Are you taking online classes from your bed? Here are some easy-to-follow tips to help you improve your productivity at home by making some adjustments to your home office for school. The road to an A+ starts with a conducive work space to do all your serious work!

1. Invest in a comfy chair.

Let’s get the most obvious thing out of the way. You won’t get anything done if you’re adjusting your butt all the time from sitting all day long. Fight your siblings for the most ‘comfortable-but-not-too-comfy’ chair in your house!

Ideally, it should not be hard to the touch nor something without a back rest.

Nobody wants back problems before they’ve reached the age of 25! If you can’t find a chair with cushions, get creative by placing pillows on your back and butt for a cheap DIY solution.

2. Position yourself near the wi-fi router.

Everyone knows that the worst part about Zoom is the fact that we have to deal with poor AF internet connection in the Philippines. Sometimes, we’re just nodding along with whoever’s talking even though we’re actually only hearing chopped-up bits on our end.

Perhaps the worst part of a choppy internet connection is when our video freezes and the other people on the call can take a screenshot of us at our most unflattering!

So to avoid all these mishaps, make sure you’re taking classes as near as possible to your wi-fi router. Get all dem signals!

3. Keep your notebooks on your desk.

This one is for the people who just can’t take proper notes on their computers. And even if you can, it’s difficult to do when half of your screen is being eaten up by your Zoom window.

That’s why we recommend always having your notebooks prepared on your desk. Every time you take them out for a quick review session later, make sure you return them back to your work space.

By doing this, you avoid wasting time looking for your notebook during a class because you don’t know where you had placed it!

4. Have some snacks ready.

Just like school during the good ol’ pre-COVID days, we will probably stay up too late at night and use up all the snoozes in our alarm before actually waking up. In the new normal, this means attending online lectures without washing our face nor brushing our teeth first.

And worse, a 40 to 90-minute lecture at 7AM just means that we are going to have to skip out on breakfast. That’s why you should always have a ready-to-eat snack on your desk! Whether it’s a granola bar or good ol’ Sky Flakes, it’s good to munch on something in these criminally early lectures.

Hey, that’s more reason to wake up in the morning!

If you find yourself snacking too much throughout the day, you can just place one snack on your table every night before going to bed. By doing this, you’ll be able to avoid binge-eating until your last class ends.

5. Change up your light.

Did you know the color of light that you are exposed to is correlated with your productivity levels? Whiter, cooler light helps you focus on the task at hand while warmer light invites a sense of comfort. Even being hit by sunlight alone can already improve your mood and energy!

Consider these when setting-up your home office for school like which room in the house to set-up your work area and where to position your table. You may also want to get a desk lamp where you are able to adjust the warmth of the bulb.

You can even adjust the settings of your computer screen to make sure that you’re getting hit by the right color temperature at the right time of day.

There are apps that can help you do this automatically, with f.lux being the most popular one. It’s available on Windows, Mac, iPhone & Android so make sure you install it all your devices, too!

6. Have essentials ready.

It’s almost flu season in the Philippines, which means waking up to major morning allergy. That’s why a whole roll of toilet paper on your work space is a must!

There are also other things that’s just better to have by your side all the time. A bottle of alcohol for quick hand-cleaning, a handheld mirror for teeth-checking, a cap for bad hair days, and a pitcher of water for when you need to calm your nerves when the teacher is getting angry.

7. Remove the clutter.

Always Marie Kondo your desk from time to time! Not only does a clean environment help you feel that you’re being more productive, but you also reduce the risk of getting distracted.

You might not notice it, but there are times throughout the day when you place something unnecessary on your desk. And if Chekhov’s gun taught us anything, that object is going to be a pretty huge distraction for us later on.

Personally, my number one culprit is the nailcutter that magically appears on my home office desk. When a Zoom lecture gets boring, I absentmindedly reach out for it and start chipping away at my fingernails. Before I know it, all the important things being discussed are over!

For some of us, having a home office for school is a blessing in of itself. However, we do miss the days when we stayed at the library or the coffee shop cramming all our papers.

While not the same, our work space can give us that familiar feeling of productivity again; we just need to know how to arrange it in the best way possible.

You know what’s inevitable even if school is going virtual? Group works! Read about the six types of oddly-specific groupmates here.

Never miss out on anything by following us @ZoomersCornerPH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The post 7 Easy Tips to Make your Work Space Conducive for Online Classes appeared first on Zoomers Corner.

Today, major e-commerce players like Lazada and Shopee are having their annual midyear sale. While huge discounts are all well and good, why not spare some of your money to support zoomer-founded small businesses and side hustles too?

Here’s a secret: small businesses tend to be better because all their products are made with extra care and passion that huge retailers just can’t match!

From handmade soaps to fashionable streetwear to mouth-watering delicacies, we picked out seven top-quality brands and products that should be a staple in your household.

Here are seven small businesses owned by Gen Z’ers that we absolutely love!

1. The Care Creatives Company

What We Love: Have you ever tried organic soaps and shampoo? They feel amazing on your body especially when you don’t have to worry about the price tag. Keeping a brand affordable despite having a zero-waste advocacy always gets one giant thumbs up from us!

What You Should Buy: The Charcoal Shampoo Bar (PHP 120)

Tell Me More: The Care Creatives started out as a small project by Red, 22, to encourage the members of our local community to engage in more responsible and enjoyable self-care.

As we’ve immersed ourselves more into the market, we found that a lot of people have been looking towards joining environment-friendly movements like the #plasticfree and #zerowaste movements but are unable to do so because of financial as well as access-related constraints.

To respond to that, we made it a point to make our brand both financially and geographically inclusive: growing our brand to accommodate essential demands with our affordable and plastic-free artisanal care products.

Price Range: PHP 25 to 250

Delivery & Shipping Information: They deliver on a daily basis within Metro Manila and Rizal, while they ship on a weekly basis to Luzon, Visayas & Mindanao.

2. The Chai Bros Co.

What We Love: It’s 2020, but we’re still suckers for great milk tea! Do you know those cheap boba places that just don’t taste like they’re made from “real” tea and milk?

Well, The Chai Bros Co. delivers that authentic taste you’re craving for!

What You Should Buy: Thai Milk Tea (PHP 150)

Tell Me More: We make traditional home-brewed tea, delivered to you. Our teas are made from high-quality loose leaf tea and 100% real milk. We offer Thai and Hong Kong milk tea as well as three fruit teas—yuzu, butterfly pea lemon, and grapefruit tea.

Price Range: PHP 150

Delivery & Shipping Information: Delivery within Greenhills and certain areas in San Juan is always free. They also deliver to certain areas in Makati, Pasig & Taguig for free on Sundays.

Keep an eye out on their Instagram for updates on random free delivery routes!

3. Midnightcavings_

What We Love: I mean would you look at all that fudgy goodness? As someone with a sweet tooth, this tempting cake definitely ticks all the boxes when it comes to a perfect dessert: delicious, rich, and indulgent.

What You Should Buy: Midnight Chocolate Cake

Tell Me More: Established during the quarantine period by Sabina, 20, and Tanya, 17, Midnight Cravings will surely be the one-stop-shop for your cravings. They started with their midnight chocolate cake — luscious, gooey, and made with premium ingredients.

Every bite will surely satisfy you. Stay tuned because more products are in store!

Price Range: PHP 400 to 1400 (depends on size)

Delivery & Shipping Information: Delivery is available within the Metro Manila area only, via courier or pick-up in their location. Make sure to send them a DM for inquiries!

4. Payak Estilo

What We Love: There are so many streetwear brands out there, but this one stood out to us because not only does it look amazing, but you can actually easily see the Filipino influence in their designs.

We love a brand that embraces its Filipino roots! Fun fact: a percentage of the profit they got from their first shirt design was donated to our jeepney drivers struggling during the coronavirus pandemic. Watch out for their upcoming design coming soon!

What You Should Buy: ALON Shirt (PHP 500 to 600)

Tell Me More: Payak Estilo is a clothing and apparel brand founded by Andrei Mendoza, 20, and JoMa Binghay, 19.

Payak’s logo embodies a figure of Juan dela Cruz who is the national epitome of the Philippines, often used to represent the Filipino people. Payak aims to encapsulate various cultures that conveys a story which other generations can relate to by fusing it to streetwear apparels.

Price Range: PHP 500 to 600

Delivery & Shipping Information: You can pay through cash on delivery (COD) or through courier service. Make sure to hit up their DM for inquiries.

5. Plantsies.ph

What We Love: If you’re not into the whole plant craze, then I have bad news for you: you are way out of touch.

If you want something to spruce up your boring space or just want a “baby” to look after, then Plantsies.ph probably has the right plant for you. They have a diverse collection of beautiful plants in equally beautiful containers!

What You Should Buy: Sansevieria Trifasciata (PHP 250)

Tell Me More: Plantsies.ph is co-owned by two friends from Bulacan: Lea, 21, and Dane, 22. They had just started their business a few weeks ago, but just like their plants, they are sprouting! Whatever plant you choose to buy, know all of them are perfect for your loved ones.

Price Range: PHP 90 to 480

Delivery & Shipping Information: They deliver around Malolos City, Bulacan. But what’s great is that they offer shipping on select items!

6. Sestra Quisina

What We Love: “Sobrang worth it” was the first thing my friend said when Sestra‘s lasagna was brought up.

And as a pasta lover, how can you disagree? You definitely won’t feel cheated out of your money when you buy their lasagna because every bite is filled with all the cheese and meat you’ll ever need in life!

What You Should Buy: Cheesy Meaty Lasagna (PHP 450)

Tell Me More: Sestra Quisina is a small passion project cooked up by two sisters, Ayra and Kayla. It all started from our love of food — playing around the kitchen, and serving those closest to us.

Sestra Quisina wants to make you experience the same feeling of comfort and excitement that everyone else has felt every time they’ve taken a bite of the sestras’ homemade dishes.

To start this passion project, we chose to sell our bestseller: the Cheesy Meaty Lasagna. This recipe has been a crowd favorite right from the start. Our friends wanted to get a taste of this every time we brought this as our baon. And, it was a complete wipeout in the bazaars!

It’s a cheesy, creamy, saucy, and meaty dish all baked with layers of love… what more can you ask for?

Price Range: PHP 450 to 1500 (depends on size)

Delivery & Shipping Information: They deliver within some areas in NCR, and occasionally, Rizal and Muntinlupa. To ensure their customers don’t spend too much on delivery fee, they book customers in nearby locations together. Make sure to send them a DM!

7. Taji’s Confectionery

What We Love: Talk about comfort food! From cinnamon rolls to milkbread to their cookie giants, Taji’s Confectionery just gives you the warmest feeling from one bite alone.

Heck, just looking at their IG feed makes you feel like you’re at home. No matter what you order from their extensive menu, it’s bound to be great!

What You Should Buy: LoloKaldereta’s Special Beef Kaldereta: A Katigbak Family Recipe (PHP 650/tub)

Tell Me More: Taji’s Confectionery is a product of my passion. I’ve been baking since I was 11 years old, and 11 years later, I am still in love with the craft.

It is my creative medium and an outlet for the things I want to share to the world. From confections, desserts, pastries, to our family’s beloved Kaldereta (recipe of which was made by my lolo); these are the things I personally love and want to showcase to the people around me.

Price Range: PHP 95 to 750

Delivery & Shipping Information: They deliver in Rizal and the Metro Manila area, while the delivery fee is shouldered by the buyer.

And that ends our shopping spree for today! I hope you were able to check out what these brands have to offer and keep them on top of your mind.

There’s nothing like zoomers supporting other zoomers, right? There are a lot of other small businesses owned by younger people out there, and to them I say: more power to you!

Support these Gen Z-owned small businesses by sharing this post on Facebook! And I guess we are a small blog ourselves, so if you want to help us out, feel free to sign-up for our newsletter to get more product recommendations and content you’ll love.

You can also follow us @ZoomersCornerPH on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.

Looking for books to help you get through the pandemic? Read up on our recommendations that you can buy in Fully Booked Online here.

The post #SupportSmallBusinesses: 7 Amazing Small Businesses Owned by Filipino Gen Z’ers appeared first on Zoomers Corner.

Got nothing better to do in this rainy weather? With classes about to resume and the coronavirus pandemic forcing us into our own homes, it’s a great time to finally sit back and enjoy a book. The great news is that you can order all of these from Fully Booked Online, which is open for orders and delivery. Simply click on the book title, and you will be redirected to the order page in the website (this isn’t a sponsored post, but I just love Fully Booked).

Even though some of these books may delve into some heavy topics, these are books for teenagers alike! I went ahead and placed content and mature theme warnings for our younger readers. I recommend researching these books further; after all, they don’t come cheap.

1. Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig

Genre: Non-Fiction, Self-Help

Content Warning: Depression

What It’s About: The author details his own experience of suffering from depression as he tries to inspire the readers to celebrate the small victories in life. There is always one thing to live for.

Why Read It: This book was published in 2015 when the phrase “mental health” was making its way into our everyday vocabulary, and we were just starting to take the matter seriously. Haig removes the stigma around the issue of depression, and some parts will definitely make a lot of people go, “I feel that too” or “So that’s why my friend behaves this way”. He speaks very openly about the topic, and does not hold back. The fact that he is a “survivor” makes him all the more credible and inspiring at the same time.

There is no standard normal. Normal is subjective. There are seven billion versions of normal on this planet.

2. The Dictator’s Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita & Alastair Smith

Genre: Non-Fiction, Politics

What It’s About: Is democracy real, or is it just a made-up concept that the powerful leaders in the world continue to propagate to make us think that we have a choice in the matter? The authors of the book cynically believe that leaders will do whatever it takes to stay in power, and delve into real-life examples to support their case.

Why Read It: I love me some fact-based political conspiracies! If you loved watching Frank and Claire Underwood politic their way to the top in House of Cards, then this book will remind you to be wary of the leaders we’re in. Given the political climate here in the Philippines where we’re basically live in a faux democracy, this one is an appropriate read and will make you realize the inner mechanism of our government’s minds.

There’s nothing better than a rigged election, so long as you’re the one rigging it.

3. Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know by Malcolm Gladwell

Genre: Non-Fiction, Self-Help

Content Warning: Multiple mature themes

What It’s About: As the title suggests, this book gives us an insight into how strangers think and how misguided we are in striking a conversation with them. The author of this book happens to host a podcast about history, so he gives us practical tips on how to talk to strangers built on the foundation of, you guessed it: historical events.

Why Read It: ‘Tis the season of Tinder, Bumble & Grindr, and we are in these dating apps to have our own quaranthings/quaranflings. The problem? Some of us have no idea how to talk to strangers. Like, at all. If you don’t like the feeling of being left on read by someone you barely know and you wonder why that happens to you a lot, maybe this book is for you. It all boils down to one thing: miscommunication.

You believe someone not because you have no doubts about them. Belief is not the absence of doubt. You believe someone because you don’t have enough doubts about them.

4. Whole Again: Healing Your Heart and Rediscovering Your True Self After Toxic Relationships and Emotional Abuse by Jackson MacKenzie

Genre: Non-Fiction, Self-Help

Content Warning: Emotional abuse, talk of truama

What It’s About: That is one extremely detailed and informational title for a book! The author is a psychologist that helps people process their toxic relationships. He guides readers in realizing the traumas that they have encountered, how their toxic relationship has changed the way they behave (believe me, it really messes up our psyche), and helps us cope through some exercises.

Why Read It: This one is pretty close to my heart, as I’ve helped picked up the pieces of my friends when they were going through a toxic relationship. The worst part is that most of them did not even realize that they were already being emotionally abused by their partner. This book is not only informative, but explains how much damage someone inflicted on you. More than that, it helps you look into yourself and feel free. I would recommend this book even to those people who had not felt that they were in a toxic relationship, but felt like they were not themselves after a breakup.

It is recognizing and accepting the full extent of the damage this person caused, and choosing not to carry it as your own damage anymore. It means you can walk away much faster the next time.

5. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

What It’s About: This award-winning book which also had a critically-successful film adaptation centers on 16-year old Starr Carter, who witnesses the unjust killing of her best friend. And of course, a police officer did it because what? All cops are bastards! The killing sparks protests, and Starr is caught between keeping quiet, or risking her life.

Why Read It: It’s chilling how this book published in 2017 reminds me so much of what’s happening outside our own walls. It mirrors so much of what’s happening right now with the Black Lives Matter movement, and is a pretty realistic reflection of society. We follow the story of a female black teenager navigating a world where black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) get the short end of the stick, and end up dead for just being born with a different skin color. More than that, a lot of issues intertwined with race, like class divide, are also highlighted in the book. Older readers, don’t be fooled. This may be a young adult novel, but it’s a damn good one that doesn’t beat around the bush. It may even move you to tears!

I can’t change where I come from or what I’ve been through, so why should I be ashamed of what makes me, me?

That’s it! Happy reading. I hope these (mostly non-fiction) book recommendations for zoomers and young people not only entertain you, but move you to think differently of yourself and the world around you.

Featured Image: Min An on Pexels

The post 5 Essential Books for the Filipino Gen Z Struggling in the Pandemic appeared first on Zoomers Corner.