If this or next week includes an official academic holiday at your institution, we hope you're able to spend spend a little of that time out of the lab doing a little bit of nothing.

But before you wrap up at the lab, make sure that you've washed your dishes (if part of your weekly responsibilities), and completed any chores that are regularly assigned to you. You might be planning a few days of Netflix, catching up on sleep, and seeing old friends, but many of your labmates will spend the academic break (or part of it) in the lab.

So double-check to ensure that you don't have all the 100 mL graduate cylinders in your dish bin and prioritizing getting them washed if you do. If you worked with bacterial cultures or plates this semester, don't leave the old ones rotting in the 4 °C for your labmates. If you've used the last, or near last of a community solution or reagent, make more before you leave for break--even if it delays your departure from campus.

And if you've noticed that a supply is running low, let the person who orders it know as soon as possible so they can order it today--in time for it to arrive before the university post shuts down!

Part of being a good labmate is remembering that others might work on holidays even if you have the good fortune to skip, and not making it harder for them to get their job done. This matters in making the lab a happier place for all, for keeping your labmates as allies, and when it comes to your letters of recommendation.