Thumbs Up:
- Closing Your Tabs
- There is perhaps nothing more satisfying than clicking those tiny little X’s at the top of your browser, until all of your tabs are over and done with, and you can finally close your computer and breathe. When all of the sources for that 10-page paper, the screens split between your textbook and your notes document, and yes, all of your online shopping tabs are finally closed out, you’ll notice a calmness in your life (perhaps due to the fact that your computer has stopped making that overheating airplane noise). Read a book, take a nap, and blink a little bit—your eyes will thank you.
- Double-spacing a Single-spaced Document
- There is an age-old trick that college students often use to ease their mind and make them feel more productive than they perhaps truly are—writing your papers in single-spaced format before double-spacing them to watch as your page count magically multiplies. When writing a paper counted by page, the gratification that comes from watching the text grow on the page as if enchanted is nothing short of euphoric.
Thumbs Down:
- P.D.A.
- Public displays of affection are out. Not that they’ve ever been in, but now more than ever, they should be punishable by law. No one wants to see you eating each other’s faces on a machine in the gym that has a line of people behind it waiting to use it. No one wants to catch you in a Stokes stairwell with your significant other. Prospective students don’t want you and your hookup’s makeout sesh to be the first impression they have of campus. Do us all a favor and change the “P” in P.D.A. from “public” to “private.”
- Overhead Lights
- There is something about a light that illuminates the whole room that is shocking and glaring. Once, our society lived by candlelight. There were less late nights spent toiling over work or reading because candles were valuable and were used only when necessary. As a society, the shift back toward something like candlelight is needed more than ever. Overhead lights disrupt our circadian rhythms and mess with our sleep. Candles might not be feasible in a dorm room setting, but lamps most certainly are. The soft glow of lamp light is so much more enjoyable than a blinding overhead light. Make the switch.
