Lifehacker: 88 Tech Tricks to Turbocharge Your Day

by Gina Trapani

Redefine your personal productivity by tweaking, modding, mashing up, and repurposing Web apps, desktop software, and common everyday objects. The 88 "life hacks" -- clever shortcuts and lesser-known, faster ways to complete a task -- in this book are some of the best in Lifehacker.com's online archive. Every chapter describes an overarching lifehacker principle, then segues into several concrete applications. Each hack includes a step-by-step how-to for setting up and using the solution with cross-platform software, detailed screen shots, and sidebars with additional tips. Order your copy today and increase your productivity!

Genres: Productivity, Nonfiction, Computers, Technology, Self Help, Reference, Business

336 pages, Paperback

First published December 13, 2006

Reviews

[Khalid Almoghrabi · Rating 4 out of 5]

كتاب يعلمك كيف تستطيع الاستفادة من حياتك(وقتك) بشكل أفضل من خلال تطبيق بعد العادات واستغلال المتاح من التكنولوجيا في تسهيل حياتك وتفريغ دماغك :). انصح به لمن يهتم بالانتاجية في حباته ومفاهيم إدرة الوقت

[Pía López Copetti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good idea for a book but extremely outdated

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of 116 tips and tricks for optimizing the time you spend using your computers. The tips range from better ways to manage your email to how to setup a web server on your home PC.

Gina Trapani is one of the founders of the lifehacker.com site, and this book collects many of the most useful tips from that site. In addition, you can find summaries of many of the tips at the lifehackerbook.com site.

I have found this to be a very useful book. Despite the fact that I work with PCs everyday, there was plenty of good information. For example, I had never heard of the windows virtual desktop manager dexpot.de - I'm now using it at work and at home to help keep down distractions by having virtual desktops devoted to specific types of tasks (development, tech support, etc.). And I had never heard of Hamachi VPN - a free and easy way to create a VPN that will let you securely connect to your home network while out and about.

She provides ten tips on automating common tasks. The specific tips might or might not be useful to you, but they are certain to inspire some ideas on how you can automate your own repetitive tasks.
In all, this is an excellent book to have near your computer desk. Highly recommended.

Be sure to get the latest version of this book: Upgrade Your Life: The Lifehacker guide to working smarter, faster, better. It has been updated and expanded from the original version.

[Holly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought this book shortly after reading Getting Things Done, hoping it would have even more tips for getting me organized. The author has clearly read David Allen, and references him throughout the book, even including his own suggestions.

Pretty much everything I found helpful in this book, I'm already doing on my computer, and everything else seemed to be useless, at least for me.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't quite read this one, but I did browse through it. It's designed for those who like to tweak their computers to improve productivity and eliminate repetitive tasks. I am not about to mess with computer settings, many of the tips (hacks) are over my head, but I did like the tip on using your cellphone camera to take pictures of wine labels, items for comparison shopping, info on billboards, etc.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good ideas for streamlining your (tech) life. Although it's geared mainly to Windows and (to a lesser degree) Mac users, I found a lot of things I can use in Linux as well. Well organized and the hacks are described in enough detail to understand how they may help and how to do them. I for one am in the "zero messages in the Inbox" camp, so was pleasantly surprised to see Trapani's suggestions for achieving that.

I've used a number of the ideas herein and they've been useful.

[Brian Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun fun fun! This book has so many good tips and ideas. I've been implementing a lot of them and really find that things are working better as a result. I like the ideas on backing up and automating tasks a lot. I've been implementing them at work and at home and can really see the improvements in my organization, stress, and time management.

[P.R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, and the Lifehacker site. The only caveat is that, like most technology books, some of the content is outdated. For example, the password hack, which I love, has now been proven to be not as safe as this book touts. Not a fault of the book, just how fast technology changes. But definitely a good read.

[Jason Gunnink · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The todo list application the author created has revolutionized the way I keep track of my work. I am a computer nerd, and it's possible not everyone will appreciate it this much but for me it was really useful.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much like the website, many of the tips in this book seem fairly common-sense, but if you're like me you never have the time to fully explore what the programs you use every day can do. Contains enough clever advice to be worth the purchase price... bought with a Border's coupon, of course ;)

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting tidbits. If you read Lifehacker.com as regularly as I did, then you'll be familiar with a lot of the book. But, if you don't, and you're interested in lifehacking or computer tricks it's a must read.

[darío hereñú · Rating 2 out of 5]

De a ratos útil, y de a otros ratos, utilísimo.
Al día de hoy, parece anticuado (la ley de Moore se cumple a rajatabla!) pero se deja leer.
Elemental, pragmático, todo lo que denuncia, siguiendo los pasos, se concreta.

Para los geeks, están alertados!

[Chrischris]

Haven't read it from cover to cover yet but just from the table of contents I have been able to extract what I felt was most useful at each time I pick it up and it consistently makes me more productive. Their website is one to follow closely through RSS feed!

[Mark Wasiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book back in its day. I haven't seen it lately and I would imagine it isn't as useful now due to the changes in technology so my rating was more for at the time of release. It gave me lots of ideas.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compendium of ways to make one more productive at home and work w/ the computer technology available. Lots of good ideas and easily understandable instructions for dilitants, like me.

[Gregg Martinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rarely is a computer book any good as a book. It made me think of new ways to be productive. Fun and witty writing make this much more than a computer how-to.

[cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

my new and improved email strategy came directly from chaper 70-something and so far, it's rocking my productivity. go lifehacker!

[Liliana Bachelder · Rating 4 out of 5]

truly useful apps from technology

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good tips and tricks.

[Derek Emerson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the updated version of this book -- or more like skimmed. It is a book you pick up as needed and read in small bites. Lots of great advice.

[Josh Street · Rating 3 out of 5]

Essentially a "best of" for the Lifehacker site - a quick read, but if you follow the blog, its probably safe to pass on this one.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of tips and tricks for making things easier, simplifying and I use probably more than half and am looking at adding more. Very timely information.

[crafty_puppy · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book. need to buy this for reference.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am an avid reader of this blog. I enjoyed the book too.

[Debby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't store all your email in your inbox!

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of good tips, but it doesn't make a very good book. It is probably a much better idea to go the lifehacker website and subscribe to the blog or something. Got a few choice nuggets, though.

[Shane Burgel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable book with some good tips.

[Steven Feeney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very dated and nowhere near as relevant as the Lifehacker website. I would avoid nowadays.

[Frederick Bingham · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book of tips to make better use of computers. The tips are cross-platform for both Mac and Windows.

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dated