Spring break is the little breath of freedom right before the three months of hell of constant school—which also means AP month, lots of project, tons of homework and even more stress. So, while you may want to waste away your time during spring break doing nothing, partying or just relaxing, remember that you don’t want the homework (which is sure to be assigned) to pile up for Sunday night. Here are some tips that will let you enjoy spring break and still manage to finish your homework on time:

1.       Don’t save all your homework for the last minute. If you have any reading assigned, read a few pages a day so you don’t have to cram at the last minute. For any math homework, do a couple of problems a day. Make sure that you take an hour or two out of each day for homework, starting from the first Monday of break. This way, you still have an entire weekend of doing nothing.

2.       If your teacher is assigning a big test as soon as you come back, take one day out of the week to dedicate to studying for that one test. Don’t save it for Sunday night. This way, you already know the information and can just brush up on the night before the test.

3.       Use this extra time to also think about summer, which is right around the corner. Think about and start planning if you want to get a job, take dual enrollment or classes online, apply for a summer program or internship, etc. Start applying to these places now, while you aren’t at school for 8 hours.

4.       If you’ve fallen behind on any schoolwork, catch up now. If you were supposed to read a chapter for an AP class but didn’t, do so while you can. It’s beneficial for you and will make it easier to remember when you start reviewing for the AP exam.

5.       Volunteer. Around this time is when there are plenty of volunteer opportunities: look for  walk-a-thons, beach clean-ups, etc. Pay attention to events where you can volunteer with a couple of your friends. It will make the experience fun and you’ll get community service hours.

6.       Make a schedule. As nerdy as it may be, at least have an outline of all things you need and want to do each day. Incorporate exercise, going out with friends, relaxing and doing homework. Having things written down will make it feel more concrete and will make you want to cross things off your to-do list.

7.       If it’s not too much work, tackle that subject all in one day. This way, you can cross off something completely and you’ll feel more accomplished.

8.       If you’re traveling during break, start and finish your homework beforehand so you don’t have any worries during your vacation and you won’t have to stress about getting back home and immediately starting on that pile of homework, or about working on it while you’re on vacation.

9.       If you can work well with your friends, pick a day to do homework together, especially if it’s a subject you’re shaky with. This way, you can do homework together, get it out of the way and then hang out afterwards.

10.   Have fun. Don’t stay at home all day, remember to go out. Whether it be around the block or to your friends house, take advantage of this week long break before you get back to school. Remember that there are barely any days off after spring break, so just relax and manage your time wisely!