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Home ownership is a key goal for many Americans despite the financial and environmental challenges posed in today's real estate market—and the transition from renting an apartment to owning a house is, in itself, a challenge in many ways. One of those challenges is adjusting your approach to furnishing and decorating your living spaces, especially if you’re going from a small rental to a large house. Decking out a house you own can be a different experience from making a rental into a comfortable space because the scale is different: Budgets have to be bigger because you’re usually filling more space, purchases tend to be more long-term because you’re not sweating the end of a lease, and suddenly, that couch you’ve been moving from place to place since college is no longer socially acceptable. Here’s how to approach decorating a house when you’ve only ever lived in an apartment. Pause and planStep one is to take a moment and slow down, resisting the urge to be “moved in” as quickly as possible. Moving into an apartment is often an exercise in making your existing furniture somehow work in the new space, which encourages a haphazard approach and a utilitarian feel. The key to decorating a house, though, is to embrace what’s known as “slow decorating”: Instead of just dragging all your existing furniture in and filling rooms with stuff, be thoughtful about what you plan to use the room for. Measure each space so you can pick and arrange your furniture thoughtfully. Choose furniture and accents that fit that plan. If an existing piece works in that plan, great! Otherwise, consider whether it fits elsewhere or if it needs to be replaced with something different. Think in terms of roomsMoving from a small rental to a sprawling house poses another psychological challenge: scale. Going from a modest and maybe even crowded place to a home with a lot more square footage can be overwhelming. Going from a small space you didn’t have a stake into a more permanent place that requires a lot more stuff can be overwhelming. Instead of trying to come up with a comprehensive plan (and budget) to furnish and decorate the entire new space, take it room by room: Start with the rooms you will use immediately and all the time: the primary bedroom, the kitchen, bathroom, and living room. Narrowing down your decisions to a specific room at a time will make the whole process more psychologically and financially manageable. You can create a sense of cohesion by using the same “pop” color in each space and repeating decorative elements like vases or other decorative objects. Wall art that’s part of a series, for example, can link rooms even if you’re approaching them individually. Once you have the main rooms set up, you can tackle the remaining rooms one at a time. Another reason this works is the fact that small apartments often require you to make rooms multi-functional, but houses often have dedicated spaces—dining rooms, offices, living rooms, etc. If you’re going from a space where one room was your office, living room, and exercise space, taking each room individually will help you envision what your ideal version of that space would be instead of what you can fit or what can easily be stashed out of sight. Embrace spaceIn smaller rental spaces, we often make decisions around furniture that solve apartment-related problems, like a lack of a guest bedroom (resulting in a heavy, bulky sleeper sofa) or a lack of useful storage (resulting in buying everything with extra storage space, like an Admiral bed). But a house may not present those same challenges, so it’s time to ask yourself if that sleeper sofa or other storage piece still makes sense. The size of the rooms also has to be taken into consideration. In an apartment, for example, cramming a couch and a coffee table into a room is all it takes to make a living room, but a larger room in a house might feel empty, requiring more thought about how you’re going to use the room. Will it mainly be a viewing experience, with lots of comfortable seating arranged in front of a screen? Or do you want to foster more of a conversation space, with seating facing each other? Or, if you have the space, will it be both? Finally, a house with more space can benefit from larger “statement”-type pieces of furniture—oversized furniture, or large artwork on the walls. Remind yourself that you can go big and go home in a house. View the full article

Push-ups are a classic exercise to build strength even when you don't have gym equipment available, but not everybody can bang out rep after rep—sometimes you have to work on other exercises to build the strength to start doing push-ups. This is what I'll guide you through today. And if you remember those knee pushups from gym class—well, those are okay, but they aren't your best option. To do knee push-ups, you place your knees on the ground (or on a cushion, if that's more comfortable) and otherwise do the standard push-up motion. Knee push-ups are better than nothing, but they have a few downsides compared to other types of push-ups. The main one is that they are a lot easier on your core muscles, so that while your arms and chest get a workout, your abs aren't getting the strength they'll need to stabilize your body in a full push-up. Knee push-ups also allow you to get lazy with your lower body positioning. In short, knee pushups ask less of your glutes and core, making them more of an upper-body than a full-body exercise. Here are some variations I like better. Option 1: full push-ups in very short setsIf you can do a few full push-ups with good form, you can build a workout from single-rep sets. Good form means that your body is tight like a plank, without your belly sagging or your hips pointing up as in downward dog. Your hands are approximately under your shoulders, and your elbows are tucked toward your body rather than flared out at 90 degrees. If you can do two or three, you're in good shape to build from that. Instead of sets of, say, 10—which you can't do yet—do a set of just one or two reps. Then rest (or do another exercise), and come back for another push-up or two. You may want to do more sets than if you were training push-ups with higher reps. Try 10 sets of one rep each, say, or five sets of two reps. Over time, you'll be able to add reps, and then you can reduce the number of sets, if you like. Working toward three sets of 10 is a good goal. Option 2: negative push-upsA “negative” push-up starts at the top, and slowly lowers down. But instead of then pushing yourself back up, you get on your hands and knees to reset to the top position again. Lower yourself down slowly each time, fully under control, as many times as you can. When you find yourself dropping down quickly, your set is over; take a break. Negatives use eccentric contractions, which build muscle at least as well as their concentric, or positive, counterparts. You can use the same strategy to work up to other challenging exercises, like pull-ups. Beware, however—negatives are notorious for making you sore the next day, so go easy on these your first time. Once your body is used to them, you'll be able to do them regularly. Option 3: staircase progressionIf those options are still too tough for you—or if you just want something more flexible—try a staircase progression. You can use an actual staircase, or pick surfaces at varying heights: a wall, a table, a chair, a stack of books. Start with your hands on a high surface. This might be the wall, with your feet a few steps back, or a high countertop. Engage all the muscles in your core and legs so your body is like a stiff plank, and keep the same good form as if you were doing a push-up from the floor. Do your set of push-ups this way. When the wall or countertop is too easy, drop your hands down to something lower, like a chair. (If you’re using an actual staircase, just start with your feet on the floor and your hands on a high step; move your hands to the lower steps over time.) Eventually you’ll be able to do full sets of push-ups from the floor. Then, reverse the progression: start putting your feet on higher and higher surfaces. Ultimate goal: handstand push-ups. Good luck and get moving! View the full article

If you tried to open ChatGPT this morning, only to find the service endlessly loading or erroring out, you're not alone: ChatGPT is up and down this morning, along with other OpenAI services. OpenAI's official status site shows some issues for services across OpenAI's portfolio, but ChatGPT is the most affected. As of this article, all other services are listed as "Operational," but not ChatGPT. The chatbot was previously listed as dealing with a "Partial Outage," but OpenAI has since relabeled it as a "Major Outage." The company has six updates listed on Jan. 23 under "Past Incidents:" The first was at 3:54 PST: "We are currently experiencing elevated error rates in the API. We are currently investigating." OpenAI identified the issue at 4:26 PST, then rolled out a fix at 4:30 PST. As of 4:43, the company said it resolved the elevated error rates on ChatGPT and the API, but more issues have appeared since. At 5:12 PST, OpenAI said they were experiencing elevated error rates for ChatGPT itself, and at 5:43 PST, the company claimed to have found the root cause, and were working on a fix. That fix was supposedly implemented at 7:09 PST, but two minutes later, the company added another update, stating, "We are continuing to monitor for any further issues." I've had mixed results with ChatGPT this morning, which tracks with the original "Partial Outage" label OpenAI has assigned the platform. The first time I heard about the outage, I tried to load ChatGPT, and after some time, received an error message. Later, though, ChatGPT refreshed, and I was able to interact with the chatbot. While writing this article, ChatGPT became unresponsive again. I was able to get it to load one more time, but the situation is definitely a bit volatile at the moment. View the full article

Building a Spotify playlist isn't exactly difficult, but it can be tedious, especially if you want to assemble a mix with dozens or even hundreds of songs. Spotlistr is a free tool that can do the work for you—it can automatically turn any list of songs into a Spotify playlist, even if it's just in simple text format. You paste the text containing your list of songs, let the app run, check that the tool identified the right songs, and click a button. A playlist appears. Even better, Spotlistr can convert a playlist for pretty much any other music streaming service, including YouTube, Soundcloud, Reddit, and Last.fm. To get started, go to Spotlistr.com and sign in using your Spotify account. Next, pick the source for the playlist you want to create. I tend to use the Textbox option, which lets you paste in a simple list of songs. You'll want to get the formatting right: There should be one song per line. Credit: Justin Pot Click "Search" and the service will try to match each line to a specific song. Credit: Justin Pot You can scroll through the list and quickly confirm that the application found the songs you actually want. You'll see up to four options for each entry, allowing you to pick between them. When everything looks right, you can add the playlist to your Spotify account. Use Spotlistr to import playlists from another service (or even Reddit)Converting a list of songs into a playlist is just one function of Spotlistr. As noted, it can also import and convert playlists from other services. If there's a YouTube or Soundcloud playlist you want to move to Spotify, there are tools for that. There are also options for pulling in Last.fm top tracks from any user. A particularly cool use case: You can also pull in all songs from any Reddit conversation, subreddit, or collection of subreddits. For example: I was able to turn this list of 2024 song recommendations into this playlist featuring all of those songs with just a couple of clicks. It's a great way to sample a list of songs without having to manually search up each one, though note that the tool doesn't parse posts with multiple songs in the same line particularly well. You can also use the app to export any existing Spotify playlist to a CSV file. There's a "stats generator" that lets you crate a sort of "Spotify Wrapped" any time of the year. You can automatically remove duplicates from any playlist, or make playlist cover art. Basically, this site offers a bunch of tools that Spotify should already have, but doesn't. Bookmark it if you ever feel frustrated about the playlist making process. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Doomsday prepping—making yourself and your home ready for some amorphous “stuff-hits-the-fan” event—has gone mainstream. About 20 million Americans are actively “prepping” for the apocalypse in some sense, which could come in many different forms. No matter how the world as we know it ends, the thinking goes, folks with enough food and water, gold (or crypto), and ammunition salted away will survive to help rebuild society. Or fight zombies. A lot of doomsday prepping is kind of silly, of course. You’re probably not going to be fighting those zombies (or hordes of Mad Max-style warriors), and having a thousand cans of beans probably isn’t going to be the difference between life and death. But preparing for extended emergencies isn’t a bad idea—you just have to do it in a practical, thoughtful manner. Here’s what you should consider if you want to feel at least slightly prepared for a SHTF event. Test stuffDoomsday prep is big business, and there are a lot of gadgets designed to help you survive the End Times in (relative) comfort and safety. Most are uber-practical and arguably necessary, like generators or a Lifestraw, but simply buying this stuff does not mean you’re actually prepared. If the first time you actually unpack and try to use it is the day the bombs drop or civilization collapses, you’re going to be under extreme stress while trying to parse an instruction manual—and you might discover that you bought a lemon in the first place. Buy whatever you think might be useful in an emergency, but as a best practice you should unbox it, set it up, and get it running at least once. This way you’re familiar with its operation and certain you have a working unit. It’s also a good idea to re-test everything once a year to refresh your memory and make sure nothing has degraded while in storage. Hard copy and manual toolsSometimes we forget how reliant we’ve become on having all the world’s information (and disinformation) in our pockets at all times. But in the event of doomsday you should probably assume both the internet and the electrical grid will be out of commission, which means it will be a huge mistake to rely on anything digital or powered. A few things to consider: Paper copies. You should have hard copy of any crucial information—instructions, directions, repair manuals, etc. Even if you have a plan for getting power during the apocalypse, relying on files stored on a hard drive is a bad idea. Manual tools. Power tools are one of the great blessings of civilization, but when civilization itself goes bye-bye you might not be able to operate them effectively. Manual, hand-powered tools and appliances (like a can opener!) will always be usable, so have at least a few basics on hand for when the power vanishes. Renewable everythingThe classic image of a prepper is someone with a stockpile of canned and dried food and a humming generator (zombie-blasting shotgun optional). That’s a fine plan for a short-term emergency like a natural disaster or extended blackout, but if you really want to be prepared for doomsday you need to think in more renewable terms. Canned food rusts and spoils, bottled water can go bad, and gasoline runs out (and also spoils), so having renewable sources of energy and food is key: Power. Solar or wind setups (ideally with a whole-house battery) will help stretch fuel supplies and can provide electricity long after all the power plants have exploded. Water. A crate of plastic water bottles will get you through a short-term emergency, but rebuilding civilization in the wake of Armageddon is thirsty work. Ideally, you want a continuous supply of filtered fresh water. If you have a well on your property, that’s ideal, but you can also have a rainwater collection and filtration system installed (rainwater has to be filtered pretty thoroughly to be safe to drink) that will guarantee a water supply unless the apocalypse is a very dry version. Food. You don’t want to be completely reliant on ultra-processed preserved food if you’re going into a long-haul survival period. Sure, those packs of instant Ramen might keep you alive, but ideally you should have a garden set up to feed you. A self-sustaining garden for one person can be set up in about 200 square feet, and if nothing else, will stretch your dry goods and canned food until the local groceries rebuild. MedicinesApocalyptic fantasies on television tend to focus on guns and video game-like action, and medical treatment usually involves a quick dash to an abandoned CVS and some instinctive knowledge of antiseptics and bandaging. In real life, you probably don’t need an entire crate of automatic weapons, but you will need some medical stuff. A few things to consider: First aid. Yes, you need a First Aid kit. But you also need to know how to use it, so learn first aid. Having a kit from Amazon won’t do you much good if you don’t have some basic training, including how to do stuff like applying tourniquets or setting broken bones. There are several excellent online first aid courses (Save a Life by NHCPS is free and accredited, and the American Red Cross offers online first aid classes as well as class-based courses). You might also consider taking a Wilderness First Aid Course (like this one), as they focus on first aid and emergency medical treatment when you’re far away from a hospital or an easy 911 call. And don’t forget what we just said about hard copies: Add some reference books to your survival library, like The Field Guide of Wilderness and Rescue Medicine from Wilderness Medical Associates, or The Survival Medicine Handbook: The Essential Guide for When Help is NOT on the Way by Joseph Alton, M.D. Medical supplies. First aid kits are intended for rapid response, short-term solutions. If you’re planning to spend decades without a modern hospital system, you’re going to need a lot more stuff, like antibiotics, more gauze and wound dressings than you think, and other basics. You should also stock up on necessary prescriptions, because that abandoned CVS may not be opening up again any time soon. Medicinal herbs. No matter how well-stocked your personal pharmacy and medical supply cabinet is, if it’s really the end of the world you’ll more than likely run out of stuff much faster than expected (apocalyptic scenarios tend to be filled with sharp edges, collapsing buildings, and those pesky, hungry zombies). If you’re setting up a garden to feed yourself, consider putting space aside for medicinal herbs. Plants have been used for centuries as pain relievers (turmeric), antibiotics (garlic), and as treatments for indigestion (ginger). Some caveats: Medicinal herbs are not “drop in” replacements for the drugs in your medicine cabinet, and you’ll need to know a lot about their preparation and dosage to safely use them. A book like the Peterson Field Guide To Medicinal Plants & Herbs Of Eastern & Central N. America by Steven Foster and James A. Duke can give a start. And not all herbs will grow in all climates, so some research into what you can and can’t grow will be necessary. Rotate stockSpeaking of dry goods and canned food—these are not “set it and forget it” items. You can’t dump 500 cans of Spam into your basement and assume you’ll be fine, because all that food, no matter how well-preserved or stored, will eventually spoil (or be eaten by organisms). The key to a solid apocalypse pantry is rotation—eat the stuff as part of your normal, everyday meals just before they hit their expiration date, then replace them with fresh versions. Similarly, consider the medical supplies and prescriptions you’ve stockpiled—these will also need to be checked for freshness and replaced on a regular basis. While some medicines and drugs don’t necessarily go “bad,” they do lose effectiveness over time. Consider a communityFinally, consider your community as a resource. Most apocalyptic fantasies imagine it’s you (and your family) against the world, but in real life, your friends and neighbors will probably be right there with you, which can mean shared resources and assistance. A practical approach to doomsday prepping won’t rely on this—just in case you are all on your own, or in case your neighbors turn out to be selfish jerks—but ignoring this potentially rich source of assistance and shared supplies entirely would be unfortunate. View the full article

Samsung may have announced three Galaxy phones today, including the Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra, but that didn’t stop the company from teasing a fourth. Alongside detailed specs of the new lineup arriving on Feb. 7, Samsung also hinted at a more mysterious future phone called the Galaxy S25 Edge. This announcement came towards the tail end of Samsung’s Unpacked event, and didn’t give viewers much more to work off of than a name and some renders. From the looks of it, though, the Edge seems to be a thinner version of the Galaxy S25, with a dual lens camera bump swapped in to help accommodate the smaller body. Credit: Samsung That would coincide with rumors that Apple is also working on an iPhone Air, which have been shared by reputable sources including supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg tech reporter Mark Gurman. Assuming these rumors are true, the iPhone Air and the Galaxy Edge both releasing back-to-back would seem to point towards an upcoming shift towards thinner phones, which could potentially convince users to upgrade their handsets in the face of flagging interest in foldable phones and increasingly iterative updates on the standard format. According to Android Authority, which spoke with a Samsung South Africa representative, the Edge will definitely come to South Korea and the US when it launches at some point in the future, but it may take some time to reach the rest of the world. Credit: Samsung As for what kind of specs to expect, Samsung president of mobile devices TM Roh told Bloomberg that, “The Edge will use some of the same technologies as the new Ultra model, but fit them inside a slimmed-down design.” Given what looks to be a much-reduced camera capacity, I’m a little skeptical of that, but maybe the Edge really will beat out the base S25. With that kind of power in such a small form factor, though, I would definitely expect a heftier price tag (the base S25 starts at $800), although that’s still under wraps for now. Its release date is also still up in the air, at least officially, but Gurman posted on X to expect the phone “in the first half of this year.” View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Sonos brand is well known in the smart speaker and surround sound system space. And very much like Apple, people will pay a premium price for their minimalistic, premium quality, and discounts are often hard to come by. Of course, it's always better to get a deal, and that's exactly what you can do today: The Sonos Arc, which was Sono's flagship soundbar prior to the launch of the Sonos Arc Ultra, is $649, $250 off its usual $899 price. It's also a new low price for this model, according to price tracking tools. Maximum Output Power: 110 Watts, Connectivity Technology: Wi-Fi, Audio Output Mode: Surround Mount. Sonos Arc Soundbar $649.00 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $899.00 Save $250.00 Get Deal Get Deal $649.00 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $899.00 Save $250.00 Maximum Output Power: 110 Watts, Connectivity Technology: Wi-Fi, Audio Output Mode: Surround Mount. Sonos Arc Soundbar $649.99 at Best Buy $899.99 Save $250.00 Get Deal Get Deal $649.99 at Best Buy $899.99 Save $250.00 SEE -1 MORE Sonos speakers are not for everyone, if only because you'll have to justify paying around two grand for a complete surround sound system when you can get a setup like the Samsung Q990C for about half the price. But audiophiles swear they can hear the difference, so the cost might be worth it to you. If you pick up this soundbar, you'll want to consider the Sonos 300 rear speakers and the Gen 4 subwoofer to go with it—they're the latest Sonos has to offer, though you can choose Eras 100 or an older or smaller subwoofer to lower the price tag. As for the Arc, it offers Dolby Atmos, providing immersive three-dimensional sound with height channels that simulate audio coming from above you (you can read the details in PCMag's "excellent" review). It offers enough of a low-end kick that you don't really need a subwoofer if you have a small space. If you already own other Sonos speakers, you can seamlessly connect them through the Sonos app to create a surround sound setup or a multi-room system. Best Buy is offering $75 in credit if you want them to mount the soundbar in your space, but you'll have to buy the mounting materials separately. View the full article

Controlling a computer with a mouse might seem like second nature to you, but to people with motor control issues or other disabilities preventing them from keeping a steady hand on a peripheral, it can be a frustrating endeavor. That’s why Google’s giving Chromebook users the ability to control their cursors with their faces. Initially announced in December, Face Control allows Chromebooks to use your webcam and facial gestures as input. Look down to move your cursor down to your menu, or look up and to the left to hover over the Compose button in Gmail. Move your mouth left or right to left-click or right-click, and open your mouth to start using voice-to-text. Assuming there are no hiccups, the tool should allow for entirely hands-free control, intended to aid with accessibility. According to Google, this is another AI-powered feature, and “uses a series of machine learning models” to generate a 3D mesh of your face with 478 specific facial points for fine control. There’s a small catch, in that Google recommends 8GB of RAM for the best performance, but now that the feature’s out of beta, you’re free to try it for yourself and test it out. Google says it’s rolling out to all users now, alongside features to access reading mode in the Chrome browser with more natural voices, plus use a screen reader in “previously inaccessible PDFs.” On the more fun side of things, Face Control is actually fairly similar to Project Gameface, a similar tool Google developed for Windows and Android that allows gamers to control titles like World of Warcraft by mapping facial gestures to in-game actions. Unfortunately, while Project Gameface is open-source, allowing developers to tweak the tool and add support for it as they wish, Face Control is limited to ChromeOS for now. To turn it on once it rolls out to you, find it under the Accessibility menu at Settings > Accessibility. View the full article

It’s difficult to keep track of how much Netflix costs these days, since the company keeps raising its damn prices. That goes extra if you want to share your account with others: The company killed free password sharing in the U.S. back in May of 2023. Since then, if you want to lend out your Netflix password to someone else, you’ll need to tack on an extra monthly charge. But even that monthly charge has increased. During its Q4 2024 earning results call on Tuesday, Netflix announced it would be raising prices for all subscriptions and extra users. Here’s where the company’s various subscription options currently stand, as of January 2025. Standard with ads ($7.99 per month)“Standard with ads” is currently Netflix’s cheapest plan. Launched in November of 2022, the plan gives subscribers access to most of Netflix’s library of movies and TV shows, and all of its mobile games. It’s a bit hard to find updated lists of the titles not included with a “Standard with ads” plan (the latest appears to be a 2024 article from Variety) but, in any case, you’ll see a lock icon next to titles your ad-supported plan doesn’t allow. The plan lets you stream on two supported devices at once in “Full HD.” That means your content will stream in 1080p, and not in 4K HDR. You can also download titles to two devices at a time. In addition, you cannot add other users to your plan. The plan cost $6.99 for quite a while, before Netflix upped it to $7.99 in January. Standard ($17.99 per month, plus $8.99 for an extra user)There’s one immediate difference between Standard and Standard with ads: the lack of ads. Standard lets you stream Netflix to your heart’s content—all of Netflix’s content, mind you—without ever serving you a single ad. You know, like Netflix always used to do. You’ll also be able to download those titles to up to two supported devices at a time. Standard also invites you to add someone outside your household to your account for an extra $8.99 per month. (That's $1 more than it used to cost.) That raises standard’s monthly price from $17.99 to $26.98. You’ll only be able to add one additional outside user to your account, however, so choose wisely. While you don’t have to deal with ads, nor do you have limitations on what you can watch, your content will look the same, since the video quality is capped at 1080p. If you want 4K HDR shows and movies, you’ll need to pay even more. Premium ($24.99 per month, plus $8.99 for each extra user)A Premium Netflix account is as good as it gets. Here, you have unlimited access to Netflix’s library, including the ability to stream in 4K HDR when available. Netflix lets you stream concurrently on up to four devices at once, and download titles on up to six devices at a time. This subscription was previously $22.99, but Netflix raised the price to $24.99 this week. You also have the option to add up to two users outside your household to your plan. Of course, that adds up fast: Premium’s $24.99 per month cost goes up to $33.98 when adding one user, and $42.97 when adding two. Imagine telling someone in 2022 watching season four of Stranger Things that you pay more than $40 a month for Netflix. View the full article

At a point when businesses are so technology-driven, manual timesheet methods sound like a thing of the past. It brings to mind your first job at a grocery store 20 years ago when you had to punch in and out on one of these bad boys. But believe it or not, 38% of U.S. employees The post Hidden costs of manual timesheet methods: A closer look at productivity drain appeared first on RescueTime Blog. View the full article

In 2006, a high school student from Ontario named James Hobson started posting to a new platform called YouTube. His early videos were meant for his friends, and focused on hobbies (like parkour) and silliness (like one clip in which he drinks a cup of raw eggs). Hobson’s relationship with YouTube evolved in 2013. Now a trained engineer, he put his skills to work in crafting a pair of metal claws based on the Marvel character, Wolverine. The video was a hit. He then built a working version of the exoskeleton used by Matt Damon’s character in the movie Elysium. This was an even bigger hit. This idea of creating real life versions of props from comics and movies proved popular. Hobson quit his job to create these videos full-time, calling himself, “The Hacksmith.” Around the same time that Hobson got started on YouTube, a young British plumber named Colin Furze also began experimenting with the platform. Like Hobson, he began by posting videos of his hobbies (like BMX tricks) and silliness (like a stunt in which tried to serve food to moving cars). Furze’s relationship with YouTube evolved when he began posting record breaking attempts. The first in this informal series was his effort to create the world’s largest bonfire. (“I collected pallets for over a year.”) He drew attention from British media when he supercharged a mobility scooter to drive more than seventy miles per hour. This led to a brief stint as a co-host of a maker show called “Gadget Geeks” that aired on the then fledgling Sky TV. After that traditional media experience, he scored a hit on YouTube by attaching a jet engine to the back of a bicycle. He decided to fully commit to making a living on his own videos. I wrote about Hobson and Furze in my most recent essay for The New Yorker, which was titled, “A Lesson in Creativity and Capitalism from Two Zany YouTubers.” What drew my attention to these characters, and provided the main focus for my article, is what happened after they decided to make posting videos their full-time jobs. Hobson adopted a standard strategy from the media industry: he tried to grow as fast as possible. He moved from his garage to a leased warehouse, and then, when that lease ran out, he took on a multi-million dollar mortgage to buy an even larger warehouse. He soon had thirty employees and around a quarter million dollars a month in overhead. Furze, by contrast, stayed small. He continued to film his videos in his home workshop and a nearby old barn. He worked almost entirely on his own, with the exception of sometimes having his wife help hold a camera, or his friend Rick come lend a hand when some extra strength was needed. Furze’s overhead was reduced to more or less the cost of materials. Everything else he earns he keeps. Hobson and Furze’s opposite strategies provide a neat natural experiment in the economics of this quirky corner of YouTube. What were the results? In 2024, Hobson’s channel published twenty-five beautifully produced videos that attracted more than twenty-seven million total views. In the same period, Furze launched five solo-produced videos on his main channel that attracted eighteen million views. He also, however, maintained a second channel with behind-the-scenes footage that pushes his total views for the year to forty-three million, nearly double Hobson’s results. As I write: “Furze’s solo success is a quirky challenge to the traditional narrative that survival requires continually growing, and that a small number of well-financed winners eventually eat most of the economic pie. He demonstrates that in certain corners of the creative economy an individual with minimal overhead can work on select attention-catching projects and earn a generous upper-middle-class income. Beyond this relatively modest scale of activity, however, the returns on additional investment rapidly diminish. As Hobson’s experience suggests, there’s no obvious path for a D.I.Y. video creator to turn his channel into a multimillion-dollar empire, even if he wants to. Furze seems to be maxing out the financial potential of his medium by staying small.” In my article, I go on to the explore the specific reasons why small works so well in this medium (hint: it has to do with maintaining an authentic personal connection with your audience). But what I want to emphasize here is my broader conclusion. I think these particular corners of YouTube, along with some related creator-focused Internet-based technologies, including emails newsletter and podcasts, are helping to carve out space for a relatively broad “creative middle class.” As social media continues to falter and stumble in its role as a unifying cultural force, its model of people volunteering their creative labor in return for uncompensated attention is beginning to lose its appeal. Colin Furze is one among many who are revealing an alternative engagement with the online world; one in which it’s possible for someone with sufficient talent to make a good living with minimal investment and maximal flexibility. As I conclude in my piece, it’s still really hard to succeed in this new creative economy. But at least there’s space now to do so. As I write: “In our era of consolidation and polarization, many online spaces can seem dreary, toxic, addicting, or some combination of the three. As my colleague Kyle Chayka wrote in 2023, most of the Web just ‘isn’t fun anymore.’ In Furze, however, I sensed some of the optimism of the early Internet.” Sounds good to me. ##### In Other News… For nearly two decades, my friend Adam Gilbert (featured here in a 2007 Study Hacks post) has run My Body Tutor, an immensely successful health and fitness app that is based on the simple but powerful idea of using online coaches to hold people accountable. His team just launched a new platform called DoneDaily that brings this same coach-driven accountability to professional productivity. I’m mentioning it here because DoneDaily deploys a lot of ideas I talk about here and in my books — including, notably, multi-scale planning — but now combined with a dedicated coach who you check in with daily to make sure your plan makes sense and that you’re taking action. Anyway, I thought this was one of those ideas that makes so much sense that it’s surprising it didn’t exist before. Indeed, it’s the type of thing I might have built on my own if I didn’t already have a bunch of jobs. So I’m glad Adam got there first and was happy, at his request, to help share it. Check it out! (Note: I have an affiliate relationship with this site.) The post Lessons from YouTube’s Extreme Makers appeared first on Cal Newport. View the full article

It’s time we uncovered how much productivity is lost to constant communication. Have you ever wondered where all your productive hours went, only to realize you spent most of your day jumping between emails, meetings, and chat apps? You’re not alone. In today’s hyper-connected world, employees spend nearly 4 hours per day on communication—time that could The post Always online, always behind: the true cost of constant communication appeared first on RescueTime Blog. View the full article

Subscribe to Work LifeGet stories like this in your inbox Subscribe Whether you realize it or not, you probably already set quite a few short-term goals for yourself. You want to sort your to-do list before your morning meeting. You want to go for a walk over lunch at least three days this week. You want to land five speaking opportunities this quarter. Throughout your day, week, month, or year, you set small-in-scope, attainable finish lines that give you a little boost of forward momentum. Those are short-term goals. But what exactly makes these bite-sized objectives so helpful? Let’s explore the power behind short-term goal-setting – and how you can hack these goals to boost your own motivation and sense of satisfaction. What is a short-term goal? A short-term goal is exactly what it sounds like: it’s something that you want to accomplish in the relatively near future. Simple enough, but it’s worth digging a little further into the mechanics of this type of goal. A short-term goal: Can be accomplished in a short timeframe (most experts say within a year or less) Details a specific action to take or target to accomplish Supports a broader vision for your career or life Here are a few short-term goals – both personal and professional – to get your own wheels turning: Short-term career goal examples Complete company’s three-month leadership training program Lead a cross-functional project this quarter Provide praise and positive feedback to at least one employee per week this month Short-term personal goal examples Stretch every day this week Read two books this month Pay off car loan by the end of the year Long-term goals vs. short-term goals: What’s the difference? So how do short-term goals stack up against long-term counterparts? It’s easy to think about them in terms of duration – short-term goals impact the near future and long-term goals look further out. But to get a more nuanced handle on the difference between short-term and long-term goals, it’s better to think about their intent: Long-term goals reflect your overall values, beliefs, and desires. Short-term goals are the specific actions you take to pursue those broader ambitions. If your short-term goal is to complete your company’s leadership training program, that might feed your long-term goal of moving into a management position. Or your short-term goal might be to pay off your car loan because your long-term goal is to be debt-free. Why bother setting short-term goals? If you have your sights set on a faraway finish line anyway (whether that’s a promotion, financial independence, or something else), what’s the point of making pit stops along the way? Short-term goal setting is beneficial for a few important reasons. 1. Short-term goals are more motivating Related Article Use motivation theory to inspire your team’s best work By Kat Boogaard In Leadership Anybody who’s ever set a New Year’s resolution (and then kissed it goodbye come February) will admit that it’s tough to muster the gumption to actually achieve a goal. Fortunately, short-term ambitions can give your motivation a much-needed boost. You can thank the neurotransmitter dopamine for that. While it’s typically thought of as the feel-good brain chemical that’s released in response to a reward, research shows that it’s actually closely tied to motivation too. Dopamine is what pushes us to seek the reward in the first place. Your brain knows that it feels good to accomplish things – it wants to cross that finish line. So, you’ll not only get a dopamine spike when you set the goal, but also when you’re close to achieving it. Basically, your brain would much prefer an immediate celebration over delayed gratification, and short-term goals offer a more instant reward. 2. Short-term goals make the process feel more manageable What feels easier? Going for a 30-minute walk today or training for an entire marathon? Even elite runners will likely admit that the walk requires a lot less sweat (both literally and figuratively). Pursuing our goals often requires changing our behavior, whether that’s in big or small ways. And even on a good day, altering our habits, attitudes, and actions is tough. Short-term goals make it all feel a little more doable, not by changing your lofty and intimidating goals, but by dividing them into more attainable guideposts. 3. Short-term goals give you an action plan It’s easy to figure out where you want to go – getting there is the hard part. While setting a long-term goal pinpoints the target, it doesn’t actually fuel your journey. That’s why you need short-term goals too. They detail the smaller behaviors and actions you need to take to move toward your long-term objectives. If long-term goals are the destination, short-term goals are the roadmap. 4. Short-term goals allow for regular reflection and adjustments Much like your desires and values, your goals will change over time. In addition to short-term goals serving as milestones when you can celebrate your progress, they also provide an opportunity for reflection. How do you feel accomplishing this goal? Is it as rewarding as you thought it would be? Why or why not? Does it still align with your overarching vision? That’s not to say you need to sit yourself down for in-depth self-analysis every time you check something off your list. Sometimes it’s just a gut check that occurs naturally. If you finish that leadership program and feel drained rather than energized? That’s an indicator that you should reevaluate if you want to move into a management position at all, or if perhaps your aspirations have shifted somewhere along the way. Better to change course now than when you’re at the end of the road. How to set motivating short-term goals Related Article How to write SMART goals By Kat Boogaard In Productivity Short-term goals are more action-oriented than your longer-term objectives. But then what separates them from all of the tasks that you frantically scribble on your daily to-do list? Short-term goal setting requires a little more thought and intentionality than jotting down every task you need to check off that day. One of the best ways to ensure you’re investing the right amount of planning is by using the SMART goal framework. In case you haven’t heard of SMART before, it’s an acronym to help you remember that your goals should be: Specific: Be clear about what exactly needs to be accomplished. In the case of short-term goals, this should be an explicit action you want to take. Measurable: Include a quantifiable benchmark so you’ll know when you’re successful. Achievable: Especially since your short-term goals don’t stretch on forever, you need to confirm that they’re realistically attainable in a shorter time frame. Relevant: Remember that your short-term goals are intended to support something bigger, so they need to be relevant to your overall vision. Time-bound: Every goal needs a deadline—and that’s especially true for short-term goals. What’s the end date for when you need to take that action? Most of the short-term goal examples we listed above already incorporate elements of the SMART framework, but we can expand on them further to provide more helpful details. Here’s what that could look like: SMART short-term career goal examples Complete company’s three-month leadership training program this May Kick off a cross-functional project involving at least three teams by the end of the quarter Provide praise and positive feedback in-person or in writing to at least one employee per week this month SMART short-term personal goal examples Stretch for at least 10 minutes every day this week Read two books (one fiction and one non-fiction) by the end of the month Pay off remaining $4,000 balance on car loan by the end of the year Short-term goals might not look years down the line, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worthy of some careful thought and planning. The SMART goal framework will help you set meaningful targets, rather than hollow or trivial to-dos. Short-term goals: So much more than quick wins Yes, short-term goals are objectives you set for the near future – but they’re so much more than low-hanging fruit you can grab for some instant gratification and a quick hit of dopamine. Short-term goals give you a detailed action plan to realize your bigger ambitions and values. And they give you plenty of opportunities to reflect on whether the path you’re on is the one you actually want to stay on. That’s a pretty big impact for a supposedly small goal. Subscribe to Work LifeGet stories like this in your inbox Subscribe The post Don’t underestimate the outsized impact of short-term goals appeared first on Work Life by Atlassian. View the full article

Let’s be honest—at RescueTime, we can’t say enough good things about time tracking. That’s not because we just think it’s a great habit, but because we’ve seen its benefits play out for more than 2 million users. At this point, you know that time tracking comes with a variety of advantages, but maybe you’ve hit The post Navigating time tracking challenges: Empowering yourself for success appeared first on RescueTime Blog. View the full article

tl;dr: RescueTime has been helping people focus and get meaningful work done for 17 years. Now, as remote work faces new challenges, so does RescueTime. We’ve launched Timesheets to help teams work smarter without the burden of surveillance, but we need your help to spread the word. Please share and support us as we push The post Remote Work Is Under Attack — But We’re Standing Our Ground appeared first on RescueTime Blog. View the full article

Have you ever heard someone joke that they added an already-completed task to their to-do list just so they can check it off? Almost all of us can relate, because we’ve been conditioned to maintain a busy mindset. The more we accomplish, the better. Except, it’s not better. Busy does not equal productive, and productive The post Busy vs. productive: A mindset shift for the new year appeared first on RescueTime Blog. View the full article

The holiday season is a whirlwind of joy, celebration, and—let’s be honest—chaos and stress. Between gift shopping, festive gatherings, family drama, and year-end work deadlines, it’s no wonder many of us feel pulled in a thousand directions. Productivity often takes a backseat as we juggle work and personal obligations and try to soak in the The post Tips for Productivity During the Holidays appeared first on RescueTime Blog. View the full article

Subscribe to Work LifeGet stories like this in your inbox Subscribe The holidays are approaching, and suddenly everyone’s scrambling to wrap up projects before taking a break. What should be a time for winding down and holiday parties becomes a sprint to the finish line, bringing a calendar full of meetings, shifting priorities, an overflowing inbox, and a voice in your head whispering, “just one last email before you log off…” That’s when mounting pressure gives way to the stark realization that you’re running out of time, and we start to hear a familiar phrase: “Let’s circle back on that next year.” As the end-of-year crunch fast approaches, Atlassian partnered with YouGov to survey 6,000 knowledge workers across six countries (US, France, Germany, UK, India, Australia) to unpack the circle-back phenomenon. Spoiler alert: On average, 1 in 5 projects (19%) will be pushed to 2025. One-third of those unfinished projects will be abandoned entirely in the new year. Why do teams circle back? The end-of-year scramble can be tough on everyone, and our research shows that “circling back” has become a collective coping mechanism. Sixty-eight percent of knowledge workers say at least some projects will go unfinished, with shifting priorities (34%) and unexpected challenges (32%) serving as the main reasons why. Avoiding burnout is a big motivator too, but one person’s blessing is another’s burden. While 18% of knowledge workers push projects back and pick them up in the new year to avoid year-end burnout, 22% say they avoid those kinds of delays to ensure a lighter January workload. Yet workers seem to be missing a bigger opportunity. What if instead of scrambling to complete a laundry list of tasks, we use this as an opportunity to evaluate what really matters? Mark your calendars We’re calling it: December 17 is World Circle Back Day! By mid-December, 71% of workers will either have all tasks wrapped up or push them into 2025. Circling back or spinning wheels? Related Article Shared understanding: finding the “why” behind the “what” By Ingrid Blake In Leadership For many, the notion of “circling back” brings a deceptive feeling of relief. But pushing out projects – while an inevitable reality for some items in the December dash – might not result in the intended outcome. When it comes time to actually circle back, a mere 26% feel confident they can easily resume postponed projects in the new year. Most workers have the best intentions for picking up their stalled projects, but it’s harder than it sounds. Who can remember an important action item shared verbally in a one-off meeting from last year? Or a small but mission-critical piece of client feedback in an email that’s now buried deep in your inbox? Without documenting these decisions and touch points, teams work slow at best and ill-informed at worst, or end up running fast at the wrong priorities. And those tasks left on the back burner in December can quickly start to feel overwhelming in January, leading to delays – or worse, projects that drop entirely. When important projects fall off the radar, it not only disrupts the flow of work, but also negatively impacts team trust and accountability. Suddenly your December dash turns into wasted output for the entire team. Circling back(wards) It’s hard to pick back up where you left off. Part of the problem is that workers tend to say they will circle back on EVERYTHING this time of year, instead of using it as an opportunity to get super clear on your team’s priorities and realistic about what does (or doesn’t) move the needle. Some projects struggle to regain momentum after the holiday because they don’t have a big impact in the long run. These projects can feel tedious – we often call them “zombie projects” – technically “alive,” but failing to progress, draining resources and morale. The reality is that it might be time to scrap those zombie projects altogether. And that’s okay! The end of year is a great time to reevaluate your priorities, get clear on what matters, and come back prepared to make a meaningful impact with great focus (just make sure your team knows you’re scrapping it, too!). So what about postponed projects that are mission-critical and worth circling back on? There are ways to set yourself up for success so your future self will thank you. Disrupting the spin cycle Related Article How to excel at asynchronous communication with your distributed team By Jaime Netzer In Communication A little time getting organized now can make a big difference in the new year. To pick up where you left off, teams need to document their important work, including up-to-date statuses and easy-to-find sources of truth with important context about each project. These information sharing practices – often called asynchronous work – not only help you pick up where you left off, but make it easier to disconnect knowing your team has what they need to move work forward without you. This is especially useful during the holiday season, when mismatched PTO schedules, competing priorities, and fluctuating energy levels can make it tough to coordinate, risking delays or stalled progress. And no one wants to be on the receiving end of an angry ping asking where something is while on a holiday break. what is asynchronous work? Asynchronous work is teamwork that happens without needing everyone present, online, and available at the same time. Teammates can move work forward when it’s convenient for them, as long as the work is clearly documented, context is readily available, and there is clarity on expectations and deadlines. Try these async work practices this circle-back season so your team can pick up right where it left off in 2025: Capture context now for clarity post-holidays: Async work requires clearly documenting progress, decisions, and next steps in accessible formats like written documents, videos, or voice notes. Before you head out on PTO, publish a Confluence page (check out this OOO plan template) or record a Loom video that provides updates, suggested next steps, and context so team members can make progress while you’re out. Doing so means you can disconnect knowing you set your team – and your future self – up for success. Time is of the essence, so think async first: When the pressure to complete projects mounts, it’s easy to default to scheduling a meeting. But meetings are time-consuming, and often not as productive as intended. Before scheduling a meeting (or accepting one!), think about what you’re really trying to accomplish. If it’s a status update, relaying information, or an FYI, keep it async and send your teammate a Loom instead. If it’s not worth circling back on, scrap it now: Most people try to do too many things at once, which slows them down and lowers the quality of their work. Use this moment to let go of low-impact projects and focus on the work that truly matters. For tasks deemed circlebackable, reflect the new deadline on your planning pages, Jira tickets, and shared calendars so everyone is on the same page. Be realistic about your calendar: As the year’s end approaches, timebox your calendar to make sure you have enough focus time to get your most important work done. Pick a few important things to see over the finish line (rather than trying make a little progress on everything). pro tip Record a “Loom to my 2025 self” to help jog your memory on where you left a certain project and suggest where to get started when you are logged back in. New Year’s resolution: Work on what really matters While this time of year can feel overwhelming, it’s also an opportunity for a fresh start. The beginning of the year is a great time to reevaluate your priorities, set new intentions, and get reenergized about your work. If teams can change their mindset, they can turn the chaotic year-end rush and sluggish start to the new year into a seamless flow of highly effective teamwork. Breaking the circle-back cycle can be challenging, but the rewards – renewed focus, a smoother transition into the new year, and greater impact on team goals – are well worth it. Visit the Atlassian Community to take part in the circle-back challenge! Join the discussion Subscribe to Work LifeGet stories like this in your inbox Subscribe The post Happy circle-back season, to those who celebrate appeared first on Work Life by Atlassian. View the full article

Subscribe to Work LifeGet stories like this in your inbox Subscribe Compare a morning when you slept through your alarm, rushed out of bed, and barely made it to your desk in time to one when you had time for a brisk walk, a healthy breakfast, and some leisurely coffee-sipping. You’ll quickly realize your morning routine sets the tone for your entire day. Think an effective morning routine is out of your reach? We have good news: It’s a learnable science, no matter how much chaos you’re met with when you open your eyes. After analyzing the advice and morning routines of numerous well-known business leaders and productivity experts, we’ve pinpointed common practices of successful people for your most productive morning. 1. Wake up at YOUR right time Related Article Night owl or early bird? Discover your circadian personality By Tracy Middleton In Productivity “Morning people” are supposed to be the high achievers. The early bird catches the worm, right? But a successful morning routine isn’t necessarily synonymous with an early morning routine. Sure, some people who wake up early are more productive, and some studies do associate waking up just one hour earlier with lower depression rates. But if you personally dread early-morning wake-up calls, any potential benefits you get from peeling yourself out from under the covers at an unreasonable time will likely be overpowered by your misery. Oprah Winfrey never sets an alarm and Google CEO Sundar Pichai describes himself as “not a morning person.” Take a cue from them and pay attention to your own ultradian rhythms – your body’s natural cycles that repeat throughout the day and cause those peaks and dips in your energy levels. Doing so helps you find the times of day when you’re most focused and productive (known as your biological prime time). If you determine that you’re at your best in the afternoon or evening, there’s no reason for you to join the 5 a.m. club. As Mike Vardy, productivity author, speaker, and podcaster, wrote, “Look, I’m a night owl — and proud of it. Why? Because despite having many say that my sleeping habits make me less likely to achieve, I prove them wrong.” So forget the pressure to pop out of bed at the crack of dawn; stay focused on what works best for you. 2. Prepare the night before Many successful people spend their evenings preparing for the next day. Their reasoning: It leaves mornings free for an earlier start on important work (and breakfast). Giving “future you” the favor of adequate preparation doesn’t just free up your time – it frees up some brain space. We have a limited amount of willpower and decision-making ability. Too many decisions in the morning slow you down and can drain your brain for the rest of the day (it’s known as decision fatigue). Whether you pack your lunch, lay out your outfit, or create the next day’s to-do list, even five minutes of evening prep work can help you start your morning off on the right foot. Former American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault likes to end his evenings by simply writing three things he wants to accomplish the next day. For many, a successful morning routine actually starts in the evening. 3. Focus on what matters Related Article How to embrace the human side of leadership By Atlassian In Leadership Erik Fisher is the voice behind the Beyond the To-Do List Podcast. He points out that if you analyze productivity experts’ morning routines, you’ll find a few things in common. Most focus on big-picture goals, gratitude, and planning for the day. Here are a few examples: Canva CEO Melanie Perkins starts her day by reading tweets from the Canva community (which motivate her) and writing in a gratitude journal. Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, intentionally drags out her morning commute to give herself quiet time to think and plan before the chaos of her day sets in. John Paul DeJoria, the co-founder of Patrón tequila and Paul Mitchell hair products, spends five minutes each morning quietly reflecting on what he’s grateful for. Of course, plenty of morning routines include journaling and mindfulness. But don’t feel guilty if you don’t have the time (or quiet space) for a lengthy meditation routine. Even a short walk can help you focus your thoughts and identify your desired outcomes for the day. 4. Move around and hydrate Many successful people start their mornings in motion, and you can follow their lead for a morning routine that’s equal parts healthy and helpful: Kevin Kruse, author of 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management, does a daily 20-minute HIIT session on the treadmill. Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter and Block, Inc., walks to work every morning. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi power walks before work. Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary gets on his elliptical or exercise bike. Multi-board member Frits Dirk van Paasschen runs 10 miles every morning. Keep in mind that you don’t need to run a marathon to start your day well. According to one study, even some moderate exercise in the morning (like a brisk walk) can boost your brainpower for the rest of the day. While you’re moving, remember that what you put in your mug matters. There’s nothing wrong with a morning cup of coffee, but you should also drink plenty of water in the morning to stay hydrated and give you lasting energy. Research shows that adequate hydration improves your cognitive performance. Jeff Sanders, author of The 5 AM Miracle and host of the podcast with the same name, says his favorite morning habit is to drink one liter of water within the first 45 minutes of bouncing out of bed. “Hydration is incredibly important, especially after waking up. I always find that this larger quantity of water provides incredible energy and prepares my body for the day ahead.” 5. Eat the frog first thing in the morning Brian Tracy, author of Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time, bases his morning philosophy on a quote from Mark Twain. “If the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long.” The “frog” is that one important task you’re dreading the most because it’s large and looming over you. Doing your biggest task first can help you start your day with a sense of accomplishment. Can’t quite manage to jump into the day (pun intended) with the big frog on your list? Even tackling some smaller tadpoles can help. Whether you manage a big or a small win in the morning, that gratification can propel you into the rest of the day with greater motivation. That’s the progress principle in action. Mornings matter: Create a better morning routine for a more productive day Your morning sets the tone for the entire day. But that doesn’t change the fact that there are still plenty of factors (like kids, pets, last-minute emergencies…the list goes on) that can influence exactly how your morning shapes up. The good news is that you’re not going for perfection here – and you don’t need to overhaul your entire routine. Even trying out one or two of the above tips can help you approach your mornings with a little more intention. As the old saying goes, if you win the morning, you win the day. Subscribe to Work LifeGet stories like this in your inbox Subscribe The post 5 tips to find your best morning routine appeared first on Work Life by Atlassian. View the full article

Last week we talked about how to set goals for December. With 2025 looming ever closer, we’re looking even further ahead. It’s time to start engaging in our year-end reflections and setting goals for the upcoming year. Goal-setting doesn’t just involve thinking ahead, though. It also requires you to look back. Reflecting on the past The post Year-End Reflections: Setting the Stage for Success appeared first on RescueTime Blog. View the full article

Subscribe to Work LifeGet stories like this in your inbox Subscribe It feels great to make real progress with your team. But too often, work gets bogged down in a frustrating cycle: you’re waiting for input from collaborators stuck in back-to-back meetings, while urgent requests for your input keep piling up. Deadlines slip, blockers multiply, and high-priority work slows to a crawl. Atlassian’s State of Teams research reveals that teams spend 50% more time in unnecessary meetings than making progress on high-priority work. The problem? These meetings are spent talking about work – sharing updates and information – instead of rolling up their sleeves and doing work together. I lead Atlassian’s Teamwork Lab, a group of behavioral scientists that designs best practices for modern teams. Our research reveals a powerful antidote to unproductive meeting culture: eliminate information-dump meetings and use that synchronous time for real collaboration. Think: building decks, writing documents, solving problems, sharing feedback, and revising work together. What makes this shift so powerful? When meeting time is deliberately structured for collaboration, it unleashes the power of “bursty” communication. bursty communication A distinct rhythm shared by high-performing teams, characterized by intense “bursts” of rapid communication between team members alternating with periods of deep individual work. Research shows that this bursty communication pattern makes it easy for teams to advance important work by quickly flowing between ideation and execution – driving faster problem-solving and more innovative outcomes. To tap into this “bursty” rhythm, modern teams must deliberately shift how they work and make room for bursty communication to happen. First, move routine updates and information-sharing to asynchronous channels like Slack, email, and Loom videos, keeping everyone in the loop without disrupting their flow. This frees up sync time for what we like to call “Get Sh!t Done (GSD) Sessions”: dedicated one- to two-hour blocks designed for this type of high-impact collaborative work. The term “GSD Sessions” works for us , but feel free to call it whatever resonates with your team. Think of these sessions as a virtual “tap on the shoulder” moment, during which teams can demo early work, get immediate feedback, and solve problems on the spot. There’s no waiting for responses or hesitation to “interrupt” – exactly the kind of environment that facilitates the communication and collaboration that drives team success. As one Atlassian whose team tried GSD Sessions said, “It’s like magic.” Here’s how to bring that magic to your team: 5 steps to run an effective GSD session 1. Schedule a block of time for collaboration.– Choose collaborators based on session needs: Include a small group of people who are critical to completing the work, regardless of function or reporting lines. – Start small: Block off a one- to two-hour chunk of time for your team once or twice a week. As your team gets comfortable, you can build up to 10-20% of your week (roughly 4-8 hours). – Replace meetings: Look for existing meetings that are primarily spent talking about work. These are prime candidates to convert into GSD Sessions.2. Prepare to roll up your sleeves together on high-priority work.– Remember: this session is set aside for in-progress work. The point isn’t to present something polished, it’s to get work done together. – Keep it flexible: No fixed agenda needed – just be ready to tackle your most critical task(s) with key people as needs arise. – The day before (or day of) the session, spend 5-10 minutes identifying high-priority tasks that would benefit from real-time collaboration.3. Set up your tools for seamless interaction.Keep the video call running throughout the GSD Session. Alternate between: – Camera/mic ON: for planning, questions, or feedback – Camera/mic OFF: for focused work to action the things you’ve discussed – If you have questions during focus time, use chat messages or briefly turn your camera/mic back on. – The rhythm will feel natural once your team gets the hang of it.4. Use bursty communication.– Alternate between group work and individual focus. One successful approach: meet for 10 minutes to align, work independently for 30, then regroup to share progress and solve blockers. – Create a “tap on the shoulder” atmosphere: make it safe for teammates to ask for help, troubleshoot, and share spontaneous ideas – that’s how great solutions emerge.5. Aim for progress, not perfection.– Remember: GSD Sessions are about making tangible progress. – Whether you’re developing new ideas or refining existing work, the goal is to work in a way that feels responsive and momentum-building. Get buy-in from your team with this message: “Hey Team! I’d like us to try out GSD Sessions. These are dedicated time blocks that we’ll use to collaborate on high-priority tasks together, in real time. They’re flexible – we can decide which projects to tackle and which key collaborators to include as the session approaches. We can accomplish things like: Writing a page together Working through a complex problem live Reviewing and providing feedback on each other’s work Next steps: You’ll see some GSD Session holds on your calendar soon! Go deeper: GSD Sessions facilitate bursty communication, which research shows fuels innovation and productivity. Check out this blog on GSD Sessions from Atlassian for more details.” The power of GSD Sessions We tested GSD Sessions with 103 Atlassians over 2.5 weeks. From the 40 participants who provided feedback, the results were striking, demonstrating the impact of creating real-time space for getting high-priority work done together. Boost progress on key priorities After 2.5 weeks of GSD Sessions, teams’ ability to resolve blockers increased by 39 percentage points. Meanwhile, we found that bursty communication was in fact the secret sauce for moving work forward: when teams reported alternating between bursts of rapid communication and deep individual work during their GSD Sessions, they made 24% more progress on top priorities. We can debate immediately when a question or problem occurs and not need to wait until we find time for a meeting. Chris Spanner, Advisory Services Increase innovation Teams’ ability to explore new ideas increased by 26 percentage points during the weeks they participated in GSD Sessions. Real-time collaboration sparked creativity – people could immediately build on each other’s suggestions, leading to more cohesive and innovative solutions than they’d find working separately. We could not only discuss but quickly get feedback after trialing the ideas discussed. This meant we could move and pivot faster. Annaliese McGavin, Senior People Researcher Strengthen team connection and energize collaboration Team connection increased by 27 percentage points, with 85% of participants feeling connected post-sessions. Participants’ energy levels increased by 21 percentage points, showing the motivating power of effective collaboration. Most notably, anxiety around collaboration disappeared completely: before GSD Sessions, 52% worried about inconveniencing teammates when asking for feedback. After just one week, not a single participant reported feeling anxious. The results speak for themselves: 69% of participants recommend GSD Sessions to their colleagues, and 65% plan to make them a permanent part of their workflow. Ready to transform how your team creates together? Schedule your first GSD Session this week and start turning meeting time into momentum. Subscribe to Work LifeGet stories like this in your inbox Subscribe The post Stop talking about work – do work together instead appeared first on Work Life by Atlassian. View the full article

Between this newsletter, my podcast, my books, and my New Yorker journalism, I offer a lot of advice and propose a lot of ideas about how the modern digital environment impacts our lives, both professionally and personally, and how we should respond. This techno-pontification covers everything from the nitty gritty details of producing good work in an office saturated with emails and Zoom, to heady decisions about shaping a meaningful life amid the nihilistic abstraction of an increasingly networked existence. With the end of year rapidly approaching, and people finding themselves with some spare thinking time as work winds down for the holidays, I thought it might be fun to try to summarize essentially every major idea I discuss in one short primer. So that’s what I’m attempting below! I’m sure I’m missing some key points, but this should nevertheless provide a useful road map to my esoteric mental wanderings. Knowledge Work Treat cognitive context shifts as “productivity poison.” The more you switch your attention from one target (say, a report you’re writing) to another (say, an inbox check), the more exhausted and dumber you become. The biggest source of context shifts is digital communication. Move as much collaboration as possible out of chains of ad hoc, back and forth messaging and into something more structured. The second biggest source of context shifts is caused by working on too many tasks at the same time. Do fewer things at once. You’ll finish each task faster (and better) and therefore accomplish more over time. Focus is like a super power in most knowledge work jobs. Train this ability. Protect deep work on your calendar. Support these sessions through special rituals and spaces. You need specific systems to track all of your commitments. You need specific system to manage your time and attention. The pace and volume of modern knowledge work is too intense for you to casually handle it all in your head. Remote work requires more structure surrounding workload management and communication than regular office work. It’s not enough to simply give remote workers a Zoom account and a Slack handle and hope their efforts unfold as before. Sources: Deep Work, A World Without Email, Slow Productivity, “Why Remote Work is So Hard–And How it Can Be Fixed”, “Why Do We Work Too Much?”, “Was Email a Mistake?”, “How to Have a More Productive Year” Personal Technology Use Your phone should be used as a tool, not a constant companion. To accomplish this: (1) keep your phone plugged into the same spot when at home (instead of having it with you); and (2) remove all apps from your phone where someone makes more money the more you use it. Most people don’t need to use social media. If you really need to use it — e.g., for professional purposes — use it on a web browser on your laptop, and spend at most an hour a week logged in, as that’s enough for 99% of legitimate uses. There are better ways to be entertained, find news, and connect with people. Digital communication can be great, but be wary of communicating with people you’ve never actually met in person before. (That is, texting a friend is good. Arguing with a random Twitter user about presidential politics is not.) Fixing your relationship with digital tools requires that you fix your analog life first. It’s not enough to stop using problematic apps and devices, you must also aggressively pursue alternative activities to fill the voids this digital abstention will create: read books, join communities, develop hard hobbies, get in shape, hatch plans to transform your career for the better. Without deeper purpose, the shallow siren song of your phone will become impossible to ignore. Kids under the age of 16 shouldn’t have unrestricted access to the internet. Their brains aren’t ready for it. Sources: Digital Minimalism, “Quit Social Media”, “Steve Jobs Never Wanted Us to Use Our iPhones Like This”, “Cal Newport on Kids and Smartphones” The Deep Life In building a meaningful and fulfilling life, it’s usually better to work backwards from a broad vision of your ideal lifestyle than it is to work forward toward a singular grand goal (e.g., a “dream job” or radical location change) that you hope will make everything better. The best way to improve your professional life is to get good at something the market unambiguously values, and then use this “career capital” as leverage to shape your work in ways that resonate. No one owes you a great a job. You have to get great first before you demand it. Succeeding with big changes in your life requires that you first get your act together. Get comfortable with discipline (doing things that are hard in the moment but important in the long term), get organized, and reclaim your brain from constant digital distraction. Only then should initiate your ambitious plans. Sources: So Good They Can’t Ignore You, “The Most Important Piece of Career Advice You Probably Never Heard”, “The Deep Life: Some Notes”, “Deep Life Stack 2.0” The Internet and Future Technology When it comes to the internet, small is usually better than big. Niche online communities are more meaningful and less harmful (in terms of both content and addictive properties) than massive social platforms. Independent content formats, like podcasts and newsletters, are much better for creatives (in terms of stability, income, and autonomy) than attempting to become an influencer on a major platform. And so on. The age of massive social network monopolies is already coming to an end. We just don’t realize it yet. Generative AI won’t really change our daily lives in a massive way until it leaves the chatbot format and becomes more integrated into specific tools. The biggest technology story everyone is ignoring is the end of screens. Within the next decade, AR glasses will replace essentially every screen currently in our lives — phones, laptops, tablets, computer monitors, and televisions. The ramifications on the worldwide technology sector will be absolutely massive. It will also be the end of a fully differentiated analog reality as we know it. Sources: “The Rise of the Internet’s Creative Middle Class”, “TikTok and the Fall of the Social Media Giants”, “Can an AI Make Plans”, “The End of Screens?” ##### Speaking of books, my latest, Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment without Burnout, was named a best book of 2024 by The Economist, NPR, and Amazon. It’s also currently heavily discounted for Cyber Monday. Consider it as a great gift for yourself or someone else you know who could benefit from slowing down! (The photo used for this article was taken by Greg Kahn for a recent profile of me published in El Pais.) The post The Tao of Cal appeared first on Cal Newport. View the full article

Subscribe to Work LifeGet stories like this in your inbox Subscribe Your colleague has been experimenting with a new automation tool and insists your team should use it to speed up some of your workflows. Everybody has reservations – this person has only used this tool a few times and there are complexities in these workflows that are difficult to automate – but your team member isn’t willing to listen to the naysayers. Confident, eager, and excited, your overly optimistic coworker charges ahead with rolling out the tool. It isn’t long before your workflows are a tangled knot and your team member is grappling with how things went so wrong when they swore they were an expert. Been there? It’s tempting to write off your colleague as misguided, stubborn, and even arrogant. But in reality, they defaulted to a common cognitive bias: the Dunning-Kruger effect. The Dunning-Kruger effect: What it is and why it happens Related Article The Johari window: a fresh take on self-reflection By Kat Boogaard In Teamwork The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias that occurs when someone overestimates their knowledge and abilities. It was first coined by David Dunning and Justin Kruger, both psychologists at Cornell University, in their 1999 paper. The psychologists conducted four different studies that each tested participants on humor, grammar, and logic. Participants weren’t just evaluated – they were also asked to predict their own performance. The participants who scored in the bottom quartile of the tests had grossly overestimated their own abilities. Their actual performance, on average, put them in the 12th percentile, despite the fact they self-estimated they’d be closer to the 62nd percentile. That disconnect lives at the heart of the Dunning-Kruger effect. The typical “sitcom dad” is one trope where you’ll see this particular bias pop up. He refuses to ask for directions on a road trip and gets his family hopelessly lost. He insists he can complete a basic home repair only for chaos (and property damage) to ensue. He’s confident he can cook a family meal, then the frying pan starts on fire. But that tired comedy device implies that the Dunning-Kruger effect relates to basic intelligence and only happens to the most bumbling and inept among us. In reality, the Dunning-Kruger effect can happen to all of us – including you. What is a cognitive bias? The Dunning-Kruger effect is one of many cognitive biases our brains can fall victim to. A cognitive bias is when you allow your personal preferences and beliefs to influence your decisions – even if other information threatens or disproves those preconceived notions. Think of it as a brain shortcut that helps you process the overload of information you take in daily. It’s not a perfect system, but one our brains seem intent on sticking with, because it’s our system (that’s called modal bias, by the way). Why does the Dunning-Kruger effect happen? But why do some of us tend to be so optimistic about our abilities, especially in areas where we should readily recognize that we have limited knowledge and skills? In their paper, Dunning and Kruger described it as a “dual burden.” We charge ahead while overestimating our talents, but we also lack the awareness (something Dunning and Kruger called “metacognitive abilities”) to recognize that we’re falling short in the first place. Basically, you don’t know what you don’t know. Because you’re inexperienced in a particular area, you don’t have the basic information you need to distinguish between a good performance and a bad performance. Think of it like this: If you’re not into wine, you probably can’t tell the difference between a $10 bottle and a $100 bottle. Another reason we tend to aggrandize our own skills and talents is that it can feel shameful to admit that we don’t know something – hence why “fake it ‘til you make it” is such a popular slogan. What are the four stages of the Dunning-Kruger effect? The four stages of competence model is often talked about in conjunction with the Dunning-Kruger effect. This model shows how learning progresses through four distinct phases. These stages are: Unconscious incompetence: You are completely unaware of a gap in your skills or knowledge Conscious incompetence: You are aware of the skill or knowledge you lack and are eager to acquire it Conscious competence: You are able to perform the new skill, but with a lot of focus and effort Unconscious competence: You are able to perform the skill so naturally and easily, you can do it without much conscious thought It’s in the first stage – or the transition between the first two stages – when the Dunning-Kruger effect most commonly comes into play. What’s the harm in the Dunning-Kruger effect? We all over-inflate our abilities occasionally. But even so, most of us still have a somewhat realistic grasp on what we’re capable of – you probably aren’t volunteering when somebody on a plane asks for a doctor simply because you’ve watched a few medical dramas. So is this cognitive bias really all that bad? What’s the harm? Dunning-Kruger does have some potential for fallout, including: Poor decision-making: Whether it’s pursuing a career that ultimately isn’t a match for your abilities or volunteering for a project you can’t realistically pull off, that dual burden can trigger some poor decisions. Mistrust among team members: If your overconfidence becomes a pattern, your co-workers could start to doubt your ability to perform at a high level in any area. A tendency to overpromise and underdeliver erodes teammates’ trust. Potential danger: Overestimating your skills could pose a danger to yourself and others, particularly in hazardous and high-risk careers. The Dunning-Kruger effect isn’t all bad, though. A little extra optimism and self-assuredness could be what’s needed for people to achieve stretch goals that might’ve seemed completely unreasonable to others. Dunning-Kruger vs. imposter syndrome The Dunning-Kruger effect seems to be in direct conflict with one of its better-known relatives: imposter syndrome, which occurs when we underestimate our own talents and worry (without reason) that we’ll be exposed as frauds. The two are indeed opposites, but it’s possible to experience both types of blind spots. Dunning-Kruger tends to show up in areas where we lack expertise but assume we’re proficient. In contrast, imposter syndrome happens when we really are experts but distrust our own intelligence anyway. Is the Dunning-Kruger effect even real? Like any other theory or finding, the Dunning-Kruger effect has been the focus of criticism – with some skeptics pointing toward regression to the mean or even random occurrence to explain the original study’s findings, rather than a real defect in our self-insight. But beyond the scholarly hole-poking, perhaps the biggest problem with the way we talk about this bias lies in the undercurrent of shame. Academic explanations are riddled with words like “incompetent,” “ignorant,” and “poor performer,” terms that can understandably trigger some self-consciousness and humiliation. As a result, identifying the Dunning-Kruger effect as the cause of someone’s bias can feel like a personal attack, even though it’s a universal experience – something that can (and will) happen to all of us. How to overcome the Dunning-Kruger effect While it’s bound to still creep in from time to time, awareness is the best antidote to the Dunning-Kruger effect. Here are a few strategies you can use to fuel reflection and recognition, for yourself and your team. Overcoming the Dunning-Kruger effect yourself Most of us like to think of ourselves as self-aware, but one study found that only 10-15% of people fit the criteria. Here’s how you can get a more realistic grasp on yourself and your capabilities: Solicit feedback from various sources: 360-degree feedback offers a well-rounded perspective of your performance, capabilities, and what you’re like to work with. While some companies make this a formalized process, you can solicit feedback from the people you work with on a steady basis (such as during 1-on-1 meetings, at the end of big projects, or during performance review cycles) to keep your self-perception in check. Reflect on your past experiences: History is a great teacher, especially when it comes to boosting your self-awareness. Look back on previous projects or challenges. When have you struggled? When have tasks felt effortless? What are you consistently praised for? What work fulfills you? What drains you? This can clue you in on where your capabilities are best utilized. Overcoming the Dunning-Kruger effect on your team Related Article What does psychological safety mean, anyway? By Katie Taylor In Teamwork If you’re leading a team, there are a few other steps you can take together to minimize this bias and root everybody in reality: Prioritize psychological safety: A high degree of psychological safety means people feel more comfortable admitting they don’t have the necessary know-how to do something, rather than feeling like they need to put on a front. Value and celebrate diverse skills: As a manager, it’s tempting to zone in on patching up weaknesses on your team. But classic research from Gallup found that a strengths-based culture, as opposed to one that fixates only on growth areas, increases employee engagement. Plus, people will feel valued for their unique attributes rather than pushing beyond their capabilities to get your recognition and approval. Complete a self-reflection exercise: The Johari window is a personality assessment that improves your understanding of yourself. You’ll select five or six terms that best describe you and your colleagues will also select descriptors they think fit you best. You’ll plot the qualities on a matrix to see how your self-perception compares to the way your colleagues view you. Fuel a growth mindset: A team that has embraced a growth mindset is hungry to learn and improve and views failures and mistakes as learning opportunities. You can feed this mindset by providing plenty of resources – like mentorship, seminars, books, courses, and other professional development opportunities – for team members to explore and refine their skills. Give thoughtful and honest feedback: Constructive criticism is hard to hear and sometimes even harder to deliver. But if you keep your lips zipped and let your low performers continue to assume they’re knocking it out of the park, they’ll stay on that same path, blissfully unaware that they’re falling short. Aim for awareness, not apprehension It’s off-putting to know your brain is basically hardwired to trick you into an inflated self-assessment. But the goal here isn’t to inspire doubt or hesitation. Rather, understanding the Dunning-Kruger effect and how it might show up in your work and your life will help you build your self-awareness. When you have a more pragmatic sense of your actual strengths and weaknesses, you’re able to seek out roles, projects, and situations where you (and the other people on your team) can shine – not struggle. Subscribe to Work LifeGet stories like this in your inbox Subscribe The post The Dunning-Kruger effect: why and how we overestimate our own abilities appeared first on Work Life by Atlassian. View the full article

Setting Goals for December: Reflect, Plan, and Achieve December is here—the month of twinkling lights, ambitious to-do lists, and the quiet reminder that another year is wrapping up. It’s easy to get swept up in the hustle, but pausing to reflect and plan is one of the best gifts you can give yourself this season. If The post Yes, Virginia, you can be productive in December appeared first on RescueTime Blog. View the full article

A kind remark from your colleague. Dazzling fall colors everywhere you look outside. Starting your day with a caffeine boost. When you start looking for them, you can find good things in your life almost anywhere. The approach of Thanksgiving is often a catalyst for grateful reflections. And while there’s never a bad time to The post Gratitude at work: Can a positive mindset improve your productivity? appeared first on RescueTime Blog. View the full article