Dear College Kid is a series I write to my younger self. I would send them too, if I could somehow teleport myself via time machine to my late teens and early twenties. I hope other college kids find these letters, and garner some foresight that I myself had lacked. It’s not finance advice by any means, but rather, personal anecdote. Still. I hope it changes lives.
Dear College Kid,
What are your summer plans? Do you have a trip somewhere far away? Will you be on the road, or by the beach? Or will you be looking for a job, having graduated this year? Whatever it is, I hope you find time in between your play to plan for the future and get ahead. Not to be a kill joy, but someone’s got to remind you that now is not the time to be lazy. You can enjoy your break, but balance it with making some moves. It’s equally fun!
I write about becoming 1% Better all the time. I write them for you. Here are a few self-improvement ideas that you can implement this summer. It doesn’t have to be all of them, but I promise you will feel more fulfilled and refreshed if you partner relaxation with productivity. They feed on each other very well.
Productive Ideas for your Summer Break
- Declutter your things (and then the rest of your life) in order to gain clarity on who you want to become.
- List 10 habits that would make YOU better each day. Then create a goal to do all ten every day. These are mine. Habits will make your life easier in the future.
- Learn how to optimize scheduling your day to be more productive.
- Identify the ONE thing you want to achieve this summer.
- Hone your skills or learn something new in Skillshare.
- Create your budgeting tool so you can learn to manage your spending at a young age.
- Learn how I Bonds can help pay for college.
- Clean your apartment, so you have more thinking space. Develop the habit of keeping it clean 24/7 (which may sound crazy!) so that you don’t have to clean as much in the future.
- Start preparing for financial success post grad.
- Get student loan advice. The earlier you start, the sooner you’ll be financially free to live your dream life. I highly recommend Travis Hornsby and his team at Student Loan Planner. Andrew Paulson, from White Coat Investor, is another option.
As I said earlier, balance is key. Have some fun this summer too. Do not waste it away on social media, watching television, or perusing YouTube. Such things would only take up space and fill your head. Summer is time for a real reset. Check out these 50 analog activities that resist the attention economy to ensure you get the relaxation you need.
And don’t forget to check in every Monday for a new letter to my past college kid self.
