Spring break in 14, 13, 12 days and counting. Students everywhere are counting down the days and minutes until spring break begins.

The weeklong break allows students to sleep, relax and do something fun for a change. Although a week seems like a long time, it can actually go by pretty quickly. Here are a few things you can do that will allow you to get the most out of your break.

1) Get ahead on homework

I can already hear the audible sighs of students ringing in my ears. Of course you shouldn’t overwhelm yourself with homework and projects, but it isn’t a bad idea to get ahead on a few things. After spring break there will be six weeks left in the semester. These six weeks will be filled with projects, final papers and preparing for finals.

Although, if you find yourself behind on homework you can also use spring break to catch up on reading or possibly turn in late assignments, given your professor will allow you to turn them in late.

Relieve some of the stress from the rest of the semester by getting ahead on homework. Spring break is a perfect time to write those papers and tie up any loose ends on projects.

2) Leave time to relax

If you’re taking any sort of trip for spring break, even a small one, you may find yourself needing a vacation from your vacation. Trips take up a lot of time and energy, which can leave you feeling extremely drained. Leave a few days between your trip and the first day back to classes to rest.

A day to catch up on rest and mentally prepare yourself for getting back into the groove of school can do wonders. However, if this isn’t a possibility don’t stress about it too much, your vacation will be fun whether you leave yourself downtime or not.

3) Clean

Between school, work and attempting to have a social life, the cleanliness of my apartment is often thrown to the wayside. Dishes stack up, floors go without sweeping and don’t even get me started on the state of the bathroom. Take time, put in some serious cleaning hours and leave your place looking squeaky clean.

Utilizing the extra time during spring break might not seem like the most fun thing, but it will help you feel productive. Plus you’ll be able to brag to all your friends that you actually did some spring cleaning, if that doesn’t make it worth it, I don’t know what will.

4) Binge-watch your favorite show

There is nothing I get more behind on during the school semester than my favorite television shows. During the semester it can leave me feeling like I’m missing out, but binge watching what I missed out during the semester can be great. You can use spring break to wear comfy clothes, plop down on the couch and binge watch the latest season of your favorite TV show.

Whether you watch them on Netflix, Hulu or some other site (legally, of course) there is no wrong way to catch up. So sit back, relax and enjoy.

5) Do some service

I know, I know, how could I suggest you do homework, clean and do service? Well with this one you might be able to kill two birds with one stone. If your class requires that you do service then you might want to take some time during spring break to get it all done.

It can be hard to plan around classes, work and homework, but during spring break your days will be more open. If you’re going to do service during spring break, get a jump-start on planning so that when the time comes you don’t have to worry about what you’re going to do. All you’ll have to worry about is just showing up and putting in some hard work.