How To: Make Good Use of the Summer

 *Warning: Don't look at all of what I mention from a first glance alone. What I say might SOUND boring, but it becomes interesting and helpful AND fun in just a matter of seconds if you give it the time.* 

Summer is a time when many youngsters, including those in grade school and college, seem to find that they have more free time on their hands. With the eight hours a day, about, that school seems to take up, they find that their waking hours are full of absolute boredom, or filled up with activities that will be fun at the moment but are not always lasting as the years pass by.

Then, there are activities thrown into the mix of the summer such as camps, VBS, or road trips and vacations that add to taking up the time of the summer and giving the kids more things to do. But, as a college student, or a high school student, are these the best ways to spend my summer? Is staying home a good plan? Should I work my summer away or should I play my summer away? 

The best answer I can give to this is: it depends. But, this seems to be the circumstance for many things that I write about. This is true for many of the other bloggers out there as well. We often can only inform based on the limited research that can be put out there, and the personal experiences we have. 

My high school summers were filled with road trips, VBS, some camps, and mostly playing outside or putting in some manual labor for my mom outside. I did not work at all over my summer, and I completely regret it. Working is good for everyone from a young age because the pressure is not on to work long hours many days, so one could start getting used to the work environment without needing to put so much energy into the job. Also, teenagers and young adults have more energy to put into the work that they are doing. The older you get, the more tiring work can seem because of the energy capacity used to complete the tasks needed to get the job done at work. If you are already working throughout the school year, consider adding a few hours because you have more free time, or just pressing on with the same schedule and the same hours as you had before. 

Another great way to use your time during the summer is to volunteer. For a while back, about 2018, I found that Gen-Z was known as the "Volunteer Generation". Every day there are so many people who are broken, hurting, and quite a few who are in need of food and shelter. There are many non-profit organizations out there working towards taking care of these needs, but they also need volunteers who are willing to help the cause without any financial compensation. Volunteering is an important asset to develop over the growing-up years to help prepare for the future. (And, these look good on a resume!) 

Okay, so if there is no job near you and it seems that the shelters around your area do not need any new volunteers- what next? There are so many places to go, that I am not sure where to begin. I will make a list, and then dive deep into how to achieve each of these: 

1. Clean

2. Exercise

3. Hobbies

4. Learning 

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1. Clean

Cleaning can be fun if you plan accordingly and take steps to make it fun. Let me explain. First off, there is the cleaning that most people are thinking of- the cleaning where you find the space in your room that seems to be the most jumbled, and you bit by bit take things out of the pile and put them in their rightful place. This is good for you to do over your summer because you know that you need to, and this will eventually get you into trouble if you don't take care of it sooner. Pro Tip: Clean one part of your room for only ten minutes a day. Then, for the rest of the day, put away what you use. If you continue with this pattern, it should not take too long before the job is done. 

Then, there is another way to clean. There is scrubbing under the toilet and spraying down the mirror kind of cleaning. While I am not necessarily recommending that you help your family by cleaning the bathroom once and a while there are little things in your space that need to be cleaned in such a precise manner. I am sure you have some sort of bed or desk that might need to be dusted. Or, you have some kind of windows in your room that need to be wiped down. You need to clean your room in that kind of manner. 

Finally, there is the digital cleaning that needs to be done. There are loads of apps that people chose to keep on their device, even if they have not used it in months. These just take up space, and slow down your device. 

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2. Exercise 

This also might be for a specific niche of people, especially those who do not do this on a regular basis. If you do not work out regularly, this is an opportunity for you to begin to. Even if it is something super simple or short, as long as your keep yourself moving for around half an hour a day, you will notice better mental and physical health, as well as combatting those feelings of boredom. 

 

A great way to help get yourself out of the house during long summer months over a break, especially if you do not know how to use your time, is to start taking walks or runs around the neighborhood. If you want to take the more social route, you could begin walking in the early evening as the sun is setting with a friend or two. Or, if you know that you need to move more than you do during a normal school season, this could be the time to begin taking early morning runs. 

When it comes to exercise as a whole but is worth noting for this summer break time as well, "accidental workouts" are often the most enjoyable way to work out. This could look like walking a dog or running after a friend who is going in the opposite direction. But this more practically would look like going swimming at the beach or a pool or setting up a day for a game of basketball or pickleball. Again, any minute getting exercise is better than none. Find something that you enjoy doing, and make it work. Sometimes even creating a TikTok/Instagram Reel/YouTube Short/ Facebook Feed video of a trending dance could be a form of an accidental workout. 

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3. Hobbies     

 Summer, with all the free time you have, is a great time to pick up new hobbies. If it is not a sport of sorts or something active like what is listed above, it could be something relaxing, something that calms you, or maybe something you have had in mind for a long time but not worked up the energy to do it. This summer is the time to do it! From crafting to sewing, from making learning a new instrument and starting a YouTube channel, from getting into model cars to DIYing Christmas gifts early, there are a list of ideas online to help inspire you. 

This hobby is one that interests me, and you need to hear me out. If you are not interested in learning a language in your free time, by no means do you have to. However, this skill can begin at any stage of life. There are programs like Spanish Dictionary or Duolingo (free) for learning languages as well as Babbel or Rossetta Stone (paid) if you are willing to invest in learning a new language. It could even be as short as ten minutes a day! 

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4. Learning

As a teacher, this is always a favorite way to spend my summers. I will always be a learner, no matter where I am. Often, learning a new hobby is multitasking in this area- you are working on a hobby and learning at the same time. But, you could dedicate time to learning as well. There are a few free college programs online, and more and more are coming out because of the online world we live in. 

Summer programs or summer learning opportunities exist as well. Check to see if your library has any fun summer events planned. You could start a job or begin an internship in which you would be learning a ton as well. If you need ideas of what or where to learn, just search it up or ask someone you know where to begin. So many people want to help you. 

Another amazing way to learn is to have a mentor. This is similar to receiving counseling, but it is personal and often more opinionated. If someone was to mentor you, you could learn through their mistakes and not make your own. Learning through other's mistakes is often the best way to go. 

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While I could think of hundreds of more ideas to add to this list, I do not want to overwhelm you right now. So, I will leave it with these four categories. Hopefully broad enough to find something that fits in each one, but with enough specific details to assist you if you do not know where to begin. 

How To: Master Sales Floor as a GSS at Cracker Barrel

I, Mary Beau, promise to work on engaging with guests better from here on out. To help drive sales, I will script the featured products from our sales floor including, but not limited to, our amazing deals in our clearance section, many of our unique products on Main Street, and any of our special sales and 'contests' going on.

I can begin with something as simple as "Hi, how has your day been?" or "What brings you into Cracker Barrel?" to begin the conversation. If any of the guests admitted to me that they are having a rough day, I can respond with something as simple as "I get that. I have rough days, too. How about we check out some of the candy and sodas we have here. Sugar is often the best medicine."

If a guest mentions that they came into Cracker Barrel simply for the food, I can direct them to our food wall where they can find our pancakes, syrup, apple butter, fried apples, and many more that are the same as what they will find once they get their seats. These items are perfect to take home and carry on that taste of Cracker Barrel.

If a guest comes in and is looking around, without interest in the main dining room or the food, I again can start by asking them how their day was and continue the conversation by asking: 'Who are we shopping for today?" If the guest response with something like "Oh, I am just looking." I can continue to explain some of our amazing deals that are NOT where they are looking, such as talking about Main Street when they are in clearance or vise versa. I could also reinforce the signs that are up in that area to remind them of the great deals we have going on.

Then, I can ask them if they is anything in particular that they are looking for. They will often answer "no". Then I can ask if they would like a basket to help carry their findings, especially if they have already found a few things, and then I can leave them be with something simple like "If you need me, my name is Mary and you can find me by the host stand." Or wherever I am stationed.

You see, talking to guests is not difficult of a task in the slightest, but it takes much work and concentration to get the job done correctly. If none of these techniques work then I as the employee must understand that the guest does not need help and will be just fine looking around by themselves. I might want to check back on those that seem to be deciding what to get, and I need to remember that there is always more that can be added on to any sale. There is always more that will go great with one gift, or will help make one purchase just that bit better for the guest.