Attending classes can take up most of your time during the day, but what are you supposed to do during your downtime at home? A common problem for students is that they get stuck in a never-ending cycle of binge-watching Netflix and being utterly unproductive in their free time, which is not exactly the best way to develop yourself personally and professionally. One of the best ways to maximize your chances of landing an amazing job straight out of college, or to develop your own business idea while you’re still in college is to be as productive as possible in your free time.
Now, how do you become more productive? By taking on different projects, being creative, and of course, making some money on the side that you can put into your savings account. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some creative and money-making projects you can do in between classes to be more productive and successful as a student.
Use your writing skills to make extra cash
What combines creativity and great job prospects, you ask? Freelance writing, of course. Becoming a part-time writer and content creator is one of the fastest ways to increase your income in your free time, simply because everyone nowadays needs content – from solopreneurs to global enterprises, the modern business world relies on content creation to drive marketing, sales, and other processes. If you consider yourself to be somewhat of a wordsmith who can dazzle online audiences with your creativity and technical writing skills, then you should consider joining the ranks of a content-creation team.
Firstly, though, you will need to do some research. Start by reading up on some content-creation guidelines and best practices to get an idea of what companies are looking for in a writer, and while you’re at it, be sure to learn the basics of content optimization for the search engines. After that, you can start your search for clients, either on your own or via freelance platforms where you can quickly find new job postings.
Tune into live streams and podcasts
While it is important that you spend some of your downtime catching up with certain subjects, doing your homework, and filling any knowledge gaps you may have, there is only so much time you can spend staring at a textbook. Sometimes, you just need a break from the traditional learning process, which is why eLearning is such a great way to supplement your study time with engaging and informative content.
Nowadays, you can find numerous online learning platforms that offer courses on any subject, with leading professionals from various fields regularly contributing to their online knowledge base. By tuning into live streams, podcasts, training courses, and online lectures from global professionals, you can easily make studying fun and engaging, or better yet, you can broaden your horizons and learn something completely new that will help on your journey to a thriving career.
Make some side money with YouTube
YouTube is a great way to bring creativity and financial independence together, and it’s definitely a great way to become an independent content creator in a variety of interesting fields. From making wellness videos to making tutorials and how-to videos, from educating your audience all the way to being super-creative and launching your solo music career, YouTube is the place to leave your mark on the world.
For example, aspiring musicians primarily use YouTube to get their work onto the global scene, so if you’ve got some tunes of your own and a good YouTube intro maker to make your videos pop out from the crowd, you can easily break into the music world, build up your personal brand, gain a loyal following, and be as creative with your work as you like. However you choose to express yourself, YouTube is a great platform to make money and kick-start a career.
Find inner peace by learning how to cook
Cooking is a deeply-calming experience, and it’s one of the best ways to de-stress on your free time, learn new skills, and build a healthy lifestyle. When you take the time to learn how to cook, you are effectively building a foundation for lifelong well-being and health, provided that you learn how to cook healthy meals, that is. Who knows, it might even inspire you to start your own business and become a chef, or even a personal chef to make some money on the side – the possibilities are endless.
Focus on personal development with TED Talks
Last but not least, always remember that making a positive impact on the world requires you to develop yourself emotionally and psychologically, to change your mindset and how you see the world, and to uncover certain truths that will prompt you to achieve bigger and better things in life. Education is imperative here, yes, but certain online platforms such as TED are the perfect self-improvement hubs that every student should use for personal growth and development. Be sure to put on some inspirational TED Talks while you’re editing your YouTube videos or writing articles to learn something new every day.
Wrapping up
You might feel swamped with all the classes, extracurriculars, and homework, but the truth is that every student has some free time during the day. So why not use that time to tackle creative projects that will put a smile on your face, bring you inner peace, and help you set the stage for a thriving career?