AsapScience for short and informative entertainment.

3. Schedule all your upcoming check-ups and appointments for the next few months such as the dentist, doctor, yearly blood tests, a hair cut, etc.

4. Life gets so busy that we forget to make time to skype or call our family and friends overseas so try set aside some time to give them a call and catch up on the latest news.

5. Prepare meals in advance and freeze them. Bulk cooking will save you time and reduce stress during those busy weeks ahead!

6. Fix something around the house that you’ve been meaning to get to. I’m talking about those pesky things that you otherwise keep putting off that often require a trip to the hardware store!

7. Catch up on reading, whether it be reading for leisure, to catch up for class, to get ahead of the reading list for school or for self development. I love using my down time to read books on organisation, self help and human behaviour.

8. Take up a new hobby by either attending a class or signing up for an online course. I found a few online courses in particular that I’d love to do including flower arranging and water colour.

9. De-clutter your closet, storage boxes, draws and anything else that might be storing items you could do without. Draws and closets often accumulate a lot of unnecessary items.

10. Get a part-time job to help improve your chances of landing an internship or job after school or college. I used to work in retail for a few years while studying university to earn some extra money and also show initiative and develop my confidence with talking to people.

11. Clean out your email inbox so it doesn’t overwhelm you and you don’t leave any important emails unread.

12. Organise the apps on your phone and the folders on your desktop.

13. Make reservations for future plans and trips such as date nights, holidays, road trips and mini vacations and schedule these into your diary.

14. Start putting into practice the necessary changes to develop a healthy habit. This might include exercising more, eating more vegetables, checking your phone less or reading a few pages each night before bed.

15. Listen to podcasts while lying on the beach, eating a snack or cleaning your room.

16. Volunteer your time even for just 1 day, to those less fortunate.

17. Aim to exercise regularly. A regular exercise routine is important but if you’ve been too busy then when you’re on holidays or find you have some extra down time, this is something to bump up on the priority list!

18. Set goals for next few months. Set aside an afternoon to reflect and think about what you could do differently, what you want to achieve for yourself and how you can plan out your days to get there and tick off those goals.

19. Complete your work tasks in the morning. If you still have things to do but have a couple days off, set aside the mornings for your work related tasks so you can fully unwind afterwards.

20. Watch a documentary such as David Attenborough (I’m obsessed!) to learn more about the earth, animals, or history. Doccos are a great way to learn while still relaxing and putting your feed up!

Of course, please don’t feel the need to complete all 20 of these suggestions above. Just choose a few to focus on and remember, being busy is not the same as being productive. Select a couple things to focus your energy and attention on when you have some extra time for yourself and enjoy tending to your own needs.

Xo Jess