How To: utilize time immediately after the exam?

UPSC preparation is a very perplexing process. With the sky-high level of competition, people often gets exhausted by the time they appear for the exam be it prelims or mains or interview. Therefore as soon as the exam gets over, the usual instinct after the exam is to roam around, meet family/friends and wait for the results.

However, this time is of utmost importance for the following reasons.
1. From mid-May to end-July is the prelims high mode. Thus, people are mainly engaged in prelims preparation. It leaves very little time to work on drawbacks of the previous year.
2. From End-August to Mains, people are purely focused on Mains. Given the breadth and depth of general studies and optional exam, it is difficult to augment any new skill set in this duration. Most of the time is spent in covering and revising what you had done in the previous attempts.

For these reasons, most often people say they were more confident in their previous attempts than in the current attempt. However, most of the candidate fails to regain their momentum in January to May time frame and end up wasting time in random activities in a directionless manner. Either the time is spent in gossiping, attending some family functions, roaming with the girl friend or playing cards and drinking alcohol. Most of the aspirants find it difficult to maintain consistency in covering even the newspaper.

I consider it as a big business proposition where such aspirants may be provided some avenues so that they utilise time in a proper manner. From my experience, I am listing some fruitful activities which will prove more productive than playing cards. These are divided into two different heads namely exam oriented and fun oriented.

Exam oriented:
Therefore, January to May is the only time when a candidate
1. can work on a new optional subject if he discovers any discomfort in the current optional subject.
2. can read many general books and augment his skill set
3. can read new text on the current optional
4. can work on the drawbacks of previous year like improving writing skill or strengthening GS topics
5. can work on his plan B

Fun Oriented:
1. Take an all India tour and write a travelogue. Some NGO provides a 25 day all India tour for some 10 or 15K.
2. Become a regular visitor of India Habitat center and attend at least 50 seminars. Meet professionals and introduce yourself. Collect their cards.
3. Start an NGO or join an NGO and lead some social change on the ground
4. Pursue your hobby vigorously. For example, if you are into meditation and become a meditation freak.
5. Work on your interest. For example, if you love to boxing then join some boxing coach to understand the nitty gritty of the game
6. Teach in a coaching or start your own (Don't worry about money here)
7. Write a book on some specific subject
8. Visit all the policy research NGO and meet people there. If possible join a policy research institute.
9. Write articles to newspapers on issues of current affairs.

But be focussed, be directed and utilise time properly. Because once the results are out, we often regret why we did not use our time productively. However, year after year candidate repeats the same thing and face an identity crisis on the d-day.