Dapria Fell
Allow me to start by saying one thing: I absolutely love my suite. I love our RA, I love our cute little common area setup, and I love the girls who live there. Living in Suite A in Wynder Towers has brought me more joy than anything on Delaware State University’s campus.
Although they offer me an abundance of laughter and joy, it can be super, super, (extremely) hard for me to “lock in” and get my schoolwork done. Subsequently, this sometimes puts me in a tough spot to get my work done on time, especially being on scholarships and other things in which I must hold myself to an above-average/high academic standard.
These are some of the best ways to isolate yourself and get your work done at Delaware State University:
1. Create a nice playlist, put in your AirPods, and max out the volume:
I know most of you can relate when I say music is EVERYTHING. For a long time, I had a one-playlist-fits-all thing going on. I realized, after Megan Thee Stallion’s “Megan’s Piano” started to blast in my ears while I was studying for a sociology exam, that I could not live by one playlist. I sat down and created a calmer, R&B focused with soft melodies to play while I completed my work without the music being too distracting.
Some of the main artists in my specific playlist are Jhene Aiko, H.E.R., Ari Lennox, Lucky Daye, Mariah The Scientist, Drake, Daniel Caesar, and my favorite artist of all time: Snoh Aalegra. My playlist, which includes 700 songs and is around 44 hours long, helps me tune out all the stand-up comedy and political debates happening in the common area of my temporary home.
2. Take trips to the buildings on campus:
You’d be surprised how many of the buildings we go into every day for class actually have spacious seating areas and nice big windows. If you’re anything like me and enjoy a nice view of the environment outside, finding a building with a lot of windows will be a great spot for you, like the upper levels of the William C. Jason Library or the MLK student center.
Plus, you get to enjoy nature without being outside in the crazy weather we’ve been experiencing everywhere. Taking some time out of your day to venture around in these buildings could help you stumble upon a lot of nice places for you to sit, relax, and get some work done outside of your dorm.
3. Open up the blinds and dim the lights in your room:
A nice view of the world outside and some natural sunlight will bring an aura of peace into any room. This is actually one of the many practices I’ve acquired from the suitemates. After giving it a try, I realized that letting in some light definitely puts you in a more productive mood. This is perfect for early mornings when you need to wake yourself up. Before, I used to sit in the dark and sleep all day, which made my room feel so small and depressing. Now, I open the blinds with every chance that I get. Sunlight, music, and a nice fragrance will always help me relax my mind and focus on whatever I need to do.
Sometimes sunlight isn’t available, and that’s okay. At the beginning of the fall semester, I learned a cute little desk lamp trick that creates a similar feeling to natural sunlight. Here’s what you do: turn off your room lights, turn on your desk lamp, and turn the stream of light as close to a wall as possible. Give it a try, I promise it’s worth it.
Even if you don’t use the desk lamp, many of the people on campus have LED strip lights in their rooms and can change the colors and brightness to whatever they please.
We all have assignments to do and information to study, regardless of differences in majors or classification, so give these suggestions a try. Hopefully, these practices can help a few of you as much as they have helped me.