Typically, Sunday is the day you can see students gradually crawl out of bed and settle into their respective study spots for the day. As riveting as studying for an entire day sounds, I like to think of Sundays as the end of the weekend rather than the beginning of the week. No—I don’t get up and down a couple mimosas to get the day rolling. I just consider Sunday as a day for me, not for school.
For those who rely on Sunday to complete all your work, this might seem like a radical idea. You know what else is radical? Putting off days of work until your weekend’s over. I know, I know; you feel like this is the only way. Bear with me, though. Imagine a full 12-16 hours for you to enjoy. Here are some ideas for how to go about your day with all this new-found free time.
10:00: Forget the snooze button, or the whole alarm clock.
Start your day without an alarm clock, making sure you’re well-rested and recovered. Make it a morning without any obnoxious beeping, ringing or singing. Sounds lovely, right? Then leisurely role out of bed and start your day off your way.
11:00: Treat yourself to more than a granola bar.
At Notre Dame, dining halls host brunch on the weekend, so go to brunch with some friends. No brunch on campus? Indulge in some Starbucks or make a pancake breakfast for your friends… or just you if you want. Hell, have a mimosa if you really want to; you don’t have to drive to your bed to watch Netflix. Sunday is now your day after all.
NOON—WHENEVER: Do, well, anything.
Do your nails, watch Netflix or read the magazines that have been piling up in the corner of your room each month. You could also read a book not for class, a luxury basically unheard of in college. Maybe you haven’t gotten to play the new COD or Madden or whatever video game people are into nowadays. Take this time to become really good so that when others finally have time to play you can cream them. Bake a cake, go online shopping, scroll through Buzzfeed, learn to play chess, go for a run; whatever makes you happy.
6:00 (ISH? WHATEVER): Time to eat (again).
After an afternoon doing whatever you please, go to dinner with friends. At this point they might be panicking because of all they need to get done tonight, but you? Nah. You’re on top of it. This time you’re that friend that has their shit together, even if it’s only for one day.
THROUGHOUT THE WEEK: Don’t flunk out.
Now I know what you’re thinking: “This all sounds great, but when the hell do I do my homework?” Valid question, my friend, and I have quite an efficient system to propose. Set aside an hour or two each weeknight for essays, long term projects or tests. That way, you’re only responsible for Monday’s work over the weekend, which you could even do Friday after class—it’s not like you’re going out at 4pm. Blowing off work is totally an option, too (maybe not the most responsible option, but who cares?). It’s Sunday. There are dozens of possibilities for how to manage your time, you just need to find a method that works for you.
Some people still might argue this is insane, but let me tell you, a day to yourself feels so freakin’ good. In the real world Sundays aren’t a time to do work– in fact they’re the most relaxing day of the week. If college is meant to prepare me for the real world, I guess taking Sunday off is just part of my curriculum.
