Recently, a good friend told me that I have a little bit of a reputation among our classmates as someone who is good at getting things done. At first, I didn’t think much of this. I’m a good student who cares about school. I want to be a high school English teacher. Getting things done sort of seems like the barest of minimums to me. But then I thought, getting things done in college is actually miraculous if you’re as busy as most of the people I know. Between classes, homework assignments, jobs, internships, sleeping, eating, and (if you’re more outgoing than me) social obligations, the pressure placed on college students today is incredibly high. With that being said, I thought I’d share how I manage to get everything done (most of the time).
YouTube.
I know what you’re thinking. Holly, YouTube is a time suck. It’s a total waste of time. And I know. There is nothing about sitting on your laptop in prime internet browsing form that is productive or good for your chiropractic health. But… hear me out. My attention span for homework is actually relatively short. I need breaks to keep my focus in top form. If I open Netflix (or Hulu, or Amazon, or whatever) during what little time for homework I have this semester, it’s not getting done. I will not return to the dreaded paper, reading assignment, what have you. My options are at least 20 minutes long at best, over 2 hours at worst. If I open YouTube, there’s a plethora of short-form entertainment media to choose from, it’s free to use, and I probably won’t get sucked in, like I would a TV show. So finally, without further ado, I present four YouTubers who have helped me survive this semester. (So far, wish me luck, RIP my social life.)
Dan and Phil.
Dan and Phil are by far my favorite YouTubers. If you’re unfamiliar, Dan and Phil are British YouTubers who live together in London. They’re cute, they’re funny, and they speak in British accents, so really, I don’t know what more you need in 5 minutes of entertainment. They each have separate channels, so if you take a liking to one over the other, you can stick to either AmazingPhil or Daniel Howell (formerly danisnotonfire) for your entertainment pleasure. They both usually stick to telling fun or embarrassing stories about their lives, but honestly, you never know what they’ll upload next. They also have a gaming channel they shoot together called DanAndPhilGAMES in which they play games they’re really bad at and engage in witty banter. I’ve been a fan of theirs for a long time. So much so that a couple of summers ago, I saw them perform live in Chicago, which was honestly one of the better days of my life. I hope they bring you as much joy as they bring me.
Jenna Mourey, aka JennaMarbles.
Chances are if you’ve seen or heard of anyone on YouTube, it’s JennaMarbles. Jenna’s been making popular videos on YouTube as long as anyone else in the game, and she’s one of the best with a whopping 17,657,974 subscribers, the most of any single female YouTuber. She makes hilarious videos in a wide range of formats, from skits to DIY, beauty to gaming, challenges to rants – she’s done it all. And she’s done it all with three adorable dogs, Marbles, Kermit, and Peach, as well as her hamster, Ad. Fair warning: she’s loud, and she’s got a potty mouth. But she never fails to make me laugh and take my mind off of things like figurative language in American literature or ways to teach concision to high school sophomores.
Mamrie Hart.
The chances that you’ve seen any of Mamrie Hart’s videos are considerably less than Dan and Phil or Jenna, but in my opinion, she’s just as worthy of your time, especially if you’re over 21 and like to indulge in an alcoholic beverage every once in a while. Have I gotten your attention now? Good! Because Mamrie can whip up a mean cocktail and make you literally lol. Her channel is a good time. Her most popular series is called YDAD, or You Deserve a Drink. In these videos, she teaches viewers how to make a themed cocktail based on the accomplishments of a famous person or guests while telling jokes. In fact, at the end of each episode, she gives you the rules to a drinking game. It goes something like this: “And remember, the best part about YDAD is the built-in drinking game. So make your delicious [insert cocktail name here], rewatch this video, and drink every time I make a teeeeeerrible [so-and-so’s name] pun.” If that isn’t enough to convince you to check out her channel, she has playlists of her videos set up based on which type of liquor she uses to make her drinks. That way you can only watch the YDAD’s that you might actually make. She’s a diamond in the rough.
If none of these channels appeal to you, I also like Grace Helbig, jacksfilms, My Harto, Tyler Oakley, and the vlogbrothers, who each make content different from the creators and channels I already recommended in detail above.
Now, go forth young padawan. Welcome to YouTube. And go be more productive by giving yourself short opportunities to be less productive! Just avoid the comments section.