Setting Up Your Home Office

After writing about productivity and organization for the past few years, I understand better than most that the vast majority of the advice you'll get about working more efficiently asks you to carefully schedule your day, plan out the exact type and number of tasks you're going to do, and be diligent to the point of near-militancy—literally. I also know better than anyone else what works for me, personally—and it usually looks like nothing so meticulous. Assiduous preplanning and scheduling can be beneficial for a lot of people, but there is no universally effective productivity technique. If the intricate routes aren't working for you or you simply find yourself overw…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Based on the (really rather excellent) comic book series from Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, Prime Video's satirical superhero romp The Boys picks up the genre deconstructionist torch passed by Alan Moore's Watchmen. The tone is less philosophical but even more cynical, suggesting that power doesn't just corrupt—it makes people absolute dicks. It's set in a world where people with superpowers work for a powerful multinational corporation, with plenty of money and a powerful PR machine behind them to clean up their messes and excesses, and keep them in the public's good graces. When the girlfriend of Hughie Campbell (Ja…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. A lot of Bluetooth speakers try to impress you with apps, voice assistants, or complicated sound modes, but the Bose SoundLink Home takes the opposite approach. It is a simple, handsome speaker that focuses almost entirely on how it looks and sounds. At $179, down from $219—its lowest price yet according to price tracking tools—it becomes easier to appreciate that restraint. Bose SoundLink Home Speaker …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. We’ve reached the end of television. Since the invention of the technology in the 1920s, TV screens have gradually grown larger, pictures clearer, and sets cheaper, until now: For all intents and purposes, we’re at the end of the road. This "nothing special" 65-inch Samsung unit, is, for most people, as good as a TV ever needs to be. It displays an image more highly detailed than most viewers can perceive from a couch-length viewing distance, its screen is as big as the average American living room can handle, and it costs less than $500. For 100 years, manufacturers and consumers have been chasing screen size and image cl…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Soundcore Boom 2 is built for people who don’t want to baby their speakers. With an IPX7 rating and a floatable design, it’s something you can toss in the pool, hose off after a beach trip, or take out on a boat without much worry. And right now, the black model is $89.99, down from $139.99, its lowest price ever according to price trackers. Soundcore Boom 2 by Anker …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The holidays are hectic enough without adding “deep clean floors” to your already packed to-do and errands list, which is why buying a robot mop and vacuum is more appealing than ever. Right now, the Roborock Q7 M5+ Robot Vacuum/Mop is $219.99 (originally $359.99) on Amazon—a 39% discount that marks its lowest price to date, according to price-tracking tools. roborock Q7 M5+ Robot Vacuum and Mop …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Nest Doorbell (Wired, 3rd Gen) is currently selling for $132, down from $179.99, and price trackers confirm this is the lowest it has ever dropped. Google Nest Doorbell (Wired, 3rd Gen) $132.00 at Amazon $179.99 Save $47.99 …

While CES doesn't technically kick off until Tuesday, the conference gets a bit of a soft launch with CES Unveiled. This event hosts a ton of companies, all proudly showing off their latest products and concepts in one giant room. While there's plenty to write home about, five products in particular this year caught my eye: Tombot Credit: Lifehacker Tombot's robotic puppy, "Jennie," isn't supposed to be a pet-replacement. Instead, Jennie is specifically designed to help people with Alzheimer's. The bot is a healthcare device, a…

At CES 2026, I was able to play the Nintendo Switch 2 in AR. That's something I hadn't done before, and that's because until now, only one company had an AR dock that worked with Nintendo's latest console, which doesn't like to play nice with AR glasses plugged directly into it. Viture's solution is fine, if a bit bulky, but Lifehacker has long praised the AR glasses from competitor XREAL, and finally, you can use XREAL glasses with the Nintendo Switch 2. Previously, XREAL did have an accessory that allowed for gameplay on the original Nintendo Switch, but it's since been discontinued, and even if you buy it secondhand, it won't work with the Switch 2. Now, the XREAL NEO …

Your phone is a one-stop shop for a lot of your personal information, from day-to-day activities logged in your calendar and email to financial data accessed via banking apps. If you let someone else use your device—whether you're showing a friend a collection of photos or allowing a stranger to make an emergency call—there's a lot you don't want them to be able to see. If you're an iPhone user, there are several features you can enable to prevent others from snooping around your device. Use Guided AccessIf you don't want someone using your device to see anything else on it, you can turn on Guided Access, which limits them to a single app (such as Phone or Photos). This…

There's something deeply satisfying about tracking your running progress in a spreadsheet you built yourself. No algorithm showing off other people's workouts, no concerns about what happens to your data if the company pivots or shuts down. Just you, your numbers, and a system designed exactly the way you want it. And when I wrote about this earlier this year, I received some truly heartwarming messages from runners who'd been thinking the same thing. So many of us runners are tired of relying on apps, and we're instead drawn to a simple, customizable spreadsheet. Why build your own spreadsheet?Sure, there's no shortage of fitness tracking apps out there. Strava, Garmin C…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Last year, one of my New Year's resolutions was to overhaul my apartment and turn it into a cleaner, more comfortable, more organized, and more efficient space. Knowing that a messy space can negatively impact your productivity and overall mental health, I reasoned that this would actually serve the purpose of making me a more efficient, peaceful person, so I took it seriously. One major issue was quickly apparent: My kitchen is tiny, which meant it was disorganized and more or less useless when it came to its primary function, which is to facilitate my cooking. It took some creativity (and money), but I figured out what t…

It's easy to take this for granted, but not everyone is able to immediately look at a shooting or strategy game and find the reticle or map. Gaming UIs can get complicated, and for less-seasoned gamers, they can be pretty intimidating, too. Lenovo's new concept "AI Frame" monitor, shown off at CES 2026, aims to make some games a bit more approachable, although experts might consider it cheating. Hardware-wise, this is a normal 21:9 ultrawide gaming monitor, but it's not actually meant to be used like that. Instead, you play your game in a left-justified 16:9 rectangle that takes up most of the screen, and in the remaining space, the AI will automatically zoom in on part o…

Plenty of people have been asking for a MacBook with a touchscreen display, and now that is possible with the Intricuit Magic Screen, according to an announcement at CES 2026. It's a snap-on accessory that attaches to your MacBook's display, and uses one of the USB-C ports on the laptop for power. Once connected, you can touch the Magic Screen and your input will be registered on the Mac. The good news is that this product ships with a stylus, which will make it a lot easier to interact with different Mac apps. When you tap something on your iPhone or iPad, the UI takes into account the fact that your fingers are a lot thicker than a mouse pointer. On the Mac, the default…

I write a lot about productivity, which means I also read a lot about it. Over the last few months, I've noticed an uptick in people discussing something called "cognitive overload," citing it as a potential reason for a decline in output. The phrase stuck out to me as one of those buzzy terms that has the potential to be overused until it's meaningless—but at its core, it certainly has a real, clear definition that can be helpful tool in maximizing productivity. Basically, cognitive overload is what happens when you're inundated with more information than your brain can process, so your brain just gives up altogether, making hard to focus on anything at all. Here's what…

Robot vacuums are a convenient way to keep your house clean without actually putting in much work, but they've all got one major problem—what if your house has multiple stories? At CES this year, I saw two attempts to fix this problem, but one of them was much more fabulous than the other. Roborock has a robot vacuum with legsThis is the more unique of your stair climbing robot vacuums, and the one that's new for this year. At CES 2026, robot vacuum company Roborock introduced the Roborock Saros Rover, which has two fold-out and individually articulated legs built into it, with wheels on either one. This …

What if a team of super magicians used their talent and training to stage elaborate heists? That’s the high concept that drives the Now You See Me franchise. Critics were lukewarm when Now You See Me was released in 2013, categorizing the film as a heist flick with thin characters and a plot that fell apart as often as it twisted, but Now You See Me pulled off its own escape act—audiences loved the movie's flashy style, whipsaw pace, and all-star cast featuring names like Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, and Morgan Freeman. The result was box office magic: a movie with a $75M budget that returned over $300M worldwide. Now You See Me has since grown into an …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. As is usually the case during CES, older models get big discounts, making it one of the best times to shop for premium tech. If you've been looking for a massive OLED TV with a massive discount, it doesn't get much better than the 77-inch Sony Bravia A95L OLED TV, currently going for $3,498 (originally $4,999.99). This is the lowest price this premium TV has ever reached, according to price-tracking tools. 77-inch Sony Bravia A95L OLED TV …

If you received an unsolicited password reset email from Instagram in recent days, you don't need to panic. These messages don't appear to be the result of a new data breach or account compromise, but rather a bug that Meta claims it has now fixed. Following a wave of suspicious account recovery requests, antivirus software provider Malwarebytes posted a warning on Jan. 9 that threat actors had stolen personal information from 17.5 million Instagram accounts. As BleepingComputer reports, there have been various claims that hackers have obtained Instagram account data from multiple API scraping incidents in the last several years but notes that there haven't been any conf…

Apple's latest crop of updates was met with a bit of a mixed reaction. While some users love the new Liquid Glass design across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, others decidedly do not—which is likely what led Apple to introduce a dedicated setting to control the intensity of the effect. I'm partial to it, but I understand for some users, it's a tad too much, especially if it makes certain UI elements more difficult to see. But Liquid Glass isn't the only thing Apple users have complained about, especially with regards to macOS Tahoe. Mac users reported various problems with performance and stability across macOS 26.0 and macOS 26.1, and have criticized design choices like overly …

Despite all of the technological advances that have made our lives so comfortable and convenient, from on-demand movies to smart devices that can be controlled from a handheld computer in our pockets, there are still some primitive situations we have to endure. For example, that seemingly endless time spent shivering in the shower while you wait for the water to heat up. Or that painful moment when you go to wash your hands and water that feels like it’s being pumped directly from the Arctic splashes you. Waiting for the water to heat up is an age-old problem caused by simple laws of physics: Your water heater is far away from the tap or shower head, and it takes time to …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Gaming monitors with 4K ultra HD and high refresh rates have historically been quite expensive, but the Asus ROG Strix XG27UCS challenged that notion, bringing competitive specs at a more budget-friendly price. Right now, the Asus ROG Strix XG27UCS is $339 (originally launched at $499) after a 23% discount. Asus ROG Strix XG27UCS Gaming Monitor UHD (3840 x 2160), 160Hz, 1ms, Fast IPS,130% sRGB,Extreme Low Motion Blur Sync, G-Sync Compatible..…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Sony might be better known for its headphones, but it also makes decent speakers. Its latest flagship portable speaker is the ULT Field 5, which launched along with the ULT Field t and ULT Tower 9 last spring, all made to be portable and rugged. This speaker falls between the ULT Field 3 and the ULT Field 7, giving a good middle ground of portability and power. Right now, you can get the biggest one of the lineup for $219 (originally $329.99), the lowest price it has been, according to price-tracking tools. …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Oura announced last week that its long-awaited charging case is finally shipping. I got one to try out, and can confirm that it works well and is arguably better designed than those of its competitors. That said, is it really worth $99? The charging case works with the Oura Ring 4, not the older models like the gen 3. I’ve previously reviewed the Oura Ring 4, and it’s probably the best smart ring out there right now. You pay a premium for it, though—not only are Oura’s prices higher than many of its competitors ($349 to $499), Oura also requires a $5.99/month subscription to access nearly all of its features. The standar…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. A rugged mini speaker is an essential you’ll get use out of all year, from house parties to camping trips. In the warmer months, you can take it to the beach or BBQs, and in the winter, it’s durable enough to handle snowy adventures and warm up with your favorite playlist during a hot shower. The Bose SoundLink Micro 2nd Gen Bluetooth Speaker is a tiny yet powerful option that fits the bill for all of the above, and right now it’s 23% off at its lowest price ever: $99 (originally $129). Bose So…