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Find out what document management software costs and what affects the price, so you can budget, avoid surprise fees, and make smart buying decisions for your team. The post How Much Does Document Management System Pricing Cost? appeared first on The Digital Project Manager. View the full article

Your job title doesn't define you. Your 'and' does. Gear Up for Growth With Jean Caragher For CPA Trendlines Go PRO for members-only access to more Jean Marie Caragher. View the full article

Your job title doesn't define you. Your 'and' does. Gear Up for Growth With Jean Caragher For CPA Trendlines Go PRO for members-only access to more Jean Marie Caragher. View the full article

Table of contents What are backlinks? What are AI citations? Why AI citations matter for visibility? How are AI citations and backlinks different? How to earn both? Create deep, original, and useful content Write for real questions, not just keywords Leverage structured data Build relationships for natural backlinks Focus on clarity and quotability Monitor, analyze, and adapt Exploring Yoast’s AI features Backlinks or citations: What truly matters for visibility? For years, backlinks have been the gold standard for building authority, driving link juice, and climbing up the SERPs. But with the rise of Generative AI, the search landscape is shifting. Instead of chasing endless links, visibility now also depends on something more intelligent: AI citations. This evolution means your brand can show up in front of wider audiences, even without a massive backlink profile. The question is, when it comes to AI citations versus backlinks, how do they differ, and does one outweigh the other? In this blog, we’ll break down both, explore their role in building authority, and uncover whether AI citations are the future of digital visibility or just another layer to your SEO strategy. What are backlinks? Backlinks are simply links from one website to another. Think of them as digital recommendations: when a reputable site links to your content, it signals to search engines that your page is trustworthy and valuable. For example, below is a screenshot from a Zapier blog post that links to the Yoast SEO plugin landing page in the blog. Backlinks aren’t new; they’ve been around for more than two decades. In fact, links were introduced back in 1998 as part of Google’s original PageRank algorithm, making them one of the oldest forms of online citations. Since then, they’ve remained a core ranking factor, shaping how websites compete for visibility. Today, backlinks are still considered one of the strongest signals for building authority. Many brands invest in link-building strategies to secure high-quality backlinks, from being cited in well-written pieces to building relationships that earn natural mentions. Why backlinks matter? Backlinks are not just about search rankings, but they influence almost every aspect of your website’s visibility and growth. Here’s why they remain essential: Improve rankings by acting as one of Google’s most important signals, especially when they come from authoritative domains Drive referral traffic that is often highly targeted and more likely to engage with your content Boost authority and credibility by showing search engines that trusted sites vouch for your content Help with faster indexing by guiding search engine crawlers to discover and prioritize your pages Provide semantic understanding by giving Google context through anchor text and linking page content What types of backlinks work best? Not all backlinks are equal, and the ones that matter most usually have these traits: They come from trusted and authoritative websites They include your target keyword or a variation of the target keywords in your anchor text They are topically relevant to your niche They are ‘dofollow’ links that pass link equity Backlinks remain important for SEO, but as search evolves, they’re no longer the only way to build authority. This is where AI citations enter the picture. Read more: Link building from a holistic SEO perspective What are AI citations? AI citations are references, attributions, or direct links to your content, brand, or product that appear within AI-generated answers. Unlike traditional backlinks that live inside web content, AI citations are shown within AI search results or summaries. They often appear as clickable source cards, numbered footnotes, or links listed below an AI overview. For example, when Google AI Overviews quotes websites in the AI search box, it cites the original sources that provided the information. Some other examples of AI citations are: ChatGPT cites your brand or content as part of its generated answer Bing Copilot highlights your product as a recommended solution to a user’s query, even if it doesn’t include a direct link Perplexity.ai lists your research as a supporting source beneath its summarized response Why AI citations matter for visibility? AI citations are becoming critical for brand exposure because they align with how people now consume information online: Search is becoming prompt-driven, which means users type questions or prompts instead of keywords. If AI picks your content to cite, you’re instantly visible to that audience Discovery is moving from clicks to context. Users may not always visit your website, but being cited ensures your brand becomes part of the answer itself AI is becoming your audience’s first impression. In many cases, people see the AI summary before they see the actual search results. Appearing as a cited source makes your brand part of that first interaction Citations boost credibility and authority. When an AI tool references your content, it signals to users that your site is trustworthy enough to be part of the response Types of AI citations that influence brand visibility Not all AI citations look the same. Here are the key forms that shape how your brand is discovered: Name-drop mentions drive brand visibility When AI directly mentions your brand or product in its response, such as in a recommendation or ‘best of list, you gain instant visibility in front of users without them needing to click further. Source references build credibility signals These citations work like the ‘works cited’ section in AI outputs. Tools like Gemini, Perplexity, or Google AI Overviews may display your URL in the list of sources at the bottom of the response. Even if you’re not in the main summary, you benefit from the authority signal. Quoted passages establish expert authority When AI pulls exact wording from your content and attributes it to you, it elevates your position as an expert. This type of citation places you in prime digital real estate, signalling leadership in your niche. Synthesized mentions shape brand narrative Sometimes AI blends your insights into its summary without naming or linking back to you. While harder to measure, your content still influences the narrative and reinforces brand authority in indirect ways. AI citations are already reshaping how visibility works in search. Just as backlinks defined SEO two decades ago, citations in AI search are now shaping brand perception by influencing what users see, trust, and remember about your business. How are AI citations and backlinks different? So, now that we have an overview of AI citations and backlinks, let’s see how backlinks and LLM citations differ from each other -` AspectBacklinksAI/LLM CitationsWhat they areHyperlinks from one website to another, long used as a ranking factor in SEOMentions, attributions, or references included in AI-generated answers, sometimes with clickable linksVisibilityUsually embedded within web content and not always visible to the average readerFront-facing and displayed in AI overviews, chatbots, or search snapshots, making them highly visible to usersTrust impactBoosts site authority indirectly through improved rankings and referral signalsBuilds direct credibility by being presented as a trusted source in AI answers or summariesSelection factorsDetermined by domain authority, anchor text, and contextual relevanceGoogle AI Overviews, citing your blogExamplesA news site links to your product page in an articleLink building strategies, such as outreach, partnerships, and content marketing, to earn quality backlinksSEO focusLink building strategies, such as outreach, partnerships, and content marketing, to earn quality backlinksCreating structured, high-quality, and easily digestible content that AI systems can citeEffectImproves rankings and drives referral traffic over timeEnhances brand visibility, authority, and recall directly in AI-powered search experiences How to earn both? Earning backlinks and AI citations doesn’t have to be two separate strategies. With the right approach, the same efforts that build traditional authority also make your content LLM crawler-friendly. Here’s how to do it: Create deep, original, and useful content Go beyond rewriting what’s already ranking. Publish original research, case studies, interviews, or unique perspectives that others can’t find elsewhere. AI models pull from fresh, problem-solving content, and so do journalists and bloggers who link naturally. Write for real questions, not just keywords Search is shifting from keywords to prompts. Pay attention to what your audience is actually asking on forums, social media, and other platforms. Create conversational, direct answers to those questions. If your content aligns with user prompts, it’s far more likely to be both cited by AI and linked by humans. Leverage structured data Use schema markup (FAQ, HowTo, Article, Product) to help AI and search engines clearly understand your content. Proper attribution of authors and sources also increases your chance of being recognized as a credible reference. Structured, transparent content is ‘citation ready.’ Build relationships for natural backlinks Backlinks remain relationship-driven. Connect with journalists, bloggers, and industry peers through guest posts, expert roundups, or collaborations. AI often mirrors human trust signals, so if authoritative voices link to you, AI is more likely to cite you too. Focus on clarity and quotability Make your content easy to lift and reuse. Use short, memorable statements, stats, or definitions that can be quoted word-for-word. Structured layouts like subheadings, lists, and bullet points make content easier to reference by both humans and AI. Monitor, analyze, and adapt Don’t just publish; instead, track performance. Use SEO tools for backlinks and platforms to monitor AI citations and understand AI brand perception. If competitors are cited for prompts you should own, study their structure and improve on it. Adjusting based on data helps you stay ahead. The takeaway: With the right strategies, you don’t need separate plans for backlinks and AI citations. Clear, authoritative, and trustworthy content earns both and multiplies your visibility across search engines and AI-powered platforms. Exploring Yoast’s AI features Applying the right strategies for earning backlinks and AI citations is easier when you have the right tools. Yoast’s AI features combine SEO best practices with AI-powered enhancements to make your content clearer, more discoverable, and more effective. Here’s how they can support your workflow: Yoast AI Generate Quickly create multiple, tailored titles and meta descriptions for your pages or blog posts. This ensures your content attracts clicks and stands out in search results. You can select from different options, tweak them to fit your brand voice, and preview how they’ll appear in SERPs. Yoast AI Summarize Turn long-form content into scannable, bullet-point takeaways in seconds. This may also help reduce bounce rates by giving readers immediate clarity on what your page delivers. It also makes your content easier for AI systems and Google’s AI Overviews to interpret correctly. Yoast AI Optimize Get AI-powered suggestions to improve SEO signals such as keyphrase distribution, sentence length, and readability. You can review, apply, or dismiss recommendations with one click, ensuring that optimization never comes at the cost of your unique editorial voice. Together, these AI-powered features help you save time, improve clarity, and boost both human and AI-driven visibility, laying the foundation for stronger backlinks and more consistent AI citations. Backlinks or citations: What truly matters for visibility? Backlinks have been the backbone of SEO for more than two decades, helping websites climb rankings, build authority, and attract referral traffic. But the rise of AI citations is reshaping how visibility works. When AI systems like Google’s AI Overviews or ChatGPT cite your content, they place your brand directly in front of users at the moment of discovery. The truth is, it’s not a choice between backlinks and AI citations. Both matter, but in different ways. Backlinks remain critical for SEO growth and authority, while AI citations are quickly becoming the new gatekeepers of brand perception and visibility. The winning strategy is to create content that earns both. The post Everything you need to know about AI citations vs backlinks appeared first on Yoast. View the full article

In recent years, iOS has started to catch up to Android when it comes to customization, but Android is still well in the lead. That's partly because it supports alternative launchers, which replace of the default software interface to completely revamp the look of home screens, menus, icons, and dialogs. Using a launcher, you can take pixel-by-pixel control over the visuals of the Android OS. If that sounds like too much time and effort, you can take advantage of one of many preset templates instead. This article will tell you what you need to know about launchers, and suggest a few of the best that you can currently install. How Android launchers workWhen you go "home" on Android—with a swipe up on the gesture bar or a tap on the actual home button—that's when a third-party launcher springs into action. Rather than seeing the default look determined by the Google Pixel or the Samsung Galaxy software, you see whatever the launcher has put in place. Typically, these launchers give you more customization controls than Google, Samsung, and the other Android phone makers do. Depending on the launcher, you might be able to cram more shortcuts on to the home screen, or apply the same color scheme to all the home screen icons, or hide elements (like the Google search bar) from view. You can switch launchers with a couple of taps. Credit: Lifehacker Each launcher will come with a host of different configuration settings that determine how elements appear on screen—not just the home screen, lock screen, and the app shortcuts on them, but also notifications, quick settings panels, media players, and menus. They give you the opportunity to fully revamp the look of the software. Launchers can be managed on Pixel phones by heading to Settings then choosing Apps > Default apps > Home app. On Samsung devices, it's Settings then Apps > Choose default apps > Home app. You're able to switch between different launchers, or cancel all of your changes and go back to the normal look, in seconds. What you can do with Android launchersThe capabilities of these apps vary by launcher, but just about every kind of customization option is offered somewhere. If you want to give your Android software a light and airy touch, a dark and foreboding theme, or anything in between, you can. You're able to go all-in with your sports team's colors, or switch to a minimal monochrome look instead. Speaking of minimalism, many launchers give you the opportunity to declutter the look of your smartphone. Launchers can get access to notifications and on-screen messages as well as everything else, if you give them the necessary permissions, and that means alerts can be pushed to the background. You can control what actually appears on screen, as well as how everything looks. Launchers offer plenty of customization options. Credit: Lifehacker Some launchers go even further, letting you customize the gestures and swipes that are used to get around Android. You can change the way apps are launched and switched between, for example, as well as tweak how Android search works—giving you easier access to the apps and files you need the most. Nothing is affected in your actual apps by installing third-party launchers—these will still look and operate the same as they always have. What you might see are some differences in how home screen widgets for your apps are rendered, but as far as the apps themselves are concerned, nothing changes. The best Android launchers (now that Nova Launcher has been shut down)There are a lot of options for Android launchers on the Google Play store, and I've collected five of my favorites below. Sadly, one of the most beloved Android launchers, Nova Launcher, has recently been shut down. I'm waiting to see if the launcher might be opened sourced, but in the meantime, I've had to replace it on my list. Niagara Launcher Niagara Launcher brings with it a cleaner home screen. Credit: Lifehacker Niagara Launcher is one of those launchers that can totally transform the layout of the home screen, putting your apps, notifications, and media controls in an ordered, customized list on screen—so it can be as minimal or as busy as you want it to be. The launcher can hide apps, remind you to take breaks at certain times, put apps into folders, suggest apps based on your usage, and tweak all kinds of colors and layout options. More customizations are available with a Pro subscription ($14 per year). Smart Launcher Smart Launcher is packed with features and settings. Credit: Lifehacker Smart Launcher is another choice you'll often see atop best launcher lists, as it brings with it lots of intelligent features: auto app sorting based on usage, a useful one-handed mode, responsive widgets, a comprehensive search tool, and lots of customizations. Those customizations run the full gamut from adaptive icon shapes, to gestures you can use to get around Android, to hidden apps. As usual, there's a premium-level option you can subscribe to—from $2.50 a month—which adds on even more customization tweaks. Square Home Square Home builds up your home screen with tiles. Credit: Lifehacker Square Home is a great example of a launcher that can change the whole look of Android—in this case, into something that's more like the old Windows Phone look, with your apps and widgets sorted into rectangular tiles that fill up your home screens. While the layout may look fixed, there are many ways to tweak the look, from photo slideshows to notification badges. The quick start tutorial is a welcome way in, and while several features are available for free, you can unlock all of them for $2 per year. AIO Launcher AIO Launcher packs a lot of info into the home screen. Credit: Lifehacker AIO Launcher goes in the opposite direction to the minimal launchers out there, choosing instead to cram in as much information on the home screen as possible—though you still get full control over what's shown, including shortcuts, widgets, and real time information. The app developer promises everything you need on one screen, and they certainly deliver, with over 30 excellent widgets to pick from (weather, stocks, messages, tasks, and so on). Various extra features can be picked up at various prices as in-app purchases. Hyperion Launcher A simple interface and lots of customization options. Credit: Lifehacker Hyperion Launcher transforms the look and feel of your phone right away, bringing with it options for changing colors, iconography, fonts, the appearance and behavior of the app drawer, home screen widgets, and animations—and those are just some of the settings. It's a launcher suitable for those that want to invest some time in getting everything looking exactly how they want it, though the minimal interface that pops up by default works great too. A Pro subscription unlocks all features, a one-off cost of $1.99. Microsoft Launcher The ideal pick if you use a lot of Microsoft apps. Credit: Lifehacker Microsoft Launcher is another excellent launcher choice, if you don't mind the Microsoft of it all. You get rapid performance, lots of ways to tweak the look and feel, and of course tight integration with all of Microsoft's own apps (perfect if you're using Outlook a lot). As soon as you install the launcher you can choose the apps you use the most so they're front and center on the home screen, and there are handy features here like customizable gesture support, rotating wallpaper picks, and a personalized home screen dock. Kvaesitso A minimal look and helpful app and file shortcuts. Credit: Lifehacker Kvaesitso is slightly different to the other launchers in this list in that it's not available on the Google Play Store, so you need to sideload it via F-Droid (instructions here). It's worth that slight inconvenience though, offering tons of features and customizations for free. There's a strong focus on search, enabling you to quickly find anything, and a useful shortcuts system for jumping straight to Gmail labels, Dropbox folders, and much more. Some gorgeous widgets are included too, really improving the aesthetics of your device. 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. 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. If you’re on the hunt for a high-quality home theater projector with solid image quality, you can currently get an open-box XGIMI Horizon Pro 4K Projector on Woot for 55% off. With impressive visuals and sound (according to PCMag), this is one of the top projectors on the market. It’s a big step up from entry-level, pocket-sized projectors, making it a better choice for videophiles looking to replace a physical screen. Open-Box XGIMI Horizon Pro 4K Projector $769.99 at Woot $1,699.00 Save $929.01 Get Deal Get Deal $769.99 at Woot $1,699.00 Save $929.01 Weighing around 6.4 lbs, the XGIMI is powerful but lightweight. It delivers sharp 4k resolution with XPR pixel shifting, full HD 3D support, and 1500 ISO Lumens. According to PCMag, the colors are reasonably accurate and well-saturated, with strong contrast in brightly lit scenes. However, darker scenes and shadowed parts of a bright scene may lose some shadow detail. The projector lacks optical zoom (only digital, which can reduce brightness), so you’ll need to manually adjust the position to fit your screen. Otherwise, it’s a quick and easy setup with auto-adjust features like auto keystone (vertical and horizontal), intelligent obstacle avoidance, screen alignment, auto-focus, and more. Its LED light source is designed to last throughout the projector’s lifetime, and the integrated Android TV with Chromecast makes streaming easy on any Apple or Android device. However, you’ll have to use an external streaming device to access Netflix. There are several predefined picture modes to fine-tune colors; PCMag testers found that Office mode had the best balance of color accuracy, contrast, and shadow detail. Switching to Game mode (enabled by HDMI input) allows for lower input lag at 60Hz, making it ideal for casual gameplay. The built-in audio with two eight-watt Harman Kardon speakers also earns praise from testers and reviewers for sufficiently filling a large family room despite the projector’s small size. You can also connect an external audio system, if desired. If you’re a home entertainment buff who wants a compact projector with outstanding bright scenes and can live with a bit of lost shadow detail, this open-box XGIMI Horizon Pro 4K Projector is a great buy at 55% off its list price. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 2 Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $199.00 (List Price $249.00) Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge 256GB Unlocked AI Phone (Titanium JetBlack) — $699.99 (List Price $1,099.99) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $299.00 (List Price $349.00) Roku Streaming Stick Plus — $29.00 (List Price $39.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

SEO meets compassion: Join SEO for Paws on Sept. 25, 2025 to learn from industry leaders and raise funds for animal shelters in Ukraine. The post SEO For Paws Live Stream Conference: Free Tickets Out Now appeared first on Search Engine Journal. 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. 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. If you’ve been looking for a security camera that works where wifi doesn’t reach, the Eufy Security 4G LTE Cam S330 might be the one to consider. Currently, it’s selling for $161.49, down from its usual price of $249.99 on Amazon. Eufy Security 4G LTE Cam S330 $161.49 at Amazon $249.99 Save $88.50 Get Deal Get Deal $161.49 at Amazon $249.99 Save $88.50 Like the rest of Eufy’s Solocam line, it avoids the subscription fees that many competitors lock you into. Instead, you can save clips locally on the included microSD card, or if you’re using it on wifi, you can connect it to the Eufy HomeBase S380 for local storage. That makes the S330 a good fit if you want full functionality without committing to another monthly bill. Eufy ships the camera with an EIOT SIM and 100GB of data to test the 4G features. The S330 builds on the wireless S340 with the same dual-lens setup—a wide-angle macro lens paired with a close-up micro lens. The combination lets you cover a wide space while still zooming in on fine details. Eufy claims its 4K resolution can capture a license plate from 30 feet away, and in practice, the micro lens does deliver striking detail. That means you can catch more than just the shape of a car or a blurry face; you’ll have a clear, usable image. The solar panel keeps the 9,400mAh battery topped up and can be mounted directly on the camera or up to 10 feet away, giving you flexibility for placement. Even in cloudy weather, users have reported the panel keeping the camera running without interruption. The unit is weather-resistant enough for year-round outdoor use, and the swiveling base supports 360-degree viewing with AI tracking to follow people or vehicles across the frame. There are trade-offs, though. LTE mode offers true off-the-grid freedom, but live viewing is, reportedly, noticeably laggier than on wifi, and the included 100GB data allotment burns up fast. Switching the camera from LTE back to wifi can also take more effort than expected. Still, the flexibility is the real selling point: You can mount it at the edge of your property, along a long driveway, or anywhere a power outlet and router can’t reach. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 2 Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $199.00 (List Price $249.00) Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge 256GB Unlocked AI Phone (Titanium JetBlack) — $699.99 (List Price $1,099.99) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $299.00 (List Price $349.00) Roku Streaming Stick Plus — $29.00 (List Price $39.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

If your brand isn’t appearing in these AI responses, you’re becoming invisible to an increasingly important segment of your audience. LLM visibility is about making sure you’re mentioned and cited in large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and…Read more ›View the full article

It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. We’re supposed to do enneagrams at a company retreat I work at an organization with 100+ employees. We gather periodically for company-wide retreats. We have done this in the past with various professional learning opportunities. This time we were asked to fill out an enneagram survey that would be facilitated in conversation about “what truly drives you and how to apply that to your job.” I find it to be mumbo jumbo and about as scientific as astrology. I took the quiz and found myself increasingly uncomfortable with the questions and rigor of the survey. How can I share this with management? How can they create alternative options for those of us who do not want to participate in such a session? Am I totally off-base here in my discomfort with this in the work setting? You’re not off-base; it’s pseudoscience. Some people don’t really care about that; they figure it’s the equivalent of a Buzzfeed quiz and they have fun with it without putting a ton of weight on the results or they find it an interesting tool for self-reflection. But it’s legitimate to dislike it and to be annoyed if your workplace is spending time on it and putting real weight on the results. Moreover, materials about the enneagram can have a religious slant (sometimes a Christian one, while other branches of Christianity strongly object to it — either way, a problem at work). At a minimum, you should point out the religious angle and ask if people can opt out. 2. My employee’s posts on LinkedIn make me worried that he might be violating our company AI policy I have a question about my responsibility as a manager when one of my direct reports may or may not be violating our company AI policy. Like a number of other companies, we have an internal instance of Microsoft Copilot enabled that keeps data internal, and are permitted to use it (but no external tools). Recently, I saw a LinkedIn post from one of my direct reports (he added me as a connection when he started the job), talking about a number of generative AI tools he has been using. I know he has a lot of hobby code projects that are completely independent of his job (he posts about them on LinkedIn often), and of course he is allowed to use whatever tools he pleases for those. What gives me pause is that this post talks specifically about generative AI tools for data analysis, which is a core function of his job. It’s impossible to tell from the post whether he is talking about a personal project or his work, but it could be about either — it was a description of how he likes to use certain tools. If he’s using it for work, it’s a violation of our AI policy, and he does work with patient data (deidentified, so no PHI, but still concerning). I don’t want to overstep and grill him over his LinkedIn activity if it’s just for a personal project, but the possibility that he may be using it for work is concerning. As his manager, I feel like I have to do something, but what is the correct course of action? Do I start by asking him? Do I start by reaching out to our go-to person for the AI policy (who I do have a strong working relationship with) to ask for guidance? In case it makes a difference, he also drops the ball quite frequently on some bureaucratic things. For example, he failed to reset his password when it was expiring because he thought that the email telling him to do so (from an internal IT email address) was spam. I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t realize that we have an AI policy, even though it is available on our intranet and must have been communicated when he started the job. Just ask him! You didn’t go snooping and come across his mention of AI in a shady way; he connected to you on LinkedIn and posted it about there. You can just mention what you saw and ask about it: “I saw your post on LinkedIn talking about generative AI tools you’ve using. It’s pretty interesting! I did want to ask if you’re using any of them in your work here, and make sure you know the details of our policy on AI.” 3. Intern can’t shake hands with men We had a grad practicum student in our office this summer, and she is Muslim (and wears a hijab) and tries not to touch men. This is easy to manage in our office, but during partnership events she found herself shaking some men’s hands even though it made her uncomfortable. How I could have made these events smoother for her and our partners? Are there lines I could use while introducing her that indicate she prefers not to shake someone’s hand, or lines she could use herself? In the future, I would brief our partners quietly about it, but that’s not always possible. Our sector is very empathetic so no one will mind, but being junior and a minority led her to feel pretty awkward during these interactions regardless of whether she shook a man’s hand or politely declined to. A lot of people who don’t shake hands for religious or other reasons develop a physical signal that deters the handshake while still conveying warmth (which, after all, is the point of the handshake, so a warm substitute really helps). A lot of religious people with this restriction will put their right hand over their heart and bow their head a little. If someone seems confused by that, they can say, “I don’t shake, but it’s lovely to meet you” (or “to see you” if they’ve met before). If she’s going to do that, it will be easier if she does it with everyone, not just men. In a workplace setting, you really want to treat men and women the same, which means that if you have a restriction for one sex (whether it’s not shaking their hand or not being alone with them), it’s better to apply it to everyone. 4. What’s a professional way to say “it’s been one thing after another”? It’s been a challenging few months, and I’m significantly behind at work. Things are starting to get better and I’m catching back up, but I have no idea what to say to people (if anything) about the communication delays and other dropped balls. My supervisor is in the loop, so this is more about communicating with coworkers and stakeholders. In short, during a three- or four-month period, my tires were slashed three times (likely a hate crime but that’s not 100% clear), I bought a house for the first time (it ended up requiring some surprise repairs), I moved, and my pet died. Throughout these events, I seem to have consistently underestimated the level of physical and emotional exhaustion that would result, and the toll it would take overall. I took a lot of PTO, some planned and some not, and even while at work I was often distracted and not doing my best. According to my supervisor, “this is the ebb and flow of life” but even if that’s true it seems rude to say that to people who have been inconvenienced by my “ebbing.” Citing “personal issues” seems too vague and open to interpretation, but I might be overthinking it. Is there something quick and respectful I can say that doesn’t get into all the details but does somehow convey that I was Going Through Things But Now I’m Getting Back on Track? I feel “stuck” catching up on certain areas because I can’t figure out the first sentence for my extremely late email responses. “I’m so sorry for the delay on this — I’ve been out quite a bit dealing with a situation that should be under control now. Let me get you the answers you were waiting on.” (Adjust last sentence to fit whatever the context is.) Or: “I’m so sorry for the delay on this — I’ve needed to be out quite a bit so I’ve been in triage mode, and I apologize for not updating you.” That’s it, truly! These options cover a whole variety of possibilities, shares the part that’s relevant, and is the right lead-in to whatever comes next (whether that’s getting the person info they’d asked for, figuring out next steps for a project, or so forth). Related: how do I hold it together at work during a personal crisis? The post enneagrams at a company retreat, intern can’t shake hands with men, and more appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

Managing a project can feel like trying to assemble a 1000-piece puzzle, except those pieces are scattered across emails, shared drives, and the minds of your team members. And running a project without a project management template is like assembling that puzzle without the box. No clear picture of what you’re trying to do, and no guide rails for the hard road ahead. It’s no wonder 70% of projects fail globally. A project management template provides a proven framework that eliminates guesswork, reduces errors, and accelerates your project from kickoff to delivery. Whether you’re launching your next marketing campaign, helming a software development team, or managing a construction project, the right template can save you hours of planning time and drastically improve your chances of success. You’ll find over 20 free project management templates in this guide, for platforms like Excel, Google Sheets, and ClickUp. The best free project management templates Excel project management templates If you use Excel but don’t have a dedicated project management app, an Excel spreadsheet can be a great place to start for managing your projects. Here are some of the best project management templates for Excel. You can get a full list of project management templates for Excel here. Microsoft Excel project tracker template This user-friendly template allows managers to categorize and assign projects to employees. With an in-built calculator to flag over/under based on user input and conditional formatting. It’s a fully customizable Excel template aimed at streamlining project planning. Additionally, it offers creative customization options with a vast selection of images, graphics, and fonts, and includes features for animations, transitions, or videos. It also allows quick sharing and publishing anywhere. Get this template Unito’s automated progress report template This template for Excel allows project managers to centralize tasks and data from multiple tools, making Excel your one source of truth. When you pair it with a Unito integration, you’ll even be able to build a completely automated report with little manual work. Get this template Project tracking template With this template, you can manage any kind of project as thoroughly as if you used a dedicated project management app. While you’ll have to fill in and manage tasks manually, it’s a great place to start for your project. Get this template Project dashboard template A project dashboard allows project managers to see all relevant information for a project in a single place. With this template, you can effortlessly create a dashboard for any project, giving you an easy way to report on progress to stakeholders. Get this template Scrolling roadmap Few things beat a clear timeline. This template gives you a rolling roadmap that will keep stakhodlers aligned and expectations clear, while giving you a baseline for any future planning. Dedicated project management and roadmapping software can get expensive, so this is a great way to start doing this. Get this template Google Sheets project management templates If your organization uses Google Sheets, it can serve essentially the same role as Excel in other organizations. Spreadsheets aren’t always the best tool for managing projects, but for many teams, that’s the best tool they have. You can get a full list of project management templates for Google Sheets here. Smartsheet’s project management template As you probably already know, Google Sheets can be a powerful tool for project management. The spreadsheet pros at Smartsheet have created several different project management templates that can be used in Google Sheets. This project management template standardizes the management process with sections for Project Details, Deliverables, and Cost/Hours. It facilitates task specification, tracks deliverables’ progress, and details costs and work hours. With features for managing statuses and priorities, it can simultaneously oversee multiple projects and tasks, serving as a fully customizable tool for smooth project execution. Get this template Project tracking template (powered by Unito) This template gives project managers everything they need to track the status of their projects, including the number of open tasks they have, progress happening in multiple tools, and a breakdown of tasks per contributor. See how it works Gantt chart project management template A Gantt chart plots your work on a timeline, highlighting dependencies over time. Each row represents an individual task that needs to be done, while the columns allow you to track the task’s owner, start and due dates, duration, and more. There’s also a section specifically for tracking dependencies. Get this template Resource requirement project management template Resource management allows project managers to ensure they and their teams always have everything they need to complete their projects, whether that’s time with stakeholders, work hours from internal teams, input from consultants, or budget for various tasks. This template will allow you to track your budgets as well as your spend over time. Get this template Event marketing timeline template Event marketing can be a nightmare of deadlines, dependencies, and budgets. With this project management template, you can get a better handle on your marketing events from the comfort of your Google sheet. Get this template Project management app-specific templates Dedicated project management apps are the best tools for running projects of all kinds. Below, you’ll find templates for tools like Asana, Smartsheet, ClickUp, monday.com, and HubSpot. Cross-functional project plan template for Asana Asana users can find a wealth of project management templates on the company’s website. Their cross-functional project plan template brings together project plans, goals, and communications, along with status updates and portfolios for tracking progress. It supports multi-homing of tasks and offers an overarching project overview. This template simplifies project management, making tasks visualization, prioritization, and communication more efficient. Get this template monday.com’s single project template If you’re a monday.com user, you can take advantage of a number of project management templates directly on the platform. This Single Project Template is your comprehensive tool for immediate project management, covering everything from planning and progress tracking to execution and dependencies. It provides a unified platform to manage deadlines, stakeholders, budgets, and more, ensuring a tight grip on all elements so nothing falls by the wayside. Get this template Waterfall management template for ClickUp ClickUp’s waterfall management template provides an organized, pre-built framework for streamlined project management. It offers multiple workflow views for efficient task assignment and tracking, along with six custom task statuses. Additional features include time tracking, priority setting, email synchronization, and more, all accessible through ClickApps. It serves as a comprehensive, all-in-one solution for effective project planning and execution. Get this template Project management template for Trello Trello is one of the most popular project management apps on the market right now because the bar to entry is so low. This template gives you columns that help centralize important project resources, list questions ahead of your next sync-up, and track progress on important tasks. It’s the minimum you need to run a project, and for many projects, that’s all you’ll need. Get this template Project board template for Jira Jira is the go-to project management app for software development projects and technical teams. This template gives these teams a simple board to track these projects, which is more than enough to track their progress. Get this template Agile and scrum templates Agile teams deliver quality results consistently, usually with the assistance of at least one project manager. Likewise, Scrum is a methodology for producing deliverables in a smooth, repeating manner. Here are some project management templates that support these methods. Scrum user story map template A user story gives software developers and project managers a map for how a potential user will interact with their product or service. Building this from scratch can be painstaking, so this template is especially useful for these teams. You can get this template for: Excel PowerPoint Google Sheets Google Slides Agile project plan template Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. An agile project plan template will ensure everything you need for your project to succeed is set up before you start. It’ll also serve as a helpful reference document if, at any point during your project, there are questions around why you’re doing things a certain way or what you should work on next. You can get this template as a: Word Doc PDF Google Doc Agile sprint planning template In Agile methodologies, a sprint is a two-week period in which teams pack in work that was outlined in a previous meeting. With this sprint planning template, software development teams, team leads, and product managers can organize the work they plan to take on ahead of a sprint. You can get this template for: Excel Google Sheets Agile Scrum product roadmap template A product roadmap shows everything your team will work on for a specific product or service. This typically involves building new features, but can also cover improving existing elements, fixing tech debt, and more. This template lets you easily build your roadmap so you can better direct your team’s work. You can get this template for: Excel Microsoft Word PowerPoint Agile release burndown chart template A burndown chart shows the progress teams make as they work through a pre-defined amount of work. This can help project managers and leaders ensure teams stay on track or make changes if needed to get them back on schedule. In this template, you’ll get the chart itself, as well the tables you need to properly plan the work represented in that chart. You can get this template for: Excel Google Sheets Other project management templates ProjectManager’s Project Plan Template This free project plan template for Word allows you to scope your work, divide it into manageable components, and schedule and assign tasks for your project. As changes occur, it can also help manage workloads and tasks. Once arranged on Word, you can use ProjectManager’s free project plan template to create a dynamic project plan viewable in five formats: Gantt chart, task list, Koanban board, calendar, and spreadsheet. This tool supports real-time team collaboration, facilitates progress tracking, and provides instant status reports. ProjectManager also offers a variety of other free project management templates. Get this template HubSpot’s Project Plan Template Another great source for free project management templates is HubSpot. This template, downloadable as a Microsoft Word document, Google Doc, or PDF, assists in project planning. It includes sections to outline project overview, client’s needs, project objectives, and scope of activities. It also provides a section for approval and signatures, compatible with electronic signature tools like DocuSign. Get this template FAQ: Project management templates Why use project management templates? The main advantage of using a project management template is that it makes starting a project much faster. These templates also give project managers several other advantages: Proven structure: Templates leverage the learnings and expertise of other project management professionals across thousands of projects. Standardized projects: Using the same templates across multiple similar projects allows you to standardize the way you run your projects, making your results more consistent. Consistent improvement: When you use the same templates across multiple projects, you can make improvements to them over time to match the learnings from running these projects. Immediate productivity: Templates give you pre-built sections, formulas, and workflows, making you more productive more quickly. Reduced risk: Templates have built-in milestones and failsafes that prevent common project pitfalls. Scalable processes: A project management template gives you a strong foundation for scaling your project management processes. Can I customize project management templates? You can definitely customize a project management template. Many of these templates use spreadsheets in Google Sheets or Excel, allowing you to easily modify them. Even the templates for purpose-built project management apps like monday.com and ClickUp can be customized. How do I keep my template updated across multiple team members? To make sure everyone has the most up-to-date version of your templates, keep them in a centralized location. For Excel and Google Sheets templates, that means having one folder in OneDrive or Google Drive that everyone knows to reference. In dedicated project management tools, it means not having multiple versions of the same template in the same tool. Which template format is best for remote teams? Remote teams need templates that facilitate remote collaboration, so they should be built right into your project management tool of choice. Can project management templates integrate with other business tools? Most project management templates don’t integrate natively with the other tools your projects might rely on. You’ll usually need a dedicated integration platform, like Unito’s two-way sync, to get all the data you need for your projects in one place. Recent updates September 18th 2025: Rewrote introduction. Added an FAQ. Added 15 new templates. Divided templates into categories based on tools and capabilities. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. It turns out the “lifestyle logging” feature introduced with Garmin’s Venu 4 watch announcement isn’t limited to that watch—it seems to be available to all Garmin users, which means the app has made a huge stride in catching up with competitors like Whoop. What is lifestyle logging? This feature lets you track different habits, behaviors, or factors that might impact your health metrics. For example, you can log when you have caffeine or alcohol at night, and see how this affects your sleep. (Garmin tends to refer to these as “behaviors,” even though some of them are more like environmental factors or states of being—illness, for example—but I'll allow it.) Whoop, the screenless tracker with the expensive (but arguably worth it) subscription, has long had this kind of feature, and it will give you detailed breakdowns of how your habits have affected your recovery. The Apple Watch app Bevel provides similar functionality as well, while the Oura ring has “tags” in its app, although they are more for labeling than analysis. Garmin’s version uses your logged behaviors to generate reports that show how the factors you logged affect: Your sleep score Your overnight HRV Your overnight stress These seem to be the only outcomes, so you won’t see whether these behaviors affect, say, your running performance. And as with any feature of this type, the app can’t actually tell you if your behaviors are causing the positive or negative results you get. For example, Whoop told me that I sleep worse on nights I take melatonin, but that’s just a correlation: The melatonin probably isn’t making my sleep worse; it’s more likely that the connection is because I take melatonin on nights when I’m already up late or expect to have trouble sleeping. Which Garmin devices can use lifestyle logging? Logging your behaviors doesn’t require any specific device; I was able to activate it on an account that had no wearable devices paired at all. However, Garmin notes that to get meaningful reports, you’ll need a device that is capable of measuring HRV (which also contributes to your sleep score and overnight stress). Most of the popular Garmin wearables have HRV capabilities, including Venu, Vivoactive, and Forerunner watches, and the new Index sleep monitor. How to use Garmin’s lifestyle loggingThe feature is kind of hidden, so I wouldn’t blame you for not knowing that it’s there. Make sure your Garmin Connect app is up to date, and then tap the three-dot menu in the bottom right corner. Go to training and planning, then health stats, and then lifestyle logging. The first time you do this, you’ll get a few information screens explaining the feature and asking you to acknowledge that it’s not medical advice. You’ll then select the items you want to log. Garmin recommends choosing “only a few” items to log at a time, so you can learn more about those specific things rather than trying to wade through mountains of data. The app’s info screen wisely points out that if you log many different factors, “you may get conflicting data and have a difficult time determining what’s really impacting your health stats.” A non-exhaustive list of what you can log The lifestyle category includes alcohol, caffeine (morning or late), exercise (light, moderate, or vigorous), late meals, and intermittent fasting. The self-care category includes cold showers, journaling, and sunlight. The treatments category includes acupuncture and massage. The sleep-related category includes CPAP machine use, eye masks, reading in bed, and having a pet in your bedroom. The life status category includes allergy symptoms, caregiving, illness, and vacation. You can also create custom items to log. You can give them a quantity if you like, or just set them up as a yes/no answer. You can also indicate if the item is daytime or bedtime related. Finally, after choosing the behaviors you’d like to log, the app will ask if you’d like related morning and/or evening reminders. To see results from any of your behaviors, you’ll need to accumulate five yeses and five nos for each. (As with Whoop’s version of this feature, it’s not useful to track a behavior that you always do or never do—there’s just not enough data to work from.) You can view your results from the Training and Planning menu, as above, and you can also add a card to the “at a glance” section of your Garmin Connect app home screen. The card will show whether you’ve logged your behaviors for the day, and tapping on it will show what you’ve logged today and in the past. The Venu 4 watch also has a widget for lifestyle logging on the watch itself. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. 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 iPhone Air is a brand-new type of phone for Apple, shrinking down the iPhone’s internals into the thinnest form factor yet, at just 0.22 inches thick. Despite all that, Apple is promising up to 27 hours of video playback, which is just three hours fewer than it’s estimating for the iPhone 17. Honestly, I'm skeptical—and I’m not alone in that. Most of the phones I test don’t quite live up to their official battery life estimates, which are always done in ideal conditions and usually come with a number of caveats. It's possible the iPhone Air will have significant battery shortcoming compared to the other new iPhones, which I'll confirm when I've been able to test it. But despite not getting extended time with the phone, I have gotten to hold the iPhone Air, and I will admit that it feels downright magical in the hand, almost like a credit card that can make phone calls. I won’t blame you if you’re willing to sacrifice some battery life or camera potential to snag one for yourself, but if you do, here are the settings you’ll want to turn on to eke out some extra battery life. Low Power Mode Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt The most obvious way to extend battery life on your phone is to turn on Low Power Mode. On an iPhone, doing so is as simple as swiping down from your Home Screen’s top right corner and tapping the battery icon in the control center (or you can go to Settings > Battery > Power Mode and toggle on Low Power Mode from there). This will make the most battery life-extending changes for you, but will also come with the biggest hits to performance and usability. That means it’ll reduce your background activities, lower your refresh rate and brightness, and limit features like 5G and iCloud syncing. It’ll also cut some animations and start automatically locking your phone after 30 seconds of inactivity. Essentially, it’s probably not how you’ll want to use your phone most of the time, but it can help in a pinch. Adaptive Power modeAdaptive Power mode is kind of like a less aggressive Low Power Mode. You’ll find it in the same menu as Low Power Mode, under Settings > Battery > Power Mode, although you’ll need an iPhone 15 Pro or above and iOS 26 to access it. When enabled, this will use Apple Intelligence to adjust your phone’s performance on the fly, rather than immediately battening down all hatches like Low Power Mode. Based on your usage patterns, it’ll attempt to predict when you’ll need more battery life than usual, and will make tweaks like stopping background apps from refreshing, lowering screen brightness by 3%, or just generally making “performance adjustments.” How it works is all very new and behind the Apple curtain for now, but the idea is that while you’re only meant to turn Low Power Mode on when you absolutely need it, you can set Adaptive Power mode and forget it. And it’s not one-or-the-other, either. You can still use Low Power Mode in addition to Adaptive Power Mode. In fact, if your phone is at less than 20% battery, Adaptive Power Mode will turn Low Power Mode on for you. The catch? Adaptive Power Mode needs seven days to learn your charging habits, so you’ll need to enable it at least a week before you actually want to use it. Turn down your brightness Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt Let’s say you don’t trust Apple’s various power modes to adjust your phone’s settings for you, or you only want to limit a few things. That’s totally an option. In that case, let’s start with brightness. Keeping your phone at max brightness all the time isn’t just eye-searing, but it’ll also drain your battery faster. That’s why you’ll probably want to turn it down to just what you need for the situation you’re in. You’ve got a few options here. The easiest is to simply swipe down from your Home Screen’s top right corner, then adjust your brightness using the slider with the sun icon on it. If you prefer to adjust your brightness in the Settings app, you can head over to Settings > Display & Brightness and scroll down until you see the slider there. You’ll see a bunch of other options here, but they’re more about color temperature, and won’t actually help you adjust your brightness (although we will return to them later on in this guide). But if you’re like me, manually controlling your brightness all the time will get a bit tiring. That’s why I prefer to turn on Auto-Brightness. Simply toggle it on under Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Auto-Brightness, and your phone will automatically lower the brightness when you’re in a dark environment or turn it up while you’re surrounded by sunlight. It gives you a bit less control, but it’s pretty convenient. Turn down the amount of time until your phone auto-locks Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt Back in Settings > Display & Brightness, you’ll see a toggle called Auto-Lock. This is what kicks you out of your phone and back to your lock screen after a certain amount of inactivity. Personally, I like to leave it at five minutes, so I can safely read long articles or check recipes while cooking without being kicked out for not tapping the screen enough. But that does drain my battery faster. To eke out more battery life from your phone, try turning it down to the 30-second or one-minute mark. You might need to remind your phone that you’re there more often than you’d like, but it’ll keep you from needlessly draining your battery if you accidentally get up and leave your phone behind without locking it first. And don’t worry: even with the auto-lock set to its strictest settings, it won’t lock the screen while you’re watching a video or playing a game. Turn off the always-on display Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt The iPhone’s always-on display, added with the iPhone 14 Pro, is one of my favorite things about Apple’s most recent iPhone models, since it makes it easy to check notifications or the time at a glance. But it will drain your battery, even if it’s set to a low, 1Hz refresh rate. To turn it off, again head to Settings > Display & Brightness, then tap Always On Display and toggle off Always On Display at the bottom of the menu that pops up. If you want to compromise, you can simply toggle off Show Wallpaper at the top of the same menu. This will keep the always on display on, but everything except for the clock and your widgets will be black. That’ll save you some battery life needed to display color, which brings me to my next tip. Turn on Dark Mode Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt Here’s my final tip for Settings > Display & Brightness. At the top of this page, you’ll be able to select whether you want your phone in Light Mode or Dark Mode. If you want to save battery life, choose Dark Mode. That’s because the iPhone uses an OLED screen, so each individual pixel is self-illuminating. If a pixel only needs to display black, it just won’t turn on, saving you battery life. Dark Mode won’t work across all apps, but in ones that support it, it’ll swap your background to black, which should help your phone last longer over time. Manage your data consumption Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt Connecting to a network to use data actually drains more power than wifi, because a cellular connection requires a stronger signal over long distances. That means, to save battery life on your iPhone, you’ll want to be a bit strict about data consumption. You’ve got a few options here. The easiest is to simply turn off data altogether, by swiping down from the Home Screen and turning off the small green data icon next to the Bluetooth icon in the top left corner. This will turn off data altogether, but because it doesn’t discriminate between apps, it’s not ideal for everyday use. To be a bit more specific with how your iPhone uses data, you’ll need to navigate to Settings > Cellular. Here, you’ve got a few controls at your fingertips. The easiest choice to make here is disabling Wi-Fi Assist, which supplements your wifi with data connection when it’s running slow. Since our goal here is to reduce our reliance on data, having it on isn’t ideal. You might also want to turn off iCloud Drive and iCloud Backup, which will use your cell network to transfer and backup files to iCloud when wifi isn’t available. Above these toggles, you’ll also be able to see your most data hungry apps and restrict their access to your network. This can be helpful even if you’re not trying to increase battery life, as you can probably cut down on unnecessary data usage here as well. Finally, let’s enable Wi-Fi Calling. This will allow your phone to make calls over the internet while you’re connected to wifi, saving you some cellular data. Head back to the main Settings menu, then scroll down to Apps > Phone. Here, scroll down to Calls and ensure Wi-Fi Calling is turned on. If you want to, you can even scroll up and uncheck Cellular Data under Allow Phone to Access, although this will keep you from making calls unless you’re connected to wifi. Manage background app refresh Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt Just because you’ve navigated away from an app on your iPhone doesn’t mean it isn’t running anymore. Instead, plenty of apps will continue to refresh in the background, updating their content but also draining your battery. Luckily, you have a few choices here. To see your options, head to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. You’ll see your phone’s general approach to refreshing apps in the background, as well as toggles for every app on your phone. Click the Background App Refresh button in the menu and you can choose whether to turn it off, keep it on all the time, or only enable it when you’re on wifi. Off is the most battery efficient option, but if you’re not that strict, you can also choose Wi-Fi to at least keep the feature from using your data (which, again, drains more battery). With that done, if you’ve left the feature on, you can now scroll through your list of apps and select which apps you want to allow to refresh in the background. This could save you some battery life if you don’t want to turn the feature off altogether, but do want to disable it for certain hungry apps. Unfortunately, unlike with the Cellular Data menu, you won’t see how hungry your apps are here, so you’ll have to guess. Just buy an external battery pack Credit: Apple Finally, you could just give up and buy an external power pack. The iPhone Air will work with any external batteries that your other iPhones do, and despite being so thin, it will securely attach to compatible batteries via MagSafe. As much as I hate to suggest “just spend more money” as an option, Apple doesn’t share that concern. In fact, it’s even made a MagSafe battery designed specifically for the iPhone Air, which it says will give you “65 percent additional charge” while still maintaining a slim profile. It costs $100, and whether that’s worth it to you will depend on your priorities. Personally, I’m not quite sure myself, since you’d presumably be buying the iPhone Air because it’s thin and light. If that’s the case, why slap an external battery on it? But I can also see why you’d want a MagSafe battery some of the time and a slim form factor at other times. Just be aware: This battery is a bit tall, so it won’t fit vertically on either the iPhone 17 or iPhone 17 Pro. View the full article

IDEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. Jeffrey Hull and Margaret Moore on humility and performance: “Humble leaders, and their organizations, may not perform better than those led by leaders who are not humble. However, the performance and well-being of the workforce is better when led by humble leaders. A tentative conclusion is that leaders who lead with humility it for others’ benefit, not for the sake of their own performance.” Source: The Science of Leadership: Nine Ways to Expand Your Impact II. British essayist and novelist Pico Iyer on stepping back: “It’s easy to feel as if we’re standing two inches away from a huge canvas that’s noisy and crowded and changing with every microsecond. It’s only by stepping farther back and standing still that we can begin to see what that canvas (which is our life) really means, and to take in the larger picture.” Source: The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere * * * Look for these ideas every Thursday on the Leading Blog. Find more ideas on the LeadingThoughts index. * * * Follow us on Instagram and X for additional leadership and personal development ideas. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. 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. For as basic a necessity as it is, feeding yourself is a lot of work. What's more, feeding a household is even worse. There's the planning, then the shopping, the unpacking, the cooking, the storing, and finally, the cleaning, all of which has to be done over and over again forever. We all know what it's like to be faced with this task and just decide to open up Uber Eats and pay a bunch of fees to have someone do (most of) it for us. Apps are the saving grace when meal planning gets too daunting—but you're using the wrong apps. Forget Door Dash and Grub Hub: These apps can help you plan, shop for, and prepare meals on your own while still offloading some of the hard work on tech. Here are some meal-planning apps that can suggest recipes based on your dietary preferences, put together shopping lists, and even walk you through the cooking. They can't box up leftovers or wash the dishes, but maybe one day in the future, we'll get there, too. Best app for recipes: BigOven Credit: Lindsey Ellefson/BigOven BigOven is a meal-planning app that grants you access over one million recipes—and new recipes are constantly being added. I like a few different things about it: First, you can input some of the ingredients you already have and get recipes based on those, reducing your grocery shopping and limiting how many of those million-plus recipes you need to scroll through. You can scan handwritten recipes in, too, and let the app turn them into recipes you can store there, preserving family traditions. Finally, I appreciate that it has a browser version, since that makes it easier to type, browse, and scroll. A few of the apps on this list also work on the browser. In general, I like to do a lot of my planning and work on the computer, then call in my phone at crunch time, just when I need to refer to a recipe. The free version is nice, but limited. You get the ability to put together a grocery list and one free recipe scan. For more detailed meal planning, you’ll need to upgrade to its paid version for $2.99 per month or $24.99 for the year. Think of it like this: You'll save that much by skipping a delivery order or two. Best app for family meal planning: Cozi Credit: Lindsey Ellefson/Cozi Cozi is a family organizer, so you might not think of food and recipes when you first hear about it—but don't be fooled. In addition to its daily calendar and to-do lists, Cozi provides space for you to keep a grocery list (which any family member can add to in real time) and even offers up recipes. Not only can you plan your meals' content, but you can schedule them for when everyone is available. The basic version is free, but the premium version, which is $39.99 per year, offers more features, most of which have to do with the family management aspect (like birthday tracking and calendar searching). If you're using it for meal planning, you may not need to upgrade; I was able to build out an entire schedule of recipes without paying. Best app for fitness and nutrition goals: Eat This Much Credit: Lindsey Ellefson/Eat This Much Eat This Much is really ideal for anyone with specific nutrition and fitness goals. It puts together plans based not only on your budget and personal preferences, but your nutritional plans, as well. You're prompted to enter in how many calories you'd like to eat in a day, as well as how many grams of protein and other nutrients you want to hit. It even doubles as a calorie tracker and comes with a database of nutritional information about restaurant and packaged food. If you're meal planning and prepping for fitness or health goals, this could be the one for you to really focus in on. (Relatedly, if you're in the market for a comprehensive calorie and nutrient tracker, I am a huge fan of Lifesum.) Money comes into play if you want more features. For $8.99 per month, you can create meal plans for a week, used advanced search features, view your past meals, and generate reports on your eating habits, to name a few. A bump up to $59 per month unlocks bulk meal plans for over a week in advance, macro tracking, and a recipe database, among other things. That's not exactly a small cost, but if you're serious about meal prepping, give it a look. Best app for when you're busy: Mealime Credit: Mealime/Lindsey Ellefson Mealime is widely recommended in forums for meal planners and caters to busier people because it's full of recipes that can be made in under half an hour. You can filter recipes by dietary restrictions or preferences, generate a grocery list, and get on with your day. It's a little bare-bones beyond that, but as a picky eater, I appreciate the ability to eliminate recipes that include the things I don't care for. If you ever catch me eating a single mushroom, call the authorities because I'm sending a distress signal. You'll get plenty of recipes in the free version, but you'll notice some are labeled "Pro." To get those, as well as other features like the ability to add notes, you'll have to upgrade to the paid version for $2.99 per month. For its simplicity of use and fairly low cost, this is a favorite of mine. Best app to relieve decision fatigue: eMeals Credit: Lindsey Ellefson/eMeals eMeals emphasizes that it's meal planning "made simple," and they mean that. You get pre-loaded, dietitian-curated menus that come in "themes." Themes can be kid-friendly, keto, quick, etc. The apps on this list with thousands of recipes to scroll through are great, but if you just want someone or something else to pick for you, start here. eMeals also has partnerships with major grocery retailers, which makes creating your grocery list a little easier and more specific. Another on the list that has a robust browser component, this makes things almost too easy. Best app for more recipe control: Plan to Eat Credit: Lindsey Ellefson/Plan to Eat Plan to Eat is for people who have a general sense of what they like or want to eat, but just need a little push on the organization. You can clip recipes from the internet or browse recipes in the app, add them to the built-in calendar, and create grocery lists that are specified by category, making shopping easier. The app's cooking view even comes with step-by-step instructions that include timers, walking you right through everything you need to do down to the minute. You get a free two-week trial, then you'll pay $5 a month or $55 a year to access all the features. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. As a new parent, it’s unfortunately pretty normal to be paranoid about whether your baby is breathing when you put them down for a nap. Gadgets promise peace of mind—like heart rate or movement sensors that attach to your baby or their crib. But the FDA is warning against most of them. As the FDA writes in a safety communication to parents and pediatricians, no devices are approved to prevent or reduce the chances of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUID). If a device says it will do this, the FDA advises avoiding that product entirely. When it comes to devices that just claim to give you metrics like heart rate or blood oxygen, there are a few approved products on the market, including the Dream Sock by Owlet, but many of the devices in this category aren’t FDA-cleared at all. The FDA doesn’t name names, but when I searched for “wearable baby monitor” on Amazon and on Google Shopping, most of the brands that popped up are ones that aren’t in the FDA’s database. The unapproved ones I saw were often in the $100-150 price range, while the most popular FDA-cleared device, the Owlet Dream Sock, was significantly more, at $239.99. What these monitors are, and why they can be riskyBaby monitors that promise to track your baby’s vital signs include sock-style wearables, sensors that clip to the baby’s diaper or clothes, sensors that go under a mattress, and ones that are built into camera systems. These monitors may say they can track heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and respiratory rate, among other metrics, and notify caregivers if something is wrong. However, the FDA says that they can cause harm in these ways: If they fail to measure the vital signs accurately If they miss serious problems, making caregivers think everything is fine when it’s not If they indicate a problem when there is none, leading to unnecessary medical care Burns or rashes from the device itself How to find approved devicesIf your baby needs an accurate medical device, the best place to start is asking their pediatrician to point you to something appropriate. But if you want to use an over-the-counter device for peace of mind, there are two databases you can check to see if the device is FDA-cleared. The first is the de novo device lookup. This is for devices where the manufacturer has applied for recognition as a new type of medical device. These are known as 513(f)(2) devices. Go to this link and type the company’s name in the blank marked Requester name. If the product is in the database and the classification product code is QYU, it’s been evaluated and authorized by the FDA. For example, here is the entry for the Owlet Dream Sock, with a QYU code. The other is the 510(k) premarket notification lookup, which you can find here. This is for devices that are “substantially equivalent” to an already-approved device. Put in the company’s name under Applicant name. The FDA adds that if you have a problem with a device, including inaccurate measurements or anything that resulted in an injury, to report it to MedWatch here. View the full article

Without proper project planning, you're setting your project up to fail. Use this 10-step checklist to get your project on the path to success. I've included a downloadable version for members of our community, as well as links to additional resources to help you get on the right track. The post 10 Step Downloadable Project Planning Checklist appeared first on The Digital Project Manager. View the full article

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 iOS 26, Apple has expanded its Visual Intelligence feature from the camera lens to what's on your screen. Now, you can use Visual Intelligence to ask about what you're seeing on your iPhone's display, to add events to your Calendar, or to look up images using Google (similar to Google’s Circle to Search). All of this is quite cool, but it also comes with a redesigned, full-screen preview that pops up whenever you take a screenshot. When all you want to do is take a quick screenshot, maybe while you're playing a game, seeing this big splash screen and all its new buttons can get annoying fast. Plus, you might not want Apple Intelligence to see what’s on your screen (which it will now automatically do), no matter how useful these updates might turn out to be. Thankfully, you can disable the new splash screen and go back to the old thumbnail style screenshot previews instead. Plus, when needed, you'll still be able to trigger Visual Intelligence, even when using thumbnails. What you can do with Visual Intelligence in iOS 26 Credit: Khamosh Pathak Since the iOS 18.2 update, you’ve been able to use ChatGPT to ask questions about what’s on your screen. But with iOS 26, Apple introduced Automatic Visual Look Up to the mix. This new feature automatically analyzes your screenshots the second they're captured. Then, it pulls in relevant actionable information and adds it below the screenshot. For example, if you screenshot is of an invitation to a party, it will show you a one-tap button to add it to your calendar. If your screenshot is of a website, you’ll see a link to go there directly. Plus, there’s a feature that lets you highlight any image to find similar images on Google, as if you were using Circle to Search or Google Lens. This is Apple's justification for expanding screenshot previews to take up your whole screen, but it adds an extra step to actually saving your screenshots. How to disable the full-screen screenshotsIf you stick with full-screen previews for taking screenshots, which are now the default, you’ll have to tap twice to actually save a screenshot every single time you take one. First, you'll have to tap the checkmark button at the top of the screen, and then choose Save to Photos. Thankfully, Apple has an option to disable the new screenshot splash screen. To go back to the old method for taking screenshots, go to Settings > General > Screen Capture and disable the Full-Screen Previews option. Credit: Khamosh Pathak Now, when you take a screenshot, you’ll see the familiar thumbnail preview in the bottom-left corner of the screen. Even better, you'll still be free to tap the preview to open the full-screen view, which will then show all your Visual Intelligence suggestions. How to disable automatic Visual Intelligence in screenshots (or altogether)If you’re privacy conscious, there are two ways you can go about disabling Visual Intelligence. The first is to disable Automatic Lookup, which scans your screenshot as soon as you take it. To disable this feature, go to Settings > General > Screen Capture and disable the Automatic Visual Look Up option. Credit: Khamosh Pathak After you do this, those automatic Visual Intelligence suggestions will disappear. But the options to chat with ChatGPT, and to highlight to search for images, will still be there. At least these aren't automatic, and without your consent or express action, no data will go to Apple’s servers. But you can disable these options as well by disabling Apple Intelligence completely. To do that, go to Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri and disable the Apple Intelligence feature. View the full article

A reader writes: For the bulk of my working life, I’ve been a very low-level lawyer in Washington, D.C. who managed to scratch my way into a few government contracts with the Department of Justice over the years. This definitely wasn’t my dream (poetry is … sigh), but things worked out this way and mostly it’s been okay. After using your book (which was great), I was eventually hired full-time by another agency last December, but DOGE killed my position very shortly afterwards before I even finished onboarding, and since then I’ve been scrambling, since the whole legal ecosystem in D.C. is a mess and jobs have vanished. Recently, a couple positions at DOJ were advertised on a normal, generic online job board. Advertised were Law Clerk I (lower) and Law Clerk II (higher) jobs in a non-evil DOJ division, on a project that was slated to go multiple years. It sounded so promising. The company advertising the positions put themselves forward as a recruiter, and after a very lengthy back-and-forth (where my correspondent very clearly didn’t understand the norms of the government contracting world) and a call with the prime contractor (a major international consulting company), I was submitted and approved for the higher position. I was then surprised to discover the recruiting company was also the subcontractor and would be my immediate employer. Well, okay … the prime contractor said they were desperate to hire several dozen attorneys, so maybe they partnered with a new-to-the-field company to get it accomplished on schedule. After that phone call, the usual background checks and everything were pushed very rapidly. I got seemingly legitimate emails from the prime contractor and also the Department of Defense to fill out the usual security forms; the links in the emails all went to legitimate websites, so I felt fine with continuing. Then everything came to a crashing halt this morning: the recruiter/subcontractor sent me the official offer letter … but it had the job title of the higher position and the pay rate of the lower position. The pay discrepancy between Clerk I and Clerk II is large — about $72K a year and $93K a year. It felt like a simple miscommunication, so I replied politely asking for a correction. No, their HR said, that’s the rate. It can’t be negotiated — you already agreed to this. Well, no, I didn’t. Their HR pointed to an email where I acknowledged the lower rate … as part of a general acknowledgement that there were two positions available. As in, I said, “Yes, I understand there is also a Law Clerk I position that pays X rate per hour.” But then I was submitted for Law Clerk II, and my call with the prime contractor was even titled “Call About Law Clerk II position.” On top of the rate switch, the medical coverage was abysmal. So I declined to sign the offer letter and asked for an evening to consider my options and think it over. Well, then I started getting spammed with urgent-sounding texts and calls from employees of all levels at this subcontractor, all asking me to talk this over. Some employees I had never even met or communicated with before! It began to feel very scammy, and I told them the urgency seemed inappropriate. I talked to friends and family — all while still getting these texts, calls, and emails despite asking for space — and eventually decided I didn’t like the feel of this. So I emailed the most senior-seeming employee that I was withdrawing from the position. Which was met with a reply, “Can I have a few minutes on the phone to clear this up?” Everyone I’ve asked says this sounds like one of two different scams. The Long Con would be to hire me and bill me to the prime contractor at the higher rate, but pay me at the lower one and pocket the difference (not unheard of). Or, scarier, The Truman Show, where the entire job was fabricated and designed to steal as much of my info as possible during the “onboarding” and that even my call with the prime contractor manager was faked. I’m really hoping it wasn’t this one, since it would mean they figured out how to fake government and corporate websites and security forms, which I dutifully filled out. But underneath these scam theories is a nagging feeling that maybe I’m the one who misread things here? Do recruiters or subcontracting companies normally invest so heavily in contract workers? I’ve never had multiple employees of a company text, call, and email me so heavily in quick succession to urgently “talk through” what seems like a simple mistake. I’ve also never had a company insist I had agreed to a lower pay rate and then dig in their heels when I proved I didn’t. What’s more: in the time it took to write you this email, they sent me an update where now they are happy to pay the higher rate and can “work something out” about the horrible medical coverage. Am I going crazy, or is something going on here that is less than legitimate? Something is weird here. If you got legitimate emails from the government agency, I don’t think it’s a scam … but you should check the real sender of those emails; the “from” field can be spoofed, but the raw source data of the email can’t be, so look at that. They may indeed be billing for you at a higher rate while paying you the lower one but, as you note, that’s a thing that happens — and it’s not the same thing as an identity theft scam or similar. And unfortunately, it is sometimes a thing that a company will pull a bait and switch on what job they’re offering — leading you to think you’re interviewing for a higher level position but then offering you a lower-paying one. But what’s really weird is the extraordinary high-pressure sell to get you to accept the job. Texts and calls from multiple employees there, even people you’d never talked to before? That’s not normal. It’s possible that you have a hard-to-find skill set that’s crucial to them being able to staff their contract … but if that’s the case, the obvious next move for them would to offer you the higher-paying position, not to have scores of employees blow up your phone. I don’t know what’s going but it’s odd, for sure. You might as well talk to the most senior-seeming person who asked to talk about you withdrew and hear them out. Who knows, maybe they’ll say something that changes the way this looks. But after that, if you’re considering moving forward, make sure you do a lot of research on the subcontracting firm … ideally including talking to the prime contractor again, preferably with you calling them at their publicly listed corporate number so that you’re sure of who you’re talking to. I’d also run the whole thing by anyone you know who’s part of the federal contracting world in D.C. (which is not me) and get their take, as well. The post I turned down a bait-and-switch job offer and now they’re blowing up my phone appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. The Boox Palma e-reader is unquestionably my favorite gadget from the last few years, but I also get why so many people find it to be a bit confounding: It's a phone-shaped e-ink device that has all the capabilities of a modern Android smartphone, but it doesn't have cellular functionality, which means it can't take calls. A recent rumor suggested that might be changing soon, but it turned out to be an overstatement: According to a statement I received from a spokesperson for Boox maker Onyx International, the forthcoming "Palma 3" (which might be called something else) still won't work as a phone, though it will have mobile data capabilities. A Palma phone was rumoredChatter about a Palma-like device with a cellular modem kicked off in earnest a few weeks ago during IFA 2025, a European trade show akin to CES. At that event, Onyx International showed off the new device to select members of the media, and The Verge published a story surmising that the company was working on a new Palma-like device that would retain the form and e-ink display of the current Palma, but add both cellular connectivity and a color display—two of the most requested features from the device's die-hard fans, at least judging by my observations of the r/Onyx_Boox subreddit over the past few years. According to The Verge's report, though it wasn't on display on the show floor, a reporter was shown a device that sure looked a lot like the Palma, but which had both a color display (almost certainly the same Kaleido 3 screen found on the Boox Go Color 7) and icons indicating a 4G cellular connection. No concrete details on specs or a release date were provided. The "Palma 3" will have mobile data onlyI followed up with Onyx International to confirm details from the report and try to learn more, and was told, "the device will not include calling functionality; the new Palma only supports mobile data." In all likelihood, this means that the device will be comparable to a mobile tablet like a wifi + cellular iPad that can load a SIM card and connect to wireless networks, but which can't take cellular calls. Given you can install any app from the Google Play store, you'd still be able to take calls on the go using a voice-over-internet service like WhatsApp. Currently, there is no information about what the Palma 3 might cost. For $300, the Palma 2 already has a lot of phone-like capabilities, but adding a color screen and a modem (even a data-only modem) will undoubtedly push that number higher. Tariffs aren't likely to help matters either: The Palma 2 has already increased in price from $279 to $299 in the U.S. since its launch, and given that all e-ink screens are made overseas, there's no chance it won't face additional import fees. There's already an e-ink phone on the marketPersonally, I love the Palma because it's more portable than the average e-reader, which means I read more and use addictive apps on my phone less (though the Palma can run most apps, social media isn't very fun on a sluggish e-ink screen). As I still need to carry my phone, for all the usual reasons (messaging, maps, tap-to-pay), it's not the life-changing device it might otherwise be—but there's another device already on the market that could be, for the right user. For the past few months, I've been playing around with the Bigme Hibreak Pro, a $459 e-reader that looks an awful lot like my Palma 2. In many respects, the Hibreak Pro is a one-for-one match for the Boox device (same dimensions, same e-ink screen, same app store access), but it also has 5G cellular capability. Moreover, in the wake of the Palma rumors, Bigme announced an otherwise identical version of the device with a color display—the Hibreak Pro Color—scheduled for release in October. A device like this holds a lot of appeal—I'm at a point where I am starting to resent my iPhone's primacy in my life. I'd love carry only one device, and one that doesn't as readily plug me in to the horrors of the internet and social media, but which can still handle the most essential functions (keeping me connected to my family, handling NFC payments, guiding me via Google Maps). But so far, for me, the Hibreak Pro isn't it—as with other Bigme devices I've tested, I find its software deeply frustrating, and I haven't had the time or energy to devote to installing an alternative launcher. (It doesn't help that the first device I received had a faulty USB-C port, and getting a replacement took a few months.) I generally think Boox makes better devices and less frustrating software than Bigme, so I was initially intrigued at the concept of a Palma phone. Alas. E-ink phones will always be niche devicesEven if the new Palma was able to make calls, it would still be a device with limited appeal. Despite their lovability, Boox's e-readers definitely aren't as user-friendly as a Kindle. And though the Palma has attracted a cult following (not to mention mainstream attention from outlets like The New York Times), an e-ink phone will always come with drawbacks that make it very unlikely we'll see one from an established tech company like Apple or Samsung. Then there's the matter of carrier support—you certainly wouldn't be able to buy a Palma phone direct from Verizon or T-Mobile, and it's not a sure thing that a Chinese-made niche device would play nice with every domestic carrier. That's all to say: An e-ink phone might satisfy some diehards seeking a respite from their device addiction, but I wouldn't expect to see too many of them while riding the subway. View the full article

I've worked out of my basement apartment as a content creator and videographer for several years now. As a result, I’ve had to find creative and unique ways to maximize space and find effective (yet inexpensive) gear to create my videos at the highest level possible. Sometimes, that can seem pretty overwhelming, especially if you’re just getting started. But you really only need to focus on three things: audio, video, and lighting. Here's some of how I built my home studio, what I use to make videos like the one you can watch right now in this story, and how you can do the same, even in a small living space. Start with great audioWhen I first started making videos, I really underestimated the value of quality sound. I thought I'd need some crazy-expensive microphone to get professional-sounding audio. Fortunately, smartphone mics have improved drastically over the years. In a quiet room with limited background noise, your phone is more than capable of giving you decent audio. If you want to make your videos sound more professional, or you plan to record outside often, consider getting an external microphone. For on-the-go recording, I use the Hollyland Lark M2. Lavalier and lapel mics are an absolute must-have for any content creator, especially if you hope to go out into the world to record. There are tons of versions to choose from, but my go-to has always been the Hollyland line of products. What makes these particularly special is how easily they integrate with both cameras and phones, and their noise-cancelling feature comes in clutch in areas with a lot of background noise. I’ve used these on racetracks, here at home, and at several car conferences over the years, and have never had a problem with overpowering background noise. They also come in an AirPods-style charging case, which not only fits in your back pocket, but also ensures you never have to deal with a dead mic while you’re out filming. If you’re looking to set up a more permanent place to record, I’ve always defaulted to the Audio-Technica AT2020. To use a condenser microphone like this, you’ll also need an audio interface with phantom power to connect it to your computer. I use the M-Audio M-Track to accomplish both of these requirements and have had mine for over four years now. While it doesn’t have as many features as some higher-priced options, the M-Audio M-Track is more than enough for what I need, and it’s usually less than $50. Hollyland Lark M2 $99.99 at Amazon $109.99 Save $10.00 Learn More Learn More $99.99 at Amazon $109.99 Save $10.00 Audio-Technica AT2020 $119.00 at Amazon Learn More Learn More $119.00 at Amazon M-Audio M-Track Solo USB Audio Interface $56.77 at Amazon Learn More Learn More $56.77 at Amazon Layer in quality videoGood audio is awesome, but it really doesn’t mean much if you don’t have some solid video to go along with it. Just like with audio tech, it’s easy to overcomplicate your setup and add extra work that you really don’t need as a solo creator. Under most circumstances, the best tool to have on hand is your phone camera. If you have an iPhone or Android from the past 5-7 years, it'll have an HD camera you can use to film high-quality video without breaking the bank. Let’s use my iPhone 15 as an example. If you go up to the top-right corner of your camera app settings, you’ll usually see this little “HD” and “30”, which determines your resolution and frame rate for the video you’re recording. I film in either 4K 30fps or 4K 60fps so I can maximize every bit of my phone’s capabilities. Normally, you won’t need more than HD (1080p) and 30fps to film good video. For more stunning visuals, you can go all the way up to 4K and 60fps, which is comparable to what you’d get from a DSLR or stationary camera. The downside is that the video files will be much larger and will take up more of your phone’s internal storage. Needing adequate storage space is why one of your best friends in your content creation journey is a reliable external hard drive for your videos and audio. I highly recommend something like the Samsung T7 or the SanDisk Extreme Pro, both of which give you ample storage to create folders and organize any creative concepts you’re working on. If you’re doing any streaming or stationary recording, I recommend the Logitech C920x HD. I’ve used this camera for everything from Instagram reels to Zoom calls, and with its included LogiTune software, you can dial in your color and framing settings before you shoot. As an all-around quality camera, it really doesn’t get much better than this, especially for less than $70. If you want to level up even more and have a bit more budget to work with, take a look at the Osbot Tiny 2 Lite 4K Webcam. This one gives you more functionality, including 4K/60fps capability and gesture control, while also supporting horizontal, portrait, and even mirrored aspect ratios. Samsung T7 Portable SSD 2TB External Solid State Drive $139.99 at Amazon $187.99 Save $48.00 Learn More Learn More $139.99 at Amazon $187.99 Save $48.00 SanDisk 2TB Extreme PRO Portable SSD $199.00 at Amazon Learn More Learn More $199.00 at Amazon Logitech C920x HD Pro Webcam $59.99 at Amazon $69.99 Save $10.00 Learn More Learn More $59.99 at Amazon $69.99 Save $10.00 OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite 4K Webcam $159.99 at Amazon $179.99 Save $20.00 Learn More Learn More $159.99 at Amazon $179.99 Save $20.00 Add lighting for balance and styleOne of the most under-appreciated elements of content creation is good lighting. A good lighting setup can pay massive dividends on your visual quality and adds a whole lot to your video setup. I’m personally a massive fan of the Govee line of products because of their many options and adjustment settings. I run all my lights off of Govee’s app from my iPad or phone, which allows me to change my lighting setup on the fly, even in the middle of a recording session. The Govee Floor Lamp is one of the most flexible and dynamic options that you can add to your studio space. With more than 80 customizable presets and adjustable brightness from 2200K to 6500K, this light gives you more than enough options to change the entire vibe of your videos and living space. It also doubles as an effective key light for your main source of on-camera illumination. This also pairs beautifully with one of my favorite lighting devices of all time, the Govee Glide Wall Lights. These are everywhere in my studio, and for good reason: Not only do they integrate perfectly with other Govee products, but they also make for amazing backlights in a video setup. You can dial them in as much or as little as you want, and Govee’s app gives you more than 64 presets to find your perfect balance. Another great addition that I highly recommend is a cheap sun lamp to balance out your ambient lighting in low-light areas. Since I’m in a basement, there’s not much natural light to work with. So to combat that downside, a lamp helps replicate the natural ambience of a sunlit room and looks much better on camera. My personal favorite is the LASTAR Sun Lamp, as it gives you dynamic brightness and various color temperature options. Govee Floor Lamp 2 $129.99 at Amazon $164.99 Save $35.00 Learn More Learn More $129.99 at Amazon $164.99 Save $35.00 Govee Glide LED Wall Lights $54.99 at Amazon $69.99 Save $15.00 Learn More Learn More $54.99 at Amazon $69.99 Save $15.00 LASTAR Sun Lamp $26.99 at Amazon Learn More Learn More $26.99 at Amazon Get the gear, then start getting creativeNo matter what you decide to use when creating your own home studio, always remember that your studio should be a reflection of the content you want to create. Look at content creators you like and see what they’re using to improve the quality of their videos. As a motorsport and car nerd, all of my recording zones have elements of racing and car culture to emphasize the specialty that I bring to the table. Whether it’s LEGO, car models, or vintage signs, my goal was to create a space that would reinforce the topics I care about in a subtle yet effective manner. So have fun with it, and use these basics to transform your living, recording, or creating space into something you’re truly proud of. View the full article

Employment lawyer Robin Shea published a piece at legal analysis site JD Supra about my recent Slate column on mandatory “fun” at work — and she delved into the legal implications for employers. She points out that pressure to participate in things like escape rooms, sports, and yoga can give rise to legal issues around disability, pregnancy, age, and religion, as well as workers comp claims and wage and hour claims, and she offers advice to employers. It’s an interesting read. The post can team-building get you sued? appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

Today's Bissett Bullet: “Business owners are busy people. If they already have an accounting firm and have asked or agreed to spend time meeting with you ...” By Martin Bissett See more Bissett Bullets here Go PRO for members-only access to more Martin Bissett. View the full article

Today's Bissett Bullet: “Business owners are busy people. If they already have an accounting firm and have asked or agreed to spend time meeting with you ...” By Martin Bissett See more Bissett Bullets here Go PRO for members-only access to more Martin Bissett. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. 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. Yesterday, at its 2025 Meta Connect conference, Meta finally unveiled its first Ray-Ban smart glasses that actually have a screen inside them. I have yet to try them for myself, but according to my colleagues over at CNET, seeing is believing. If you want to book a demo to try out the new Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, you're in luck: They're popping up in select stores across the country, and you can already schedule your visit. In fact, you'll need to if you actually want to take a pair home. What are the Meta Ray-Ban Display Smart Glasses?Meta's Ray-Ban Display smart glasses are similar to the smart glasses the two companies have already been releasing since 2021, but if the name didn't give it away already, now they have a screen inside them. This isn't AR, so you don't get head tracking or a large virtual display situated in your environment, but you do get a little heads-up 600x600 screen over your right eye that you can use to, say, check on texts or watch an Instagram Reel. It's also private, according to my colleagues over at CNET, with some clever manufacturing keeping people from seeing what's on your display through the transparent lens. And it comes with a special "neural wristband" for actually navigating content, which can pick up thumb movements, pinches, and the like and translate them into swipes and taps. It all sounds fancy— dare I say "innovative"?—even if it comes with a $799 price tag (the last generation of Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses was $379). But if you're going to be dropping that much on such an unproven product, I don't blame you for wanting to go hands-on with it before buying. And it seems, neither does Meta. How to try out the Meta Ray-Ban Display Smart GlassesEven though Meta's Ray-Ban Display Smart Glasses technically start shipping on Sept. 30, you can't buy them online. Instead, you'll have to do an in-store demo before you can actually get a pair. These demos are available at Ray-Ban stores, but also partners including LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut, and Best Buy. You can book demos straight through a specific store's site if you have a favorite, as seen on this Best Buy link, but the best way to see all the demos available near you is through Meta's own site. Just navigate to this scheduler page on the Meta site and enter your address to see participating stores near you and the dates when they have demos available. Then hit "Schedule a Demo" on a store of your choosing to be taken to that store's site to finish booking. While Meta's site showed me appointments starting today, none of the stores I clicked through to had availability until October, so don't be surprised if the scheduler's data is a little behind. What do you need for your Ray-Ban Display Demo?Generally, you can just head to your Ray-Ban Display Demo and be golden. But if you wear prescription lenses, you'll either need to wear contacts or know your lens details. Meta's demo kits can accommodate a range of -4.00 to +4.00 prescriptions, so plan accordingly. Then, it's just a matter of trying the glasses on. When you're done, you can either buy your pair, or hold off. If you wait, you'll be sent an email with details from your appointment. Meta says it's limiting purchases to people who have tried a demo right now to ensure fit and satisfaction, but that more buying options will come "over time." That's great news for folks who live outside of the U.S., as demos are currently limited to Meta's home country. However, the company says demos will expand to Canada, France, Italy, and the U.K. in early 2026. View the full article