Something I finally paid attention to these last two batches is fermentation temperature. I've always just stuck my bucket/carboy in the cool basement (typically 65 degrees) and thought, that's good enough, but after more reading I was convinced that something a bit more active was necessary. Essentially, the inside of one's fermentation vessel can be as much as 10+ degress F higher than the ambient temp during active fermentation (which lasts around 3 days), which can lead to off flavors in one's beer.

My solution is to put my carboy into a large plastic tub, and then filled it halfway with cold water, and placed a t-shirt over the top of the carboy. The shirt wicks (soaks up) water into it and cools via evaporation. Placing a water bottle that is filled with water and frozen preemptively is also suggested. You can get TOO cold and get a stuck fermentation, so don't go ape shit.