Keeping Sunday reserved as a day of rest in college is difficult. I grew up in a Catholic family, and I pretty much kept my Sundays free of schoolwork through high school. There was the occasional essay to finish Sunday night, but my family was really good at finding fulfilling things to do on Sunday: morning Mass, family meals, skyping with my older brother, playing games in the afternoon, maybe a movie night. I loved it. Even apart from the 3rd Commandment, having a day to relax and let my mind focus on things other than school was a blessing. Then, college happened. I knew I wanted to keep Sundays a day of rest, but my workload was higher, I was running cross country, and trying to make friends managed to fill in the gaps. It hasn’t really gotten easier, but this past year I have stumbled upon—I’m not willing to say “developed,” that gives me too much credit—some strategies for keeping Sunday a day of rest. 

The first strategy really is something I just stumbled on: over-commitment! I exaggerate. What I mean is this: if you commit to things on Sunday that are fitting for Sunday, then you no longer have to overcome the tendency to do work. You just won’t have time! I started going to a Bible Study at the Cistercian monastery across the street from my university (yes, it is as cool as it sounds) and volunteering to help teach Catechism class at a local parish. Both of these activities are awesome for Sunday, and they force me to be more studious on other days to make up for the time I am committing to them, which used to be given over to study. Now, not all of you live across from a monastery, and I’m sure not all of you have the same interests and opportunities that I do, so find things that work for you. Committing yourself to other activities removes a barrier from devoting your Sundays to activities fitting for it, i.e., you do not have to make the conscious decision every time to use your Sunday well, because your commitments will do that for you! 

The next strategy is really just a specification of the first: have a meal with your roommates and/or friends. This is one that my roommates and I did not do very consistently, but when we did, I really appreciated it. I will suggest brunch, since you can go first to Mass and then back to your apartment to start preparing it, but dinner is good as well. First of all, this is a great thing to do purely on its own merits. Spending quality time with your roommates can quickly become more difficult than you expected, and few things are better than doing so over a meal. For us, we would often invite over a couple of friends who we felt we hadn’t seen enough, as well. Back on our topic, though, committing to a meal with your roommates gives you great accountability for spending your Sundays well. You are unlikely to skip brunch for schoolwork; you can use your natural aversion towards abandoning your roommates in your own interest! I have been talking about brunch with your roommates because that is what I have experienced; once again, however, do what works for you. Maybe you are in a dorm that does not have a kitchen, maybe you are not very close to your roommates, maybe you don’t like brunch (gasp). Even if it is just going to the cafeteria with your friends, you can make your Sunday meal special. Ways to do this include scheduling a time, bringing a table cloth, pretending it is a fancy meal. People might look at you funny, but they should be jealous of such a good idea. 
    
My last suggestion is something of a stop-gap. The goal is to be free from doing schoolwork on Sunday, thereby making it a better, more fulfilling day of rest. But for now, you still have reading for that general requirement English class to do, or maybe an essay to finish (or start, yikes!). My suggestion is that you keep your work inside a scheduled, limited time. This could mean that you give yourself two hours in the afternoon, and whatever you need to do, you do in those two hours. If you have more, than tough luck, do it on Monday. (Speaking of which, marking off some time Monday morning to finish what you need to can allow you to keep Sunday a day of rest without stressing out over your schoolwork.) Although strictly scheduling your Sunday schoolwork does not make those hours restful, it will make the hours not devoted to schoolwork more restful because you have a plan to finish it. 

In college, keeping Sunday a day of rest is hard, and especially so if those around you are not trying to do so themselves. Whatever you can do to make it easier for yourself, you should. Approach Sunday like any other habit. The better you reserve Sunday as a day of rest this weekend, the easier it will be to do so the next weekend. Just like other habits, moreover, you want to remove as many obstacles as you can. If keeping Sunday free of school work is hard for you, and you run into a challenge, it is more than likely that you reset to your default and spend the day working. My three suggestions all help to make a restful Sunday as easy as possible. Hopefully they help you reach a time when your Sundays can be blessed, peaceful days of rest!