Setting Up Your Home Office

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon just marked down the Nothing Phone 3 to $678.99, its lowest price yet, according to price trackers. That’s about $120 off the usual $799 tag for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage base model. Nothing Phone 3 Cell Phone $678.99 at Amazon $799.00 Sa…

How you allocate and use your time every day is as important to productivity as the work you actually do, which is why it's important to pre-plan your schedule down to the minute. You have to be smart and strategic about when you work, what you work on, and how long you do it—otherwise, some of your time may be wasted. Illich’s Law, or the Law of Diminishing Returns, says that after working for a while, your productivity decreases—then becomes negative. What does Illich’s Law mean?We often think of being productive as getting a lot done, but productivity can—and should—also focus on the quality of that work, too. Some good work is, in most cases, better than a lot of sho…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Power tools make everything easier and your finishes more professional. You might think that connecting those power tools to an app on your phone via Bluetooth is an unnecessary upgrade—why in the world does your power drill need to be connected to your phone? The truth is that Bluetooth-connected, “smart” power tools offer a lot of real advantages, and you should definitely start thinking about upgrading your tools to include them. More controlThe biggest reason smart power tools are a good investment is the increased control they offer. If you’ve ever wasted time experimenting with the torque settings on a drill (and the…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Pennywise is back, baby, and pop culture's favorite freaky clown is going back in time to kill the kids of Derry, Maine, in 1962, with future seasons (should they materialize) visiting other time periods. If my hometown saw mass slaughterings of children every generation or so, I might be tempted to pick up stakes and head on out—but the Stephen King IP train must keep rolling, and so here we are. So far, the show isn't hitting the heights of previous It adaptations, but it's shown an admirable willingness to shock—the opening scene includes an impressively graphic and rather unconventional birthing sequence, and the show…

Losing something you spent time working on, or photos that you can't replace, is devastating. You might think this is a problem of the past because of cloud storage services like Apple's own iCloud, but that's not completely true. For one thing, users sometimes get locked out of their cloud accounts, which makes it impossible to retrieve their files. For another, not everything on your Mac is stored in iCloud. Things like settings, applications, and customizations aren't easy to recover should something happen to your Mac. It's also a lot faster to retrieve files from a local backup than a cloud one, which is important if you're backing up things like videos or photo libr…

Productivity is an essential skill for getting things done in your life and career, but it’s also important because it can gives you a sense of accomplishment and it enhances your sense of wellbeing. When you don’t get all your tasks done, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and disappointed in yourself, which doesn’t help you push through to finish those tasks, let alone feel like you’re thriving. You should be happy. You need to be productive. Reaching a state of zen can help you accomplish both—or so goes the theory behind the “Zen to Done” method, which aims to help you get more good and feel good about it. Unlike some other productivity approaches, this one has less to do …

Responding to posts on social media claiming that ChatGPT will no longer offer legal or health advice, OpenAI is clarifying that "model behavior remains unchanged" and there is "not a new change to our terms." The clarification follows a since-deleted viral post from betting platform Kalshi, which claimed "JUST IN: ChatGPT will no longer provide health or legal advice." Since then, concerned users have repeated the claim, while others have attempted to push back against it. The confusion likely stems from an Oct. 29 update to OpenAI's Usage policies, which appeared to add a stipulation that users cannot use OpenAI for "provision of tailored advice that requires a license,…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you don’t need luxury earbuds and are simply looking for wireless sound with solid performance, the JLab Go Air Pop Bluetooth Earbuds are a great option. Right now, they are on sale for $17.49 (originally $29.38), making them a great option for everyday buds that you can toss in a bag with your other daily essentials. At this price point, you might even want to grab a backup pair in case you misplace them. JLab Go Air Pop Bluetooth Earbuds …

While I updated my iPhone to iOS 26 as soon as I could, I haven't yet pulled the trigger with macOS Tahoe. I love my M1 iMac, but I worry that Apple's first version of this new update isn't quite optimized for the five-year-old chip, and have been waiting to see if a future version of Tahoe performs a bit better. As it happens, that next version is well on its way—and does seem improved, at that. Apple has been beta testing macOS Tahoe 26.1 alongside iOS 26.1 since September, and it dropped the release candidates for both of the updates on Tuesday. The "RC," as the name implies, is what Apple thinks is the finished version of any given software release. Barring any major…

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

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Contacts with cat pupils or neon colors can be fun, but are you sure you want to put a piece of plastic from a costume store into your eye? Experts, like those at the American Academy of Ophthalmology, warn against it. These non-prescription contacts are technically illegal in the U.S. (even though plenty of companies sell them anyway). The CDC warns that the risks include "eye sores and vision loss." Why costume contacts often aren't safeCheap Halloween contacts tend to be one-size-fits-all, but the AAO points out that contacts should never be one-size-fits-all. A contact that is too large or too small for your eye can c…

It's now more expensive than ever to stream shows like House of the Dragon and Hacks. On Tuesday, Oct. 21, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that all HBO Max subscription prices will increase, effective immediately. In fact, for some plans, it is now more expensive to subscribe to HBO Max than it is to subscribe to Netflix. Here's the deal: Prices are going up across all three of HBO Max's subscription tiers. That includes the following: HBO Max Basic With Ads: $10.99 per month (was $9.99 per month), or $109.99 per year (was $99.99 per year) HBO Max Standard: $18.49 per month (was $16.99 per month), or $184.99 per year (was $169.99 per year) HBO Max Premium: $22.99 per mo…

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. On Friday, Oct. 3, Discord announced that a third-party service provider it uses for customer service efforts suffered a breach. It warned a "limited number of users" who had communications with certain Discord teams were affected, though the "unauthorized party" did not gain access to any Discord networks directly. In that initial announcement, Discord said a number of user data types might have been stolen. That included their names, usernames, email addresses, billing information, last four digits of cre…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon Big Deal Days is coming October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over. Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. After years of debating whether I need an ebook device, I fina…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. 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. According to price trackers, one of Amazon’s most popular security cameras—and what we've described as a “worthwhile entry-level wireless camera”—just hit its lowest price yet. The refurbished Blink Outdoor 4 (2-pack) is now $62.99, down from $164.99, and significantly cheaper than buying new at $179.99. Like-New Blink Outdoor 4 …

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. I really don't recommend studying with other people. In my adult life, I've accumulated an Associates, Bachelors, and Masters, plus a bunch of certificates—in all those years of studying, I was frustrated with group work much more often than I was not. Sessions would devolve into chit-chat and venting sessions or someone would try to avoid pulling their weight by foisting work off on the rest of us. I became the person who would complete the entire project and let everyone put their name on it because I j…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. 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 10th-generation iPad is considered Apple’s entry-level budget tablet and was one of the best tablets on the market until the 11th-generation iPad was released. Right now, you can pick up the 256GB wifi version for the lowest price it has been since its release: $349.99, down from its listed $499 price. After looking at price-tracking tools, I can say this is the cheapest price the …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon Big Deal Days is on October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools. Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. I've tested my fair share of adjustable dumbbells, and whichever brand you choose, …

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…

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. The method of loci (or the loci technique) is a mnemonic memorization trick with a number of uses, from helping people with mild cognitive impairment learn and remember information, to getting someone ready to give a speech. But you can use it in almost any context, for anything you need to remember. Obviously, you're here because it's helpful when you're taking a test, but the ways you can apply it in that scenario are a little unique and you'll need to get the hang of something that seems silly at firs…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. 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. When the latest iPad Air with the M3 chip came out in March, Lifehacker Senior Tech Editor Jake Peterson warned you not to buy it, as its advantages didn't justify the premium price compared to an older model. But things have changed in the time since: The new iPad Air has dropped $300 in price, reaching its lowest levels since its release, according to price-tracking tools. You can no…

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. With October Prime Day on the horizon, now is a smart time to make an Amazon wishlist to keep track of all the things you plan to buy using your Prime account. You can also share your list with friends or family (hint, hint) in case they need gift ideas in the future. How to create and add to an Amazon wishlistTo create an Amazon wishlist in your browser, hover over Accounts & Lists in the upper-right corner of the navigation bar and select Create a list from the left column. (You can also access thi…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. 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. Amazon announced a new lineup of upgraded Kindle Scribe digital notebooks today, but I'm sure it's only a coincidence that it's also a great time to grab last year's model at a discount. Right now, the 2024 Amazon Kindle Scribe with 16 GB of storage is $300. That's 25% off, marking its lowest price ever, according to price trackers. With your purchase you also get three free months …

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. Amazon's October Prime Day is nearly here. Between Oct. 7 and 8, you’ll find promotions on products from companies both big and small, all vying for your clicks and the contents of your bank account. Many of these offers will claim to be great deals, with the implication that not buying the item during Prime Day will mean you miss out on massive savings. But not all Prime Day deals are really all that great—just because a product is discounted on Prime Day doesn't mean it hasn't been cheaper before, and won…

I love being able to go to the pharmacy for my own (or my kids’) flu shots. Pop in, get the shot, then go about my day. That process has now gotten even easier: Last year, the FDA approved the first flu vaccine that you can administer yourself, or that parents can administer to their children, and it's now available for at-home ordering. I just placed my order. And best of all: It’s a nasal spray, so no needles. How can you get the at-home flu vaccine? The nasal spray vaccine, called FluMist, still needs to be prescribed by a medical provider. But since nearly everyone aged two through 49 is eligible, FluMist’s maker (AstraZeneca) has a telehealth website that bundles the…