[ Mara Masters, 1L at Emory Law ]
Well folks, I hope the end of the semester is treating you well. I finally limped through the last of my exams and now have a few days to recoup after the heavy emotional toll that limping to the end took. As we all continue to adjust to this new world we live in and to working remotely, I thought I would share the five tools that have gotten me through my seasons of working from home.
1. This mug warmer
I am currently on a five- to six-cups of coffee a day habit, but I still get immersed in my work and forget that I have coffee waiting for me. Very few things are as disappointing to me as a lukewarm cup of coffee, and we don’t have a microwave for easy reheating (plus, microwaved coffee gets kind of weird, let’s be real). So we have invested in enough of these cheap mug warmers to have one in each room of the house, because we are extra extra, and I never have to think about my coffee getting cold.
2. This tiny notebook
I love, love, love these notebooks. I keep everything in them from my reading, grocery, and wish lists to phone numbers, my daily schedule, and all of my to-dos. Sometimes I jot little poems or quotes or things I am thinking down in them as well. They are small enough to stash in my back pocket if I am doing things that require movement and very, very sturdy. Look out for sales on their website and at your university bookstore (if we ever get to go back to campus), because when they go on sale they are one of the most cost-effective notebooks I have found.
3. These noise-canceling headphones
I love these headphones because they block out noise like no other headphones I’ve ever had, and they customize your listening experience based on your hearing profile. Plus, they have the option to rent a pair instead of purchasing. If anything happens to your headphones while you’re renting, they will send you a new pair. I am a broke law student, so I deeply appreciate the cheaper and insured option here. I don’t know if I would have survived exams with a roommate and a dog if I didn’t have the option to go into my own little soundproof universe of focus.
4. This wall of sticky notes
This project board is much more organized than the eclectic wall of stickies I set up for exam preparation but having a color-coded system with big font and easily moveable pieces worked VERY well for me. As I’m getting ready to start my virtual summer internship, I’m going to translate what I did for exams into something a little nicer to look at.
5. This bread recipe
There have been plenty of jokes and memes about how everyone is dealing with quarantine by baking sourdough, but I feel like what better way to comfort ourselves than freshly baked carbs loaded with butter. My one recommendation if you are following this recipe, don’t ever punch your dough down. Treat it gently, as though it had feelings. You don’t want to destroy all the goodness that your yeast or sourdough starter has worked so hard to create.
