It's mid November, and both students and educators are burned out. The shift to online learning in the middle of multiple intersecting crises has not been easy for all for a myriad n a myriad of ways. One that we can combat quite easily, though, is screen fatigue.

Looking at a screen all day everyday is simply not good for us. We feel eye strain, headaches, neck/back/hip-related ergonomic issues from being seated for so long, and lose the ability to focus. It's hard to imagine how we can stop using screens as much these days, but we can certainly find ways to minimize the harm they do.

One way to do this, that the university can enforce, is bringing back the 10 minute breaks between lectures. These breaks benefit everyone- students and educators will have more time between classes to rest their eyes, move around, stretch, get food/water, go to the washroom, etc. This break between commitments, especially for people who have back-to-back classes or meetings, will help people focus better, too, as we can give ourselves a chance to finish processing the last thing before getting into the next.

It is possible, of course, to do this on an individual basis, but a widespread mandate coming from higher up is more likely to be heeded.