Setting Up Your Home Office

If you’ve ever heard the word “kanban,” you probably remember it, since it is inarguably fun to say. You likely heard it tossed around by someone who works in a corporate office, as it's extremely popular in that setting. “Kanban,” it turns out, is more than a fun word or something practiced by that friend whose job makes no sense to you. It’s an effective system for scheduling tasks in a highly productive way—and it can be used by anybody, not just people who also use corporate jargon about how they'll "put a pin in that" and "circle back." Don't be intimidated. While it's a little involved, it's ultimately just a visual method for determining what you need to do, what …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Why is it so easy to form bad habits and so frustrating to try to form good ones? We crave routine, at least to some degree, so it's frustrating when you can't make productive or helpful habits stick. But consider that you already have a bunch of good, small habits, like putting the coffee on in the morning or washing your face before bed. As hard as you might be struggling with the bigger ones, you know you can do it because you've done it countless times before in smaller ways. In fact, those smaller routines can do more than prove your capability when it comes to building them; they can help you entrench larger habits a…

Magic Leap is back. The tech company, now owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, today revealed a prototype for a pair of Android XR smart glasses made as a "reference design for the Android XR ecosystem," and announced it had extended its partnership with Google. The AR glasses have thicker-than-normal frames, but not ridiculously so, and seem to have a camera. But that’s about all we know: there's no word on availability or what the glasses actually do. While Magic Leap didn't reveal a ton of concrete details about its new shades, it did say they combine "Magic Leap’s waveguides and optics with Google’s Raxium microLED light engine" with the goal being an all-…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deep work is a concept most popularly defined by Cal Newport, who wrote the aptly titled Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. As he tells it, deep work is a state where you find the ability to focus completely on a demanding task without letting distraction get in your way. If you can get the hang of it, you’ll get more done in less time and ultimately end up feeling more fulfilled. On his website, Newport observes that it’s rare to see someone feel energized and happy after sending emails, but there’s a sense of fulfillment that comes from sustained focus on more meaningful tasks. How do you achiev…

You know a theory is janky when even its Wikipedia page has “(pseudoscience)” in its title. That’s the case with so-called “biorhythms,” or periods of 23, 28, and 33 days that supposedly predict how mentally, physically, and actively on-point you’ll be on any given day. The concept of biorhythms is all over social media and has been for years, so you might think there's some legitimacy to it, but it's essentially hogwash. There are, however, other ways to track your “peaks” in productivity that are more scientifically sound. The difference between a biorhythm and circadian rhythmThe idea behind biorhythms is that over the course of month-long periods, your physical, emoti…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Sony’s WH-1000XM series has long been the gold standard for noise-canceling headphones, and while the new WH-1000XM6 has taken the spotlight, the WH-1000XM5 remains a standout, especially at a lower price. Right now, they’re down to $284.99 at Walmart, a notable drop from their usual $399.99 list price and lower than Amazon’s current $328 listing. Sony WH-1000XM5 Headphones …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Right now, if you live in the U.S. and you're familiar with lock screen ads, it's probably from your e-reader, your PC, or maybe even your refrigerator. Plenty of devices with screens in them like to subsidize costs by running ads, but American smart phones have been surprisingly good at keeping your lock screen clear. Until now. "Nothing" experiments with lock screen adsIf you haven't heard of Nothing, I don't blame you. The Android phone company made waves back in 2022, largely on the back of its founder, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, but it only recently started making phones on par with flagship devices like the Google …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you’re shopping for a new desktop monitor (or a small standalone TV), the Samsung 32" Smart Monitor M5 (M50D) FHD with Streaming TV and Speakers is currently $179 (originally $299). It can be used for working, console-free gaming, and media consumption, making it a versatile two-in-one TV and desktop option that’s ideal for multitasking. Samsung 32" Smart Monitor M5 (M50D) FHD with Streaming TV and Speakers …

You know the feeling. You sit down to work on something important, and within minutes, your hand is reaching for your phone. Maybe it buzzed. Maybe it didn't. Either way, you're suddenly 20 minutes deep into Instagram Reels or doomscrolling through news you'd rather not read. When you finally look up, your focus is shattered, and you can't quite remember what you were doing in the first place. If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. The average American now spends over six hours a day staring at screens, with much of that time devoted to mindless scrolling on smartphones. I don't go a day without lamenting my "phone addiction" and vanishing attention span. If smartphon…

Football season is in full swing, but these are such strange days that even of game day, Americans can no longer put their political differences aside to enjoy the savage ballet. Yes, the National Football League has once again become a flashpoint in the endless, maddening culture wars—and surprisingly, the NFL seems to be on the "woke" side of the board. Right now, there's a lot of misinformation being spread about the game, the league, and the personalities within. Here are some of the biggest I've encountered. Did Andy Reid refuse pledge to not attend the 2026 Super Bowl over a planned Charlie Kirk tribute?The questionable Facebook pages of both Kollam's Media and Tog…

I'll say it: There are too many messaging apps out there. There's WhatsApp, Messenger, Snapchat, Discord, Signal, Telegram, and iMessage (if you're on iPhone), and that's just the dedicated chat apps. You might have to keep up with new messages on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, even Spotify. If I install one more app with a messaging feature, I'm going off the grid. As it happens, another non-chat app is joining this list. On Tuesday, Zillow—yes, Zillow—announced its app will also now support messaging. Starting today, you can send people messages in the app you use to look at houses you will most likely never actually buy. We live in interesting times, indeed. Of course, …

When OpenAI was started in 2015, its founders (including both Sam Altman and Elon Musk) chose to make it a nonprofit. Its initial goal was to guarantee that artificial general intelligence (AGI), a type of AI that is theoretically better at humans at most tasks, would benefit everyone. The company has gone through a number of changes in the years since. It hasn't been a true nonprofit since 2019, when it moved to a "capped-profit" structure, which limited profits to 100 times any investment. Musk even sued the company last year, claiming it had ditched its original mission in favor of profits. But now, OpenAI is looking more like a traditional for-profit company than ever…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Nintendo Switch 2 is out, and it might not be worth the upgrade yet if you already own the original Nintendo Switch (especially at its $450 to $500 price point). If you don't, you can still get one and enjoy it before the Switch 2 really kicks off. Walmart is currently selling the Nintendo Switch Gray Joy-Con for $294.99 (originally $361.40). No other reputable seller has this version new on sale. If you're okay with a used console, GameStop has a pre-owned version for $209.99, a great price for the gray Joy-Con version. …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you've been considering getting one of Peloton's new Bikes, Treads, or Rows, this might be the time—as long as you know someone who is already an All-Access Member. Until Nov. 11, referral codes from existing members get you more money off your hardware purchases. The discount detailsLast month, Peloton rolled out upgraded versions of its fleet, including the Bike, Bike+, Tread+, Tread+, and Row. The new devices are known as the Cross Training series and, as such, are named the Cross Training Bike, Crosstraining Tread+, etc. If you want to know …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. While wireless earbuds can be convenient and allow for greater freedom of movement, Bluetooth earbuds connected by a wire are harder to misplace and are significantly more affordable. The Beats Flex earbuds are Apple’s budget-friendly wired neckband earphones, and right now, they’re just $30.01 (originally $69.95) in black at Walmart—about 57% off the usual price. Beats Flex Earbuds …

Adobe, the company behind big creative programs like Photoshop and Premiere, just wrapped up its 2025 Adobe Max keynote, and you know what that means. That's right: more AI. Over the course of the three-hour presentation, the company went big on automating creativity, introducing new generative AI tools for Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere Pro, and other Creative Cloud apps. Some of these are expansions of tools that already exist, like better generative fill, while other are all new—like Firefly's new AI audio generation. Adobe Express can design based on vibes …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Google has launched its "Personal Health Agent," an AI coach available in the Fitbit app. Currently it’s in a “preview” mode, and limited to Android users in the U.S. who have a Fitbit Premium subscription. That group includes me, so I tried it, and it gave me some decent workouts. It also told me that the Pixel Watch 4, which Google makes, and which I reviewed, and which am currently wearing, does not exist. So, par for the course when it comes to AI. How to enable the Fitbit app’s personal health coachThe “public preview” of this new coaching bot is available starting today for Fitbit Premium users in the U.S., provided …

Wikipedia is a treasured online resource that, despite massive changes across the web, has managed to remained truly great to this day. I, alongside millions of other users, visit the site daily to learn something new or double-check existing knowledge. In an age of non-stop AI slop, Wikipedia is something of an antidote. If you look at Wikipedia and think "this is alright, but an AI version would be a lot better," you might just be Elon Musk. Musk's AI company, xAI, just launched Grokipedia—yes, that really is its name—an online encyclopedia that closely resembles Wikipedia in name and surface-level appearance. But under the hood, the two could hardly be any more differe…

Different productivity hacks work for different people, which is why there are so many of them. But if you happen to be a visual learner, there’s one in particular that might be suited for you: mind mapping. Mind maps are diagrams designed to organize information and data points that relate to each other, making everything you need to do easier to follow. They're particularly popular for students who need to visualize how the concepts they're studying link together, but they have wide applications outside the classroom. What is a mind map?A mind map isn’t just a diagram that lays out tasks. Rather, it does so in a hierarchical way, connecting things that are related and …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The 10th-generation iPad may have been replaced by a newer model in 2025, but it remains an excellent entry-level Apple tablet, and among the best options in its price range. And right now, you can pick one up for a record-low price at Walmart. It's currently $242, marked down more than $100 from its $349.99 list price, and $68 cheaper than Amazon. According to price comparison tools, this is the cheapest price this iPad has reached since its release in 2022. (iPads hold their value really well even after newer models are released, which explains th…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Tinymoose Pencil Pro 2 is aimed squarely at iPad users who want the feel of Apple’s own stylus without paying Apple’s price, and it's on sale for just $29.99 on StackSocial right now. It costs a fraction of the official Pencil but still packs features that cover most daily needs. This second-generation version is made for iPads from 2018 onward and brings a few upgrades over the original, including Bluetooth support and shortcut gestures. A smart button on the side is mapped for simple actions: one press for multitasking, two presses to exit app…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Earlier today, you might have seen reports that Grammarly is changing its name to Superhuman. That's not really the whole story. While the company did announce a broader rebrand coinciding with the release of a new AI assistant (more on that later), it also assured users that "the Grammarly brand isn't going anywhere." Essentially, what that means is that while Grammarly the company has a new name, Grammarly the product is still going by the same tried-and-true moniker as ever. The confusion follows Grammarly's acquisition of AI-powered email app Superhuman in June, which the company said "accelerates Grammarly's evolution…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. A dependable external drive is one of those things you don’t realize you need until your laptop storage is nearly full or your photos are scattered across cloud accounts. Western Digital’s Elements Portable USB 3.0 Hard Drive is built for exactly that situation, and it’s currently on sale for $64.99 on StackSocial for 2TB of storage. That’s enough space to offload years of pictures and videos or stash work files without juggling thumb drives. At just under half a pound, it’s light enough to carry around in a bag, and since it uses USB 3.0, transferr…

YouTube's going through a lot of changes right now, and according to the company, that's to help it better stand out on TVs. Today, YouTube announced that it's going to allow creators to upload bigger thumbnails, plus make browsing and shopping while watching on a TV a bit more convenient. But there's also a big change coming to content itself, and it's not just limited to TVs. Soon, YouTube is going to start using AI to automatically upscale any videos with resolutions lower than 1080p. While you can technically still upload videos that are 720p nowadays, with smartphone cameras getting better and better, that essentially reads to me as "old videos." It's a bit concerni…

Cardio load gets a major fix in the new Fitbit app, which Android users can test out starting this week in a “public preview.” (This is the same preview that gives you access to the AI fitness coach, which I tested yesterday, with baffling results.) Cardio load will now be tracked weekly, making it much easier for the app to make sensible recommendations. What is (and was) cardio load? The cardio load feature is Fitbit’s attempt to guide you in how much to exercise. Obviously a beginner shouldn’t jump into hour-long hard workouts right out of the gate, nor should a person training for a marathon slack off for no reason. Cardio load is an attempt to put a number on the amo…