#gradlyfe

We all know people on both sides of the debate: Should parents let their kids sleep in their bed? Should pet owners let their cat, dog or chinchilla cuddle with them while they slumber? While the jury is still out on what’s best in those situations, what about graduate students who similarly let what’s most important to them pile into their beds? Sleeping with books, often multiple books at one time, is a widespread but much-ignored issue for which imperial research is lacking. Until we have hard data that shows that, yes, falling asleep nuzzled next to de Certeau will in fact improve your time to degree, or that the medieval dream visions inspired by snoozing alongside Chaucer actually outline into a viable prospectus, I recommend the book bassinet ($9.99, Target). All of your comprehensive exam texts and embarrassing self-help books are still within arm’s reach should you need them (or vice versa), but the compartmentalizing message of this arrangement establishes a firm - and chic - boundary between you and the world’s greater corpus of primary and secondary literature. Fits snugly under most nightstands to minimize tripping on your way to the bathroom in the middle of the night following a coffee binge. Any basket-type container will do, really; just make sure that the sides are high enough so that the books won’t be able to crawl out. Pleasant dreams.