Category: Productivity

blog Entrepreneurship Higher Education Innovation Productivity summer | 6min Read

Why Every High School Student Should Learn Entrepreneurship (Even If They Never Start a Company)

Published on June 11, 2026

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Why Every High School Student Should Learn Entrepreneurship (Even If They Never Start a Company)

Why Every High School Student Should Learn Entrepreneurship (Even If They Never Start a Company)

 

When most people hear “entrepreneurship,” they picture a hoodie-wearing 22-year-old pitching a startup in Silicon Valley. Or maybe a shark tank. Or a business plan with revenue projections and a slide deck.

That’s one version of it. But it’s not the one that matters most for high school students.

The more useful version of entrepreneurship, the one that actually changes how you move through the world, has nothing to do with founding a company. It’s a mindset. A set of skills. A way of approaching problems that makes you more capable, more confident, and frankly more interesting to talk to.

And right now, it’s one of the most undervalued things a student can develop.

 

The Myth That’s Holding Students Back

Here’s a belief that quietly limits a lot of students: “Entrepreneurship is for people who want to run businesses. I want to be a doctor / engineer / lawyer / academic so it’s not really for me.”

It’s an understandable assumption. But it’s wrong.

Entrepreneurship, at its core, is about identifying a problem, figuring out a solution, and doing something about it with the resources you have. That’s not a business skill. That’s a human skill. It’s what good doctors do when they rethink a treatment protocol. It’s what engineers do when they design around constraints. It’s what lawyers do when they build a novel argument. It’s what researchers do every single day.

The students who learn entrepreneurial thinking early don’t just become better entrepreneurs. They become better at everything.

 

What Entrepreneurship Actually Teaches You

Let’s get specific, because “entrepreneurial mindset” is one of those phrases that can mean everything and nothing.

How to identify real problems – not just symptoms

One of the first things entrepreneurship teaches you is the difference between a symptom and a root cause. Why do students in this school skip lunch? Is it the food, the timing, the social dynamics, something else entirely? Entrepreneurs are trained to dig past the obvious answer. That habit of thinking, asking “why” until you get somewhere useful is genuinely rare, and genuinely valuable.

How to act without a complete roadmap

School, for the most part, rewards following instructions well. You’re given a syllabus, a rubric, a set of steps and your job is to execute. Entrepreneurship is the opposite. You’re given a problem and a blank page. Learning to move forward anyway, to make decisions under uncertainty, to iterate rather than wait for perfect information, this is one of the most transferable skills you can build as a teenager.

How to pitch and persuade

Whether you’re convincing a teacher to let you do an unconventional project, interviewing for a college program, or explaining your research to an admissions panel, you are constantly selling ideas. Entrepreneurship teaches you to communicate the value of what you’re doing clearly and confidently, to an audience that didn’t ask to be convinced.

How to handle failure without falling apart

This one is harder to teach in a classroom. Entrepreneurship, even at the student level involves things not working. A project that flops. A pitch that gets rejected. A plan that needed to be scrapped and rebuilt. Learning to process that, extract what’s useful, and keep going is arguably the most important thing entrepreneurship education offers. Students who’ve had structured experience with failure are, across the board, more resilient.

How to see opportunity where others see inconvenience

Walk through your school, your neighbourhood, your daily routine with an entrepreneurial eye and you’ll start noticing things: inefficiencies, frustrations, gaps between what exists and what could exist. That’s not just a business skill, it’s a creative habit that makes you more engaged with the world around you.

 

What It Does for Your College Application

Let’s be honest- college admissions is part of the conversation for most students reading this. So here’s the direct answer.

Admissions officers at top universities have said, repeatedly, that they’re not looking for students who did everything perfectly. They’re looking for students who did something meaningful who showed initiative, who led something, who demonstrated that they can think independently and make things happen.

Entrepreneurship experiences tick those boxes in a way that’s hard to fake. You can’t manufacture a genuine story about identifying a problem in your community and building something to address it. You can’t pretend you pitched an idea to a panel and took the feedback on the chin and came back better. Those experiences are visible in how students write and speak and admissions readers notice.

There’s also this: entrepreneurship adjacent activities-  building something, launching something, solving something tend to generate the most compelling college essays. Not because they’re dramatic, but because they’re specific. Specificity is what makes an essay memorable, and nothing creates specificity like actually doing something.

 

You Don’t Need a Business Idea to Get Started

 

This is the part that trips most students up. They think they need a great idea before they can start learning entrepreneurship. They don’t.

Entrepreneurship education- done well gives you the frameworks and the experience before you have the idea. You learn to spot problems, test assumptions, build and iterate, present and defend your thinking. The idea, when it comes, lands in much more capable hands.

Some of the best entrepreneurship learning happens through structured programs that put students through the process in a compressed, intensive format with mentors who’ve actually built real things and know how to ask the questions you haven’t thought to ask yet. The kind of environment where you come out three days later thinking differently than when you went in.

That’s actually what the InnovateNow entrepreneurship workshop is designed to do. Not to produce startup founders, but to give students a genuine taste of entrepreneurial thinking working through real problems alongside mentors who’ve been on both sides of a pitch, who push back when your logic is soft, and who know the difference between an idea that sounds good and one that actually holds up. The kind that sticks.

 

A Note For Parents Reading This

If you’re a parent considering whether entrepreneurship programs are worth your child’s time especially when board exams and entrance tests are already demanding here’s a reframe worth considering.

The skills that are becoming hardest to automate, and therefore most valuable in any career, are exactly the ones entrepreneurship develops: problem-solving under uncertainty, creative thinking, communication, resilience, and the ability to lead. These aren’t soft skills. They’re the skills that determine who gets to do interesting work and who gets stuck doing the work that algorithms can handle.

Starting to build those skills at 15 or 16, in a structured environment, before the pressure of adult decisions kicks in, that’s an investment with a very long return horizon.

 

Where to Start

 

You don’t need to wait for a formal program to start thinking entrepreneurially. Here are a few ways to begin:

Notice problems deliberately. Spend a week writing down every frustration, inconvenience, or gap you encounter. Don’t try to solve them yet, just practice seeing them.

Read about builders. Not just the famous startup stories, but the messier, more honest ones. How founders actually figured things out, what went wrong, what they’d do differently. The unglamorous version is more useful than the TED talk version.

Find a small problem you can actually do something about. It doesn’t have to be world-changing. A school event that’s badly organised. A resource students need that doesn’t exist yet. Something small, real, and within reach. Try to make it better. Pay attention to what that process feels like.

Seek structured learning. There’s a limit to how much you can develop these skills alone. Programs that put you in a room with mentors, give you real constraints, and force you to present your thinking to people who’ll push back- these accelerate learning in ways that self-study can’t replicate.

 

The Bottom Line

The students who thrive in the next decade won’t just be the ones with the highest grades. They’ll be the ones who can look at an uncertain situation and figure out what to do next. Who can communicate their ideas clearly. Who knows how to lead a team, take feedback, and adapt.

Entrepreneurship education, at its best, is training for exactly that.

You don’t have to want to start a company. You just have to want to be capable of more things, in more situations, than you currently are.

That’s a goal worth working toward. And the earlier you start, the further it takes you.



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blog Communication Higher Education Leadership MUN Productivity summer | 5min Read

Beyond Grades: 5 Skills Ivy League Admissions Officers Value

Published on June 4, 2026

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Beyond Grades: 5 Skills Ivy League Admissions Officers Value

 

Beyond Grades: 5 Skills Ivy League Admissions Officers Value

 

Many students assume Ivy League admissions depend primarily on grades and standardised test scores. While academic performance remains important, top universities evaluate applicants holistically looking for leadership, intellectual curiosity, communication skills, resilience, and meaningful impact beyond the classroom. A 98 percentile score won’t get you in alone. Neither will a trophy shelf. What Ivy League admissions officers are really searching for- and what most students never think to build- are the five skills below. The good news? Every single one can be developed, starting now.

 

THE MYTH WORTH BUSTING FIRST

Most students and most parents believe that the path to a top university runs straight through grades and test scores. It doesn’t. Ivy League acceptance rates hover below 5%. At that level, nearly every applicant has stellar academics. What separates the ones who get in isn’t the GPA it’s who they are beyond it.

 

01. Leadership – and not the title kind

Every application has a “Head Boy” or “Club President.” Admissions officers have seen thousands of them. What they’re actually hunting for is something harder to fake: evidence that a student influenced people, changed something, or moved a group toward a goal- with or without an official title.

The student who noticed a gap in their school and did something about it. The one who organised a tutoring initiative for younger students, led a sustainability project, coordinated a community fundraiser because it needed to be done, or worked with peers to develop solutions to real-world challenges through experiences such as the Leadership & Social Innovation Conference. Leadership, in the Ivy League sense, is about impact, not position. If your leadership story starts with “I was elected,” it might be worth finding a deeper one.

Ask yourself: Have I ever changed the way a group of people thought or acted? That moment – however small – is your leadership story.

 alone.

 

02. Intellectual curiosity that goes off-syllabus

Top universities aren’t just looking for students who ace exams- they’re looking for students who would stay curious if exams didn’t exist. The applicant who read a paper that wasn’t assigned. Who pursued an independent research project or passion project just because it fascinated them. Who asked “why does this work this way?” instead of “what do I need to memorise?”

This quality, genuine intellectual hunger- shows up in essays, interviews, and the specificity of a student’s interests. It often develops when students explore ideas beyond the classroom, whether through independent projects, research, or experiences that expose them to emerging fields. 

Students who engage with topics such as Generative AI, technology ethics, and future-focused innovation through programs like Command Z often find themselves asking deeper questions and developing interests that extend well beyond the syllabus.

The tell: Can you talk for five minutes about something you learned recently that has nothing to do with your coursework? If not, that’s the gap to close.

 

03. The ability to communicate – not just correctly, but compellingly

Every student who applies to an Ivy League school can write a grammatically correct essay. Very few can write one that a tired admissions officer reads to the end and remembers the next day. The same goes for interviews and presentations.

Communication at the level these schools expect is not about being articulate, it’s about being specific, honest and human. It’s about having a point of view and expressing it with conviction.

Students who have debated, written creatively, presented research or participated in public speaking programs and Model United Nations conferences such as Ivy League MUN Conference 2.0 carry a visible edge in the application process

The test: Read your personal statement out loud. If it sounds like anyone could have written it, rewrite it until it sounds unmistakably like you.

 

04. A genuine commitment to something beyond yourself

Admissions officers can spot a résumé-padding volunteer experience from a mile away: the one-week trip, the charity drive that conveniently started in Grade 11, the activity that perfectly mirrors what the student thought the school wanted to see. 

What they actually respond to is depth over breadth- a student who cared about something real, demonstrated sustained impact over time, and can speak about it with genuine conviction.It doesn’t have to be saving the world. It could be tutoring kids in your neighbourhood for three years. It could be running a community initiative that started small and grew. The through-line is authenticity: you did it because it mattered, not because it looked good.

Depth check: How long have you been doing your most meaningful extracurricular? If the answer is less than a year, it’s time to build something you’ll actually stick with.

 

05. Resilience- the capacity to fail and keep going

This is the one most students never think to demonstrate- and the one admissions officers often find most telling. University is hard. The students who thrive are the ones who’ve already learned, in some meaningful way, how to handle setbacks. Not the ones who’ve never failed, but the ones who’ve failed, sat with it, and figured out what to do next.

A student who can write honestly about a challenge, a loss, a mistake- and what it taught them shows a kind of maturity that a perfect transcript never can. Top schools want people who will contribute to their campus community for four years. That requires more than intelligence. It requires character.

Worth reflecting on: What’s the hardest thing you’ve faced in the last two years? How did you respond? That’s potentially your most powerful application story.

 

 

Final Conclusion:

The students who get into the world’s best universities aren’t superhuman. They’re not necessarily smarter than everyone else in the applicant pool. What they have almost without exception- is a clear sense of who they are, what they’ve built and why it matters. That clarity doesn’t come from cramming. It comes from years of doing things that matter, reflecting on them honestly and learning to talk about them with conviction. Start now, and September of your application year will look very different.

 

What Parents Should Know About Ivy League Admissions

Many parents focus heavily on grades and test scores, but top universities increasingly seek students who demonstrate initiative, leadership, curiosity and meaningful engagement outside the classroom. Understanding this shift early and actively creating opportunities for your child to build these qualities makes a measurable difference by the time applications are due.

 

The students who get into the world’s best universities aren’t superhuman. They’re not necessarily smarter than everyone else in the applicant pool. What they have almost without exception- is a clear sense of who they are, what they’ve built, and why it matters. That clarity doesn’t come from cramming. It comes from years of doing things that matter, reflecting on them honestly and learning to talk about them with conviction. Start now, and September of your application year will look very different.



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blog Productivity Trending | 5min Read

7 Ways to Make Your Summer Actually Count

Published on June 3, 2026

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7 Ways to Make Your Summer Actually Count

7 Ways to Make Your Summer Actually Count

It’s June. You have roughly 10 weeks before school starts again. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: most students waste them- not because they’re lazy, but because they never decide what they want from summer in the first place. Whether you’re looking for productive summer activities, structured summer learning opportunities, or simply a way to return to school more confident and capable, these 7 strategies will change how you approach the next 10 weeks.

 

01

Build one real skill- not ten half-finished ones

Every summer, students download Duolingo, sign up for a coding course, buy a guitar, and abandon all three by July 15th. The problem isn’t motivation- it’s breadth. Pick one skill you genuinely want, commit to 30 minutes a day, and watch what happens in 60 days. Whether it’s Python, public speaking, graphic design, or a second language, one skill done properly is worth ten things half-started. Colleges and employers remember specifics, not “I tried stuff.”

Quick start: Write down 3 skills you’ve been curious about. Cross out 2. Spend the summer on the one that’s left.

 

02

Start a project that solves something real

The best thing about summer is that no one’s grading you- which means you can actually make things instead of just studying them. Pick a problem in your world and build something around it: a small app, a short film, a research paper on a topic you care about, a social media page for a cause, a handmade product you sell to friends and family. It doesn’t have to be big. It has to be yours. Projects show initiative in a way that grades simply can’t-  and when interview or application season comes, “I built this” is one of the most powerful things a student can say.

Need a starting point?
Ask yourself: what’s something that annoys me, confuses me, or could be better in my school or neighbourhood? That irritation is usually a project idea in disguise.

 

03

Join a summer program that gives your summer actual structure

Self-discipline is hard to manufacture out of thin air – especially when every other signal in your environment says “relax.” That’s exactly why structured summer programs work so well for students who want to grow but struggle to stay consistent on their own. A good summer enrichment program gives you a schedule, peers who push you, and mentors who hold you accountable. 

Research from the Harvard Graduate School of Education consistently shows that students in structured summer programs retain more learning, perform stronger academically in the following school year, and report higher confidence going into new grades. 

Big Red Education runs some of the most hands-on student leadership programs available right now- here are three worth knowing about:

Leadership & Social Innovation Conference

In Partnership with NYU Stern’s Initiative on Purpose and Flourishing

A 5-day in-person conference where students develop leadership, design thinking, and social innovation skills aligned with the UN SDGs. Students develop:

  • Design thinking and social innovation skills
  • Strengths-based and adaptive leadership
  • Rapid prototyping and problem-solving
  • Pitching real solutions to an expert panel

Mentored by Dustin Liu, Senior Associate Director at NYU Stern’s Initiative on Purpose and Flourishing, who has taught design thinking at Stanford and worked with Cornell, Harvard, MIT, and the University of Chicago.

Ivy League MUN Conference 2.0

An immersive Model United Nations summer conference organised by University of Pennsylvania students designed to sharpen research, debate, diplomacy, and public speaking skills giving students a taste of high-stakes global problem-solving before they ever step into a university. Students develop:

  • Diplomacy and negotiation abilities
  • Public speaking and argumentation
  • Research and analytical thinking
  • Resilience under pressure

Command Z: Future Tech Lab

An intensive summer learning opportunity that introduces students to Generative AI through real hands-on projects mentored by Dr Blaine Fisher, a professor of information technology, emergency management & GIS at Tulane University. Students gain:

  • AI literacy and prompt engineering skills
  • Ethical technology awareness
  • The ability to build real projects using tools that are reshaping every industry
  • Original thinking, not just technical know-how

 

04

Read Beyond the Classroom to Build Knowledge and Critical Thinking

Not textbooks. Not revision guides. Pick up a non-fiction book about something you actually find fascinating, the psychology of decision-making, the history of the internet, how cities are built, how pandemics spread. Throw in a novel you’ve been meaning to read. Reading outside your curriculum does something school can’t easily replicate: it builds the kind of broad, connected knowledge that makes you interesting to talk to, sharper in arguments, and better at writing. Even 20 pages a day is 4-5 books by September.

Reading hack: Tell someone else what you read. Explaining a book out loud forces you to actually understand it, and it sticks far longer.

 

05

Build a physical routine before you need one

Summers without structure quietly destroy sleep schedules, eating habits, and energy levels- and then students arrive at September already running on empty. The fix is simple but non-negotiable: establish one physical habit and protect it. Run three times a week. Swim. Play a sport. Do yoga. It doesn’t have to be intense; it has to be consistent. A body that moves regularly sleeps better, thinks more clearly, and handles stress more effectively. Academic performance is not just a brain problem- it’s a whole-body problem.

 

06

Sit with boredom – Unstructured Time Actually Boosts Creativity

This one sounds counterintuitive. We live in an era of zero-tolerance for boredom, there’s always a scroll, a stream, a notification.But research from the American Psychological Association is clear: unstructured, screen-free time is where original thinking happens. The shower thoughts, the random ideas, the “what if I tried this” moments, they don’t come when your brain is constantly stimulated. Build at least a few hours a week with no agenda. Walk without podcasts. Sit without your phone. Let your mind wander. You might be surprised what it comes up with.

 

07

Write down what you want September to look like

Most students start the school year in reactive mode – responding to deadlines, assignments, and social pressures as they arrive. The ones who feel most in control? They spent some time before term deciding what they wanted. Not a rigid 5-year plan – just a clear sense of 2 or 3 things they want to do differently, achieve, or prioritize. According to research from Stanford’s Life Design Lab, students who set intentions before term are measurably more focused and less overwhelmed once the year gets busy.

Try this: Write “By the end of this school year, I want to have ___.” Fill it in three different ways. That’s your compass for the next 10 months.

 

A Note for Parents

Summer isn’t about filling every hour. The most impactful summers balance skill-building, exploration, and genuine rest. Encouraging students to pursue structured opportunities like a summer leadership program or entrepreneurship bootcamp alongside independent projects and downtime helps them return to school more confident, motivated, and ready to perform. The goal isn’t a packed schedule; it’s an intentional one.

 

Final Thoughts

The students who benefit most from summer aren’t necessarily the busiest they’re the most intentional. Whether you choose to develop a skill, launch a project, join a summer enrichment program, or simply read more widely, the goal is the same: start September with more confidence, knowledge, and direction than you had in June.

If you’re looking for a structured way to challenge yourself this summer, explore Big Red Education’s programs designed to help students build leadership, innovation, and real-world skills.

 

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blog Entrepreneurship Higher Education Internship Leadership MUN Productivity Research Uncategorized | 5min Read

Why Debate Is Your Ultimate College & Career Cheat Code.

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Why Debate Is Your Ultimate College & Career Cheat Code.

Why Debate Is Your Ultimate College & Career Cheat Code.

This article highlights the key reasons why participating in debate can significantly boost your academic journey and career prospects. It explores how debate programs enhance public speaking skills, critical thinking skills, and networking opportunities, all of which are valuable assets in the academic and professional world.

At Big Red Education, we have worked with students participating in international debate and MUN programs, helping them develop communication skills, leadership, and analytical skills that support both academic and personal growth. By addressing the most common questions regarding the benefits of debate for students, this post breaks down the cognitive, structural, and practical values that make finding your voice at the podium a major advantage.

Does Debate Look Good for College Applications? 

Admissions officers are flooded with identical transcripts and test scores. When evaluating extracurricular activities for college applications, universities look for a track record of critical engagement. Committing to a student debate program proves you have the intellectual stamina to handle the rigors of higher education, making debate for college admissions an incredibly powerful tool.

The Academic Proof: According to data from the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA), the academic benefits are measurable: students who participate in debate are 17% more likely to graduate high school and 29% more likely to enroll in tertiary education.

Beyond Rote Memorization: Whether you are navigating competitive university cutoffs or drafting complex academic papers on state policy and fundamental rights, debate proves you can research deeply and articulate complex ideas under immense pressure. If you are wondering, “does debate look good for college?“ the answer is a resounding yes.

The 3 M’s of Debate: Matter, Manner, and Method

To take a room by storm in any debate competition, you need to master the three core pillars of argumentation. Honing these debating skills will set you apart:

  1. Matter (The Content): This is the logic, evidence, and substance behind your claims. It is about taking daily observations—like the sociology of household dynamics or political science theories—and transforming them into air-tight, structured arguments.
  2. Manner (The Delivery): How you say something matters just as much as what you say. This encompasses your vocal modulation, eye contact, and the sheer, unshakeable confidence you project.
  3. Method (The Structure): This is the strategic flow and organization of your speech. Good debaters act as academic mentors for their audience, signposting their points so seamlessly that anyone can follow their train of thought.

“Debate isn’t just about winning an argument; it is about learning to view the world through multiple lenses and articulating your stance with absolute conviction.”

How Debate Improves Public Speaking Skills.

One of the most immediate benefits of joining a student debate program is the mastery of Public Speaking. While many students fear the podium, debate transforms that anxiety into confidence in public speaking.

Thinking on Your Feet: In a live debate, you cannot rely on a pre-written script. You must actively listen, process opposing arguments, and deliver sharp rebuttals on the spot. This ability to think quickly is essential for handling questions during presentations or defending a thesis.

Interview Preparation and Success: The communication skills built through debate translate directly into real-world success. When you learn to speak confidently and structure your thoughts under pressure, college interview success becomes much more attainable. Admissions officers and future employers alike value candidates who exhibit strong presentation skills and the ability to articulate their value clearly.

Does Debate Improve Intelligence and Critical Thinking?

Measurable Cognitive Growth: The cognitive agility you build through debate is scientifically proven. According to a study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology, researchers found significant improvements in critical thinking skills and analytical thinking among students who regularly participated in structured debate activities.

Accelerated Learning: Academic research further reveals that debate participants improve their reading scores by the equivalent of roughly two-thirds of a year of learning. This makes debate one of the most powerful educational tools available for developing advanced problem-solving skills.

Enhancing Emotional Intelligence: By constantly anticipating counter-arguments and being forced to understand opposing perspectives, debaters develop a profound sense of empathy alongside their analytical prowess.

Why is debate important for students?

Developing a Robust Worldview: Debate forces you to step outside your comfortable echo chamber. You learn to dissect societal issues and complex concepts from viewpoints you might not naturally agree with, a core component of student enrichment programs.

Scientifically Proven Teamwork: Research highlighted by frameworks like Harvard Project Zero emphasizes how collaborative learning environments build deep understanding. Working in teams on debate topics dramatically enhances students’ collaboration skills and their ability to genuinely understand diverse viewpoints.

Fostering Unshakeable Confidence: When you learn to hold your ground in a rapid-fire rebuttal, pitching a creative vision board to your peers or presenting a project to a room full of people becomes effortless second nature. These are the foundations of true leadership development.

Take Your Debate Skills Global Through ILMUNC India –

If debate has taught you to think critically, communicate persuasively, and defend ideas with confidence, the next step is applying those skills in real-world global discussions.

Join the Ivy League Model United Nations Conference (ILMUNC) India!

Brought to you by Big Red Education and organized by UPenn’s premier high school MUN conference resources, ILMUNC India 2.0 offers students the opportunity to move beyond classroom debates and engage in international diplomacy simulations led by mentors from top universities.

This isn’t just a mock debate—it is an immersive simulation where you will tackle the world’s most pressing challenges and collaborate with future leaders from across the globe. Whether you are looking to enhance your college admissions consulting profile, join elite summer programs, or participate in a world-class MUN conference, ILMUNC India is the ultimate platform.

You will connect with top-tier mentors, engage in intense multilateral negotiations, and walk away with real-world diplomacy skills, collaboration, and leadership traits that don’t just look good on a report card, but actually work in the real world. No memorization marathons here; you are in the driver’s seat.

Apply for ILMUNC 2026 Here

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blog Productivity | 5min Read

Top 5 Ways Students Can Utilise Their Time Effectively

Published on June 29, 2021

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Top 5 Ways Students Can Utilise Their Time Effectively

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Oftentimes, students find themselves perplexed about what to do with their time. Only recently exposed to the real world, these adolescents have to suddenly find a way to balance their social life, academics and personal time with only a limited amount of energy. Most teenagers have preferences regarding the aforementioned and so decide accordingly. Some succumb to the burden of parental or academic pressure and put their preferences aside to focus on their studies. During the time of the pandemic, these feelings have heightened even more and boredom has peaked. There’s nothing to do and with feelings of disorientation all around, all leads to one question: what do we do?

Answering this question mostly depends on the person, their inclinations and priorities. All others, even our parents and teachers, can really do is suggest. At the end of the day, we’re the ones who make the final decisions. So, to guide students through this phase of doubt and uncertainty, here are some suggestions::

Exercise

Working out may sound exhausting. I mean we’re already doing so much every day, why do we have to exercise? And if we’re trying to conserve our energy, isn’t spending it on physical activity the opposite? Well, it really depends on how much energy one spends. While some people like to do intense training, some are more into the mindfulness side of exercise like yoga. Even if one spends a lot of energy on physical exertion, it’s energy well spent since working out has many direct and indirect benefits. Not only does it help you reduce your risk of heart diseases and certain cancers, it also benefits your mental health – decreases stress! – and makes your brain sharper.

One actually doesn’t need to take too much time out for exercise, even 30 minutes a day is perfectly fine. They can try to incorporate it into their daily routine by making it more fun and tracking their progress for motivation. All in all, exercise is a quite beneficial practice and it helps you clear your head more than anything. So, it’s definitely one of the places where you should put your energy.

Hobbies

For those of us who don’t enjoy physical exertion whatsoever, there are other alternatives as well, such as trying out new hobbies. These can literally be anything. Playing the guitar, painting, singing, writing, designing etc. Another benefit is that you will most probably end up doing what you want to, not what you need to. Hobbies provide a creative outlet for all and are one of the best forms of expression. Truly engaging with something you enjoy and letting yourself go can reduce stress, and improve creativity and even your academic performance. These new experiences help teenagers step out of their comfort zones, which can actually allow them to find their passion. Plus, you become a much more interesting person if you have some hobbies. They enrich your perspective and let you leave a memorable impression on those you meet. Hobbies are a great way to spend your energy, and some barely require any, so you should definitely go out there and see what you like!

Building Your Profile

It’s never too early to start thinking about college. If boredom strikes earlier in your adolescent years for you, building your college profile might just be what you need to succeed. While studying or doing co-curriculars can sound draining, finding something you seriously love can make it so much more fun. The advantages and opportunities are endless once you start, block by block, you can create something amazing that will increase your future potential. And, through this profile you can put across your true, authentic personality. It takes energy, sure, but if you have fun while doing it, it is incredibly advantageous and hence, definitely worth it.

Socialise

The likelihood of your friends also being very bored is extremely high. Most probably, you’re not alone in your exhaustion and have other acquaintances and confidantes who feel the same way. Hanging out with your friends is extremely entertaining. You can do so much in online settings, play video games, listen to music and even watch shows through extensions such as Netflix Party. Most of the time, you end up making memories and inside jokes that live on forever. These irreplaceable moments are something definitely worth spending your energy on. Additionally, socialising can help with your mental health and self-esteem too. Spending time with people we care about often helps us get an external perspective and prevents thought-spirals! We dream, learn, grow and work as a part of a society while socialising. It can definitely act as an amazing alternative to spending your days lonely and bored.

Relax

It might seem counterintuitive to suggest this after the above options but sometimes, a lot of people just want to do nothing and that’s okay. Being by yourself and just relaxing is often the best thing you can do. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with taking some time out for yourself and no reason to feel guilty about it. Focusing on yourself and your health-mental or physical-may just benefit you even more in the future. Easing up reduces stress and anxiety but it also helps lower your heart rate and reduce chronic pain. This helps us eventually gain a clearer and calmer mindset, which can make us more productive and efficient. Further, just being alone for a little while can even allow you to find your real personality, separated from most external pressure. When you’re close to being burnt out, relaxing is the most productive thing you can do for yourself in the long run because you’re preventing future roadblocks by taking out time for yourself! It alleviates your stress, pain and confusion; sometimes the best way to utilise energy is to simply let it rest and build.

So, there’s a lot of choices but informing yourself about things like this is the first step towards becoming more and more efficient as each day passes. It may still be very hard to decide but all someone can really do is try. Don’t worry about failing, remind yourself that even that is a part of increasing your potential and at least, you attempted to do something you wanted to do. Putting yourself out there and trying out some of these might just increase your future potential a hundredfold. All it requires is for you to learn how to use your energy properly.

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