Zoom Life Hacks

By Abigail Martin

As Zoom has become an ever prominent aspect of our lives, we find ourselves depending on it more and more. Over time, I have acquired some useful Zoom life hacks that I use everyday!

Use Alt-[-] to Split Your Screen

Have you ever been taking notes on your computer in one window, and listening to the teacher in another? Instantaneously split your screen by using the alt button and the two bracket buttons on a chromebook to divide your screen into two windows for easy note taking.

Install the To-Doist Browser Extension to Quickly Make to-Do Lists

Let’s face it, switching between paper and pencil and your computer screen is difficult, so why not make your todo list virtual, too? Install the To-Doist browser extension to quickly make notes to yourself during Zoom calls.

Utilize the Bookmark Bar

Maybe it’s just me, but until this year, I didn’t have any bookmarks saved in my bookmarks bar. However, once I started adding sites that I used everyday, like my email and Google Classroom, navigating quickly during Zoom became much easier!

Get Dressed and Ready For Zoom Calls

Ugh, the temptation to do school in your pajamas! While I know school is so much better in comfy pj pants, try to be strict with yourself with getting into clean clothes (or at least fresh pjs) before class. Merely the mental shift of allowing yourself time to collect your thoughts in the morning will make it so much easier to concentrate during class. If you are a late riser and can’t pull yourself out of bed in time to get ready, at least don’t Zoom from bed. Besides it being a little awkward as a member of class to watch people do school fully reclined in bed, there are studies that say if you don’t separate the place where you work and the place where you rest, you will have issues falling asleep at night.

Dim Your Screen’s Brightness

Especially for people who wear glasses, it can be so frustrating to look at yourself in the Zoom camera and see the awful glare coming from your glasses. This hack is a little obvious, but I only learned that the glare is almost eliminated completely when you dim the screen brightness. Who would have thought?!

Lighting is Everything

I think we have all been in the situation where your reflection looks really dark on Zoom, but a direct light in front of you is a little harsh. Try directing the light from a lamp onto your wall. It provides just enough light so that it’s not too harsh, but still makes the background look well lit. Also, there isn’t any light in your eyes during the whole call. It’s a win-win!

All in all, while Zoom is demanding, sometimes difficult to navigate, and a little awkward, it is a prominent part of our lives as students, and it’s not going away anytime soon! I hope that some of these suggestions make your Zoom experience that much better!