Setting Up Your Home Office

Moving is famously one of the most stressful things you can do. Not only is it a ton of work and a major financial expense, but you're dealing with the weight of leaving behind one home and starting fresh in another. It's a burden on your calendar, your wallet, and your emotions. Whether you are relocating for a new job, moving in with a partner (or moving away from one after a breakup), or just need a change of scenery, you should take the opportunity to appreciate (if not relish) the momentous event—and not be filled with dread, stress, and regret throughout the process. If you're looking to pull off the smoothest, least painful move ever, follow these five essential s…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. I recommend a lot of organizational tools around here, from high-quality shelves to renter-friendly options. While having a bunch of designated storage space is crucial for maintaining the decluttering and organizational principles that keep a home in order, some of the products on the market are a little spendy. Sometimes, sure, you need to drop some significant cash on something that will really help you whip a space into shape, but most of the time, there are inexpensive options that get the job done just as well. Here are some of my favorite organizing staples, all of which cost me less than or around $25. Storage car…

Walking is great exercise, but can be slow and a little boring, unless you're truly captivated by the wonders of the natural world—though that won't get you very far if your scenery is the walls around a treadmill, rather than a walking path. Whether you're walking outdoors or indoors, you can benefit from using guided walks to spice up your ambling. I love the walking video offered by Peloton, but I to access them, I pay $50 a month (though I get so much else as part of my subscription). But if you want a free option, there are some great ones on YouTube. They're similar to the free guided runs on the platform, but here, you just walk. (In general, if you want to find g…

Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding Lifehacker as a preferred source for tech news. In the years since the launch of ChatGPT, AI tools have developed a bad reputation in the academic world for how easy they make it for students to cheat, passing off the work of a large language model as their own. Even if an LLM can produce writing for you that doesn't come off as unnatural and riddled with hallucinations, you'll be shortchanging yourself, because you won't actually absorb any of the material. But that's not to say these tools serve no purpose in the academic world. If used correctly, t…

When you have a project to work on but just can't get started or make significant progress, it's easy to beat yourself up about it—which also doesn't do much to put you in a go-getter mindset. When you're feeling stuck, you can certainly choose a productivity method that might work better for you, but before you do that, it's a good idea to orient yourself by asking yourself a handful of questions about what you are hoping to accomplish. Here are five questions to ask yourself the next time you're stuck and feeling unproductive, so you can get moving again. "When was the last time I was as productive as I wanted to be?"We all go through periods where we're less or more p…

As a tech journalist, I've got Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS devices at home—not because I'm especially wealthy, but because I need to write about all of these platforms, all of the time—and it's my trusty Chromebook that I find myself turning to more often than not. The usual argument against Chromebooks is that they're just a Chrome browser: Windows and macOS give you the same Chrome browser, and much more besides. However, sometimes less is more, as I'll get to below. Sadly, it seems Google is less keen on Chromebooks than I am. The last Google-made Pixelbook launched in 2019, and it's been left to the likes of Asus, Acer, HP, Samsung, and others to keep new Chromebook…

Like homeowners insurance, auto insurance is getting significantly more expensive: Data show that policy costs rose 11% last year, likely due to factors like climate change, rising accident rates, and higher repair costs. Under certain circumstances, you may be able to offset or at least keep your car insurance premium stable, if not reduce it. If you go through any of the following life changes, it may be time to call your insurance company about lowering your policy premium. You've movedA move is a major life transition—and one that could impact your auto insurance policy for the better in a few ways. First, insurers factor where you park your car into your rate, so …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Quality power tools are an investment, and if you take proper care of them, they’ll last a long time. It’s not unheard of for someone to have a decades-old drill or a circular saw that was manufactured in a previous century. Even older cordless power tools can maintain their usefulness for a surprisingly long time if you take good care of them and observe proper battery maintenance. But power tools have seen a lot of advancement in recent years. While your old warhorses might still perform their core function well enough, if your drills, saws, and other power tools are five years old or older, it’s time to consider upgradi…

If you’ve noticed water dripping from or pooling under your fridge, there's no need to panic (right away). There are some basic troubleshooting steps you can take to diagnose the problem, and you might even be able to fix it yourself. If your fridge is leaking, here are five problems to check for before calling a professional–and how to fix them before your trickle becomes a flood. Damaged door sealYour refrigerators has a big, rubberized gasket that seals the outer edges of the door and maintains the proper moisture inside the fridge. If it's dirty, cracked, or damaged, it can allow air to flow between the interior and exterior of the fridge, causing water to condense in…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. When it comes to upgrading your home's aesthetic, you don't need to spend a lot of time or money to have an impact. In addition to inexpensive improvements that increase your home's comfort and efficiency, there are a number of small swaps that can have a big impact without busting your budget. All of these swaps are renter-friendly—they are unlikely to cause damage in the installation process and are easy to return to their original state. Simply save what you remove and replace when you leave. Get new switch plate and outlet coversRemove the cheap plastic light switch and outlet covers around your home and replace them…

With the April 15 deadline right around the corner, you want to ensure you're taking advantage of all the deductions you can. Andy Phillips, Vice President of H&R Block’s Tax Institute, says his tax experts are getting plenty of questions from filers looking to maximize every deduction available to them. I wrote about some wacky and unexpected tax deductions last week, but what about the most common ones that filers just don't fully understand? From gig worker perks to retirement contributions, here are the tax deductions every filer needs to know. Retirement contributions and traditional IRA deductions Phillips says that if you contribute to a tax-advantaged traditio…

Home renovation projects always start out in a rush of excitement—you’re finally going to solve all those annoying problems, update those dated aspects of the house, and live the life you deserve! And sometimes it actually works out that way—but there are a lot of ways a renovation can go wrong. That’s why nearly three-quarters of homeowners come to regret their renovations to some extent. Most of the reasons behind renovation regrets are pretty straightforward: Cost overruns, dissatisfaction with the final result, or shoddy work (either by contractors or DIY efforts) are the problems most people worry about when embarking on a renovation. But there are other, less obviou…

Only 50% of employed people in the U.S. describe themselves as “extremely satisfied” with their job, so it’s safe to say that everyone at some point in their lives has dreaded going to work on Monday and dreamed of the sort of career you see on television: Fun, exciting, and with a high enough salary to be comfortable. If you think that “fun” and “pays enough” are polar opposites, the good news is that’s not true. If you want to have a good time while earning a salary, there are some surprising options out there. These jobs may not make you rich, but they will pay your bills while you get to have a blast. LEGO master builderIf you thought your days of playing with LEGO en…

You don't need to do much digging online to find complaints about the iPhone keyboard: From typos and spelling mistakes to lag and missed keystrokes, there are multiple issues being reported by users, across multiple versions of iOS. While the root causes of these problems tend to vary, there are some broad fixes you can try that should go some way to giving you an iPhone keyboard experience you can rely on—besides waiting for the next bug-squashing iOS update from Apple. Reset the keyboard dictionary on your iPhone Resetting the keyboard on iOS. Credit:…

After the Nintendo Switch, the Steam Deck might be the most impressive gaming handheld of the last decade. It brings Steam games—most of which were initially designed to run on Windows PCs—to a remarkably designed portable device. The only problem? Battery life can be rough on some games. If you're struggling to stay charged, here are some tips to help you out. When it comes to your Steam Deck's battery life, you're going to notice a lot of variability, even from one game to another. AAA games that rely on high-end GPUs will typically guzzle power. On laptops or desktops, that's usually not as much of a concern, but on the Steam Deck—when those games run at all—they can b…

Letterboxd is the best thing to happen to film nerds since IMDb, which is almost surprising given how straightforward it is. Like the Film Twitter answer to Goodreads, it is a social network/online catalogue where you can rate or review movies, pick a few of your favorites to highlight on your profile, and follow your friends and favorite critics. Yet, Letterboxd is more than just "what if social media, but for movies?" Dig a little deeper and you'll find some useful tools for managing your cinema obsession. If you haven't used Letterboxd before, it's available for Android, iOS, or on the web. Anyone can access it to browse movies, read reviews, and see user ratings, but …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. We like to think that our home is also our fortress of privacy: Once you walk through your front door, you’re free from prying eyes (or lenses) and can relax. There are a ton of ways to ensure your privacy inside, starting with items like window films, shades, and curtains. And if you want to protect your outdoor space from neighbors peering over the fence, you have several easy options. Most of those options, however, assume your neighbors are on the same level as you. If the neighboring homes are located above yours, you’ll need to re-think your privacy plan. This is especially true if your neighbors have outdoor areas t…

There’s something magical about having a pool you can just dip into any time you want. That’s why it’s estimated there are nearly 11 million pools in the U.S., most of them residential. But pools are expensive. Aside from the price of installing one, it can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $6,000 annually to own and maintain a pool, which is why it’s often advisable not to add a pool to your home if you’re thinking of selling it someday. If your house already has a pool, or you want those summertime pool parties more than you want your money, you can at least cut down on those pool maintenance costs with a few simple steps. Use a pool coverOne of the easiest ways to lower you…

Getting a little bit of extra juice into your phone before you leave your house in the morning could make the difference between the device still having power at the end of the day or not. But there are multiple factors that affect charging rate, and you might not be aware of all of them. Run through the tips here, however, and you can be sure your phone is always charging up as quickly as possible. Use a wired power source To begin with, you're going to get your phone charged a lot faster if you plug it directly into a power source rather than putting it on a wireless charger. Wireless charging offers a lot of convenience, and is gradually getting faster and faster as f…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Whether you're worried about hurricanes, fires, or winter storms, a little bit of preparation can go a long way to making your home more resilient to extreme weather. Taking the time to plan ahead will make it safer and more comfortable to hunker down if an emergency occurs. Here are some home updates you can do yourself to keep yourself and your home safe. Check drainage and gradingWhen there is a deluge of rainwater or water from melting ice or snow, it can test the strength of the water barriers on your foundation and siding. One way to give your home a fighting chance in a wet environment is to ensure that you have pr…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. We might not live in a Jetsons-like future with robot maids and flying cars, but we do have the technology to transform our standard houses into futuristic smart homes. There are some very compelling reasons to do that, including having more control over your environment, increased automation for repeated tasks, and even improved security. But smart homes—and the devices that comprise them—have one enormous downside: privacy. Smart home devices work by allowing access over a network, and as a result, every single smart device in your home, from the lock on your door to the light bulbs in your fixtures, is a potential weak …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. If you've got the funds and the need for more than one computer on your desk, then you may well want to use the same mouse and keyboard for both of them. It's more convenient if you're switching between systems, and it means you can find a keyboard and mouse combination you love and stick to it throughout. This is particularly helpful if you're working on a laptop and a desktop in tandem. Even the best laptops tend to have cramped keyboards, just through the limitations of the form factor, and a mouse is often preferable to a trackpad for several tasks (such as detailed image or video editing). Sharing your mouse and keybo…

Lifting is about as simple as an exercise gets: You pick the thing up, and you put the thing down. But that doesn’t mean you’re going to walk into the gym and just pick the thing up. A proper warmup can help you to be ready for your lifting, so let’s talk about how to build your best lifting warmup routine. Why a warmup is important (and when it may not be)First, let’s talk about why we warm up. People often talk about warmups as if they will magically prevent injury, or that skipping one will result in some other disaster. That’s not necessarily true. They also won’t really do much for your chances of suffering from soreness (or not) after the workout, either. If you fe…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. When selling a home, it’s natural for folks to want to get as much money as possible for their property. That’s why people often put money into repairs and upgrades right before listing their house, and why people hire stagers to make the place look its best. But not all home-selling tactics are above board: Some unscrupulous home sellers resort to dirty tricks to convince you to overpay for their homes. Here are some of the tricks you should watch for on your next open-house tour. Home sellers might try to hide the true age of an applianceA key consideration when buying a home is the condition and age of everything in it,…

If you don't yet have a REAL ID, you can continue to fly, but it's going to cost you. Beginning Feb. 1, 2026, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will start collecting a $45 fee from travelers using non-compliant forms of identification at airport security checkpoints. The agency previously proposed a fee of $18 to cover the administrative and IT costs of ID verification for those traveling without a REAL ID or passport but increased the total to $45 in an announcement released earlier this month. REAL ID requirementsThe 2005 REAL ID Act mandated the standardization of state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards. After multiple delays since 2008…