A completely serious guide to making sure your years abroad leave as little useful evidence as possible.
You came abroad to study.
You probably have a degree to earn, a language to learn, money to manage, skills to build, and a future to prepare for.
But who said you actually have to do any of that?
After watching international students — and honestly, sometimes myself — there is another path you can take.
It is easier.
It is comfortable.
It is extremely entertaining.
And, if you follow it carefully, you can spend years abroad and still wonder where all your time went.
So today, let me introduce you to the best ways to waste your time as an international student.
Please follow these instructions carefully.
1. Never wake up before 10 a.m.
The first rule is simple:
Sleep through the morning.
Why wake up at 7 or 8 when you can wake up at 11?
Your university probably has classes in the morning, but that is exactly why you should avoid them.
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., you can enjoy the most productive activity of all:
doing absolutely nothing.
Check your phone.
Lie in bed.
Open Instagram.
Close Instagram.
Open it again.
Check messages.
Watch one more video.
Suddenly it is 2:47 p.m.
Congratulations.
You have successfully eliminated half of your day without producing anything.
2. Make Instagram your second university
If you want to waste time efficiently, you need a professional scrolling schedule.
Start with a reasonable 2–3 hours of Instagram Reels per day.
If you are serious about wasting your potential, increase it to 5–7 hours.
Do not worry about remembering what you watched.
The goal is not knowledge.
The goal is to reach the end of the day with absolutely no idea where the day went.
Watch travel videos while living abroad.
Watch study videos while avoiding studying.
Watch fitness videos while lying in bed.
Watch people making money while doing nothing to make money yourself.
It is important to consume content about the life you want instead of actually building it.
3. Become an expert in “just one more video”
One-hour videos are perfect.
Especially when you have an assignment due tomorrow.
Tell yourself:
“I will watch this for 10 minutes.”
Then watch the entire thing.
After that, watch another.
Then another.
Eventually it is 4 a.m.
Now you can finally sleep.
The assignment can wait.
Your future can wait.
But that documentary about something you will forget tomorrow?
Absolutely cannot wait.
4. Work 24/7 — but never build anything
This one is important.
Get a job.
Work seven days a week.
Take every shift you can.
Make money.
Then spend the money immediately.
Eat outside.
Order expensive food.
Drink with friends.
Take taxis.
Buy things you do not need.
Go to cafés every day.
Go to Hongdae.
Go to Itaewon.
And when your bank account starts looking nervous, simply work another shift.
This creates a beautiful cycle:
work → spend → work → spend → repeat.
You will become extremely busy without necessarily becoming significantly closer to your long-term goals.
5. Treat university holidays as a mandatory productivity shutdown
When university closes, your brain should close too.
No classes?
Perfect.
No studying.
No portfolio.
No Korean practice.
No English practice.
No certification.
No personal project.
No internship preparation.
No reading.
No planning.
You have officially received permission from the university to stop developing yourself.
Use it.
A holiday is not an opportunity.
It is a coma.
6. But when university starts, cancel the classes
Of course, there is one exception.
When classes actually begin, suddenly work becomes extremely important.
Your employer needs you.
Your friends need you.
The weather is nice.
You are tired.
Your bed is comfortable.
There are many reasons to miss class.
Eventually, you become very experienced at explaining why you couldn't attend.
The professor may even recognize your name.
Unfortunately, they may recognize it because of your attendance record.
7. Turn your blog into a museum of random thoughts
Starting a blog is actually a great idea.
So start one.
But make sure there is absolutely no direction.
Monday:
“My experience living in Korea.”
Tuesday:
“18+ content.”
Wednesday:
“My thoughts about religion.”
Thursday:
“How rich people live.”
Friday:
“Top 10 Korean restaurants.”
Saturday:
“My random opinion about something I saw on Instagram.”
Sunday:
“Why I disappeared for three months.”
Post everything.
Build no topic authority.
Build no useful portfolio.
Build no recognizable expertise.
Just keep posting.
Because quantity is definitely more important than purpose.
8. Become socially international — especially after midnight
You came abroad to meet people.
That is good.
So meet everyone.
Korean friends.
Japanese friends.
Vietnamese friends.
Russian friends.
Friends from Europe.
Friends from America.
Friends from everywhere.
And preferably meet them after midnight.
Talk for hours.
Go drinking.
Go to cafés.
Go to billiards.
Go watch games.
Go to PC bangs.
Go somewhere else afterward.
Come home at 5 a.m.
Then repeat.
Social life is important.
But if your entire social life happens during the hours when you should be sleeping, studying, or working toward your goals, eventually you may discover an interesting problem:
You have 200 friends and no progress.
9. Make PC bangs your second home
Why study at home when Korea has PC bangs?
Open Steam.
Spend ₩5,000–₩10,000.
Play for three hours.
Tell yourself you are only going to play one game.
Three hours later:
“One more.”
Then another.
Then another.
You can even convince yourself that gaming is “stress relief.”
And technically, it is.
The problem begins when stress relief becomes your lifestyle.
10. Turn your Steam account into your biggest investment
You do not need to invest in yourself.
Invest in games.
Buy the game.
Buy the DLC.
Buy the skin.
Buy another game because it is on sale.
You saved 70%!
Never mind that you spent money you didn't plan to spend.
At least your Steam library is growing.
Your résumé may not be.
But your Steam library?
Absolutely incredible.
11. Spend your free time everywhere except where it matters
There are countless beautiful places to visit in Korea.
Hongdae.
Itaewon.
Gangnam.
Myeongdong.
And many others.
Go everywhere.
Take pictures.
Upload stories.
Make memories.
There is nothing wrong with enjoying Korea.
The problem is when every free hour becomes an excuse to escape your responsibilities.
You came abroad for an experience.
Eventually, make sure you have something to show for that experience besides 4,000 photos.
12. Never learn the local language seriously
You live in Korea.
You hear Korean every day.
You see Korean everywhere.
Perfect.
Now continue using English all day.
When someone speaks Korean to you, smile.
When you don't understand, say:
“네.”
This works surprisingly well.
Until it doesn't.
A year later, you can still introduce yourself.
Two years later, you can still order food.
Three years later, you can still say:
“한국어 조금 할 수 있어요.”
And honestly, that's enough.
Why become fluent when you can survive?
13. Confuse being busy with being productive
This is probably the most dangerous one.
Work.
Study.
Socialize.
Travel.
Scroll.
Game.
Eat.
Drink.
Sleep.
Repeat.
Your calendar is full.
Your phone has 17 notifications.
Your bank account is moving.
Your university emails are unread.
Your projects are unfinished.
Your language level hasn't changed.
But you are busy.
And busy feels productive.
That is the trick.
14. Always choose short-term pleasure over long-term freedom
You have two choices.
Study for two hours tonight.
Or watch Reels for two hours.
Practice Korean.
Or go drinking.
Build your portfolio.
Or play games.
Save money.
Or eat out.
Sleep early.
Or stay out until 4 a.m.
Work on your future.
Or postpone it.
Choose the easier option often enough and eventually your future becomes something you constantly talk about instead of something you actually build.
15. And finally, never ask yourself where the years went
This is the final step.
One day, you will look back.
You will realize that you spent months abroad.
Maybe years.
You met hundreds of people.
Visited dozens of places.
Worked thousands of hours.
Scrolled through thousands of videos.
Played hundreds of games.
Spent a lot of money.
And somehow...
you are still standing at the same starting point.
Then you can ask:
“Where did all that time go?”
The answer is simple.
You spent it.
Okay. Now seriously.
Obviously, don't take this guide literally.
This is sarcasm.
I am not saying you should never sleep late, play games, drink with friends, travel, date, go to Hongdae, use Instagram, or simply do nothing for a day.
You are a human being, not a productivity machine.
International student life is supposed to contain fun, mistakes, friendships, nightlife, games, bad decisions, and memories.
The problem is not wasting a little time.
The problem is turning wasting time into your default lifestyle.
There is a difference between:
“I played games tonight because I wanted to relax.”
and
“I play games every night because I have no plan.”
There is a difference between:
“I went drinking with my friends.”
and
“Every weekend disappears because I am always drinking.”
There is a difference between:
“I took a day off.”
and
“I have been taking days off for the last six months.”
You don't need to become a monk.
You don't need to study 12 hours a day.
You don't need to delete Instagram forever.
You don't need to stop having fun.
You just need to know what your time is buying you.
Because when you live abroad, time feels unlimited.
It isn't.
Your visa has an expiration date.
Your university years have an expiration date.
Your energy changes.
Your opportunities change.
Your friends move away.
Your twenties move faster than you think.
So enjoy Korea.
Go outside.
Make friends.
Go to PC bangs.
Visit Hongdae.
Eat something ridiculous at 2 a.m.
Fall in love.
Make mistakes.
Have fun.
But while you're doing all of that, build something too.
Learn the language.
Get the degree.
Build the portfolio.
Save some money.
Learn a skill.
Create something.
Meet people who make you better.
Make your future self grateful that you were here.
Because the real tragedy isn't wasting one day.
The real tragedy is wasting so many days that one day you realize you accidentally wasted a whole chapter of your life.
So yes — waste your time.
Just don't waste all of it.
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