Now that the holidays are just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about what you might want to do with the extra free time. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in college, high school, flying to distant family for the week, or only get the day of the big holidays off of work: there’s still time that can be used.

I think one of the most important things to do with free time is to always maintain some level of productivity. Now, John Lennon is often credited with the quote “Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time”, and while I agree, there is a limit. If you regret having spent the day watching Netflix, did you really enjoy wasting that time? Was it spent in anxiety because you are procrastinating doing something you know you should be? I’d say time spent in relaxation is only justifiable if you can honestly relax with it.

That being said, I know I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I went through the next few weeks only playing video games. I might accomplish some cool things in those games, but I’d probably come out of it in regret. That means I need to think about what I can do to be more productive. In my instance, I’ve already made plans: audiobooks, finishing Aluvalia’s novelette, updating The Archive (which I’m starting to think more and more of as a Nacre Then Wiki), and doing more planning for my D&D campaigns. Whatever happens, though, if I can jump into the new year with an explanation for what I accomplished over the holidays, I will have succeeded.

But maybe you don’t have that much free time. If you have a job, for instance, your hours are probably going up, not down (at least that’s been my experience for retail). But there’s still things you can accomplish. The key thing here is thinking about what will help you start of 2017 thinking positively about yourself and your life. It doesn’t have to be productive, necessarily.

Maybe you want to get in shape. You don’t have to wait for the new year to start working out, and you probably shouldn’t wait if working out makes you happy! Even if it’s just a few push-ups in the morning because you don’t have any free time, every little bit helps. Or maybe you want to finally see some friends you haven’t talked to in a while. Make plans! Even if they’re not free till January, you still go into the new year feeling good about yourself because now you have something to anticipate!

Everyone should find a way to end the year in a positive light. This was, in a lot of ways, a terrible year for me. But it does me no good to think like that. Instead, I think it’s best to constantly look ahead (but not too far ahead!) and plan out what I can accomplish with the tools I have available now. Best of luck to you.