Setting Up Your Home Office

Fartleks are a well-known and popular running workout—or at least they’re something runners talk about all the time. But how many of us have gone out and said “I’m doing a fartlek today” and actually followed through with it? The original idea is that the workout is unstructured (the name means “speed play”) so it’s hard to plan one. Here’s what you need to know about fartleks, and some guidelines to setting yourself up for a fun and productive one. What counts as a fartlek run? “Fartlek” comes from a Swedish term meaning “speed play,” and it’s usually described as something you just go out and do for funsies. You choose a landmark—say, a mailbox up ahead—and decide to ru…

I first tried the Norwegian 4x4 workout a year ago, and since then, it has become a staple of my fitness routine. I don't do it every week (some folks do), but it's a workout I keep returning to whenever I want a hard, cardio-boosting routine that only takes about 40 minutes. It's simple and effective. The Norwegian 4x4 is constantly being discussed on social media and especially in biohacking and longevity spaces. That's because the 4x4 has been well researched as a way to boost your VO2max. People who have a high VO2max—one measure of cardio fitness—tend to be healthier as they age, and may be able to expect a longer lifespan. With that in mind, some longevity influenc…

Your flexible spending account (FSA) funds expire soon, and if you don't use them, you lose them. In fact, roughly half of FSA holders in recent years have ended up forfeiting funds to their employers, according to the nonprofit Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). First, make sure to double-check with your employer about your FSA's Dec. 31 deadline, along with any potential rollover or grace period. After that, it's time to scan your medicine cabinet, make a list of anything you need to stock up on, and click "add to cart." The FSA store is an obvious choice for making the most of your remaining funds, but you can also turn to your go-to retail giants. Amazon, Ta…

OpenAI is trying really hard to make ChatGPT Search into a viable product. It's available for free, to all users, without limits. And now, just like with Google Search, it can be used without logging into an account. But even with all it AI features, Google Search still focuses on giving you links to pages directly, while ChatGPT Search instead uses online sources to give you an answer, backed up by links. You can click the links in your answer's sources to open a website (and you really should check ChatGPT's homework, as it tends to hallucinate quite a bit), but the question remains: is ChatGPT Search worth making your default search engine, and is that even possible? …

While it's generally useful to get notifications on your phone, there are times when it's too much, too fast, such as after you disable Airplane Mode or when your family text thread is blowing up while you're in the middle of a meeting. On Android, you can turn on silent mode or snooze or disable notifications entirely—or you can rely on the new Notification Cooldown feature, which temporarily lowers the literal and figurative volume on your alerts so you don't have to manage those modes yourself. We've known this feature was coming for a while, and it finally arrived on Android 15 with the March 2025 update. How Notification Cooldown worksNotification Cooldown manages…

Apple Intelligence brought with it some of the most hyped new features for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac when it released with iOS 18.1. Even now, its functions are being upgraded and currently include writing assistance, an enhanced form of Siri, and AI image generation. Capabilities are limited to the iPhone 15 Pro series, all iPhone 16 models, all iPads running an A17 Pro chip and above, and all Macs with an M-series chip, but that's still a lot of options. However, not everyone's happy with it. That's because Apple recently made the decision to turn Apple Intelligence on by default for all compatible devices. Even though the new features are exciting, not everyone wants …

The beloved read-it-later app Pocket is shutting down, and Mozilla is giving current users until Oct. 8 to download saved items from their lists, archives, favorites, notes, and highlights. As of today, Pocket is no longer available in app stores or as a browser add-on, and all sign-ups and renewals have been disabled. The app will shut down for good on July 8, and transition to export-only mode. Users will have until Oct. 8 to export their saves, after which all accounts and data will be deleted. How to export your saved items from PocketTo initiate an export from Pocket, go to https://getpocket.com/export. You'll first want to ensure your account is connected to a va…

Have you committed to a new habit—exercising, let’s say—but keep falling off the wagon? Do you give up when the going gets tough? Does this whole “pursuing goals” idea seem really daunting? You may have low self-efficacy. But don’t worry: Self-efficacy is something that you can build with practice. Here's how. What is self-efficacy?Self-efficacy, as psychologists understand it, is related to the idea of confidence, but it’s not just being cocky for no reason. It’s a feeling something like determination and related to discipline and motivation. When you have high self-efficacy, you believe that you can do the thing. Whatever that thing may be. Maybe you’re just getting sta…

Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source. The latest Apple Watches now boast a sleep score, which gives you a number on a scale of 1 to 100 for how well you slept. But that’s not all—you can even get this number without the Series 11 watch, as I discovered this morning while waiting for my new watch to be delivered. To get the new sleep score, just make sure you have iOS 26 and watch OS 26 installed. Where to find the sleep scoreYou can view the sleep score on your iPhone or on your Apple Watch. On the watch (Series 6 or later), go to the Sleep app…

Do you have a missing 401(k)? It’s more common than you might think. One U.S. Labor Department study suggests that people will have worked a dozen jobs by their mid-40s, with most of those barely lasting a few years. While you have a few options for handling an old 401(k), some strategies are better than others. The wisest path forward is typically to consolidate your old 401(k) into another qualified retirement plan. But what if you can't locate your old 401(k)? Did you forget which company was managing your retirement account? A new federal database should make it easier to track down. Use this new government databaseThis new tool been years in the making, as a part of …

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. iOS 26 is here, and with it, Apple’s “Liquid Glass” design revamp. Yesterday, I covered how to quickly undo most of the harshest changes that come with Liquid Glass, but a complaint users are making today requires an entirely separate fix. Luckily, there is an option that could help you, although it’s not for everyone. Dark Mode icons look a little tilted right nowAs users are posting over on Reddit, it turns out that Dark Mode app icons don’t play nicely with iOS 26’s new Liquid Glass aesthetic. How much…

If you've been experiencing random crashes on your Pixel 10 smartphone, you're not alone. Over the weekend, multiple Reddit users complained that their Pixel 10 phones, which only just hit the market in August, were already facing severe slowdowns and frequent crashes while trying to load apps. Worse yet, the problem seemed to persist across all apps and models of the phone, leaving users with little they could actually do on their new devices. "If an app does open and load it won't let me touch anything and it crashes," user cdriese said, with a number of others sharing a similar sentiment. The unfortunate news took me as a bit of a surprise, since I experienced no such…

The final (final) deadline for the Department of Homeland Security's REAL ID requirement is upon us, and unlike so many instances in the two decades since the new rules were passed, it doesn't appear that air travelers are getting another extension to obtain an identification that complies. The 2005 REAL ID Act aimed to standardize state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards by 2008, though the rollout was delayed until 2020, then 2023, then 2025. Starting May 7, anyone age 18 and over passing airport security or entering certain federal buildings with their license will need a REAL ID. Many states have issued REAL IDs in recent years upon license renewal or…

A workout habit has a way of building momentum: Once you’re doing something, anything, it’s easy to build on that. Video workouts are a simple way to get started, but if you're having trouble following along, I'm here to help. Below are some ways to make common exercises more accessible, and what to do if you can't get through a whole video yet. If you can’t squatLots of “easy” bodyweight programs ask you to perform a squatting motion without any added weight. But if that’s already more than you can do, try one of these instead: Sit in a chair, and stand back up. Lean your back against a wall and slide down until you’re in a sitting position (this is called a wall squat…

Live translation is probably the most genuinely useful thing to come out of the AI boom, but if you want to use it during a phone call, you usually need to use a specific device or a separate app. T-Mobile is looking to change that. The carrier announced today that it will soon introduce live translation to all phones connected to its 5G or 4G networks, and to get in on the action, you're going to want to sign up for the beta now. According to a press release sent to journalists today, the new feature will kick in for you automatically once you're selected for it, no matter what phone app or device you use. All you'll need to do to access it is type in "87" on the keypad …

If you own a car, you own a long list of necessary maintenance and potentially expensive repairs, especially if your goal is to keep an old car going for as long as possible. The average car maintenance and repair costs run around 10 cents a mile—or close to $1,500 a year if you drive an average of 15,000 miles. And surprise repairs can be a lot worse than that—like a new transmission (typically more than $5,000) or a new head gasket (around $2,000). If you know your way around a vehicle, you can save some money by doing your own repairs. But if you’re not the DIY type, there's still some hope: You might be able to get free (or very low-cost) maintenance and repair work d…

The government recently shut down the program that would mail four free COVID tests to anyone who requested them, but a lesser-known program for community groups is still running. If you have a plan to distribute tests for free, you can request them by the hundreds. Individual COVID tests are no longer available by mail for freeJust to bring everyone up to speed: The government program that sent free COVID tests through covidtests.gov is not currently taking orders. A message on that page states that “Tests ordered before 8:00 PM EDT, Sunday, March 9, 2025, will be shipped.” This is the program that would send a package of four tests, per household, per round of the prog…

I recently put together a list of the best small portable gaming handhelds for people who are tired of how big the Nintendo Switch 2 and handheld gaming PCs like the Steam Deck are. In an era of gaming devices that often feel like laptops with grips and buttons added to them, these retro gaming handhelds (as I call them) can be a great solution for people who miss the days of the PSP and Nintendo DS. But since they come from smaller companies, and run either Linux or Android, actually getting games on these devices is not quite so straightforward. After all, it's not like the people making these handhelds are publishing cartridges for them. While that's true, there are pl…

Spider, Minesweeper, and Hearts—these longtime staples of Windows (plus other familiar titles, from Solitaire to Freecell) have been missing in action since the launch of Windows 8 in 2012. Sure, you can find versions of these games in the Microsoft Store, but they're cluttered with ads and generally don't feel as good to play as the classic iterations so many of us remember. But there's a way to get the OG time-wasters back. It's not even particularly hard to do: An installer built by Winaero—a long running website that offers all kinds of system tweaking tools—makes it easy to get these classic games running on computers operating with Windows 8, 10, or 11. The games ar…

I'm a devout Pixel user. I love stock Android, and I'm always running the latest Android beta, making Pixel basically my only choice. But there are times when I get jealous looking at all the extra tools that Samsung provides on its Galaxy phones, Edge Panel being the big one. With Edge Panel, you can swipe in from the edge of your phone and a hidden drawer reveals itself, filled with apps, system actions, and shortcuts. Given how barebones Pixel Launcher is, I've always wanted something like this. Then I found the Panels app by Fossor Coding (not to be confused with the ill-fated wallpaper app by MKBHD). In some ways, Panels is even better than Edge Panels on Samsung. It…

Even if you're on top of your finances and never miss a payment, in the current economic climate, managing your bills can feel like swimming frantically and just keeping your head above water, with your paycheck evaporating before you even have a chance to appreciate it. If you’re on salary and get paid bi-weekly, however, there are two months out of the year in which you are paid three times instead of two—and May is one of those months. Because your budget is probably based on getting paid twice per month, that thirdpay day can feel like a bonus—and it actually can serve you very well, if you play it smart. Here’s how to make the most of this month's "extra" paycheck. …

Want to get yourself verified on Bluesky? The company just made a verification form available to the public, and you can use it to submit a request to get yourself a shiny blue check mark. This comes about a month after Bluesky first launched its verification program, which focused primarily on verification from third-parties and Bluesky itself. This latest change, however, allows you to apply for verification directly with Bluesky. The different types of Bluesky verificationUnlike X and Instagram, Bluesky doesn't charge you for verification. However, there are three different kinds of verification on the service and it can get a bit confusing. The first and easiest type …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Soon after Nvidia's new RTX 5080 and 5090 gaming GPUs went up for sale last week, they sold out pretty quickly—which shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who has tried to buy one of its graphics cards before. According to PC parts seller Newegg, the company’s stock sold out “within minutes,” and none of the big-name retailers I’ve checked today have cards available. While that might sound like a success on Nvidia’s part, consumers and reviewers alike are responding to the short supply with ire, accusing Nvidia of a “paper launch,” a term for when a company only releases enough units to say that a product released on schedule,…

Apple has been under fire for several years after it was discovered that Siri violated user privacy, and the company earlier this year agreed to a $95 million settlement to resolve a class action lawsuit, which includes compensation for affected users. Eligible individuals can now apply for their share of the total. The dispute centered on Siri-enabled devices, including iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, HomePod, iPod touch, and Apple TV, which may have activated and recorded and shared private conversations without user knowledge. If you qualify for the settlement class, you'll receive $20 for each device claimed—up to five devices per individual for a total of $100—thou…

January isn't over yet, and Amazon's already set to pay more than $3 billion to U.S. customers across various settlements. If you've bought anything from Amazon recently, keep an eye out: Bezos' baby could owe you some money. How to get Amazon's returns settlementIf you've had difficulty returning an Amazon package recently, you could have a paycheck coming your way soon. As reported by Reuters, the company has agreed to a $309 million cash settlement (in addition to "other benefits") with affected customers, alongside more than $600 million in individual refunds. According to lawyers for the plaintiffs, the settlement as a whole provides more than $1 billion in relief. T…