There’s a hidden feature that can alert you to sounds like smoke alarms, knocks, or even your baby crying. Check it out!
Why you can’t focus and 3 sneaky fixes that work
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Work got beef with your focus?
You’re not imagining it, according to Microsoft, employees get interrupted every two minutes. Emails. Pings. Meetings that could’ve been Slack messages.
And that doesn’t even include the 37 tabs you’ve got open, YouTube lofi, your notes doc and a recipe for chicken thighs “you’ll definitely make later.” Spoiler: You won’t.
By Wednesday, the week can start to feel a little … wobbly. Deadlines pile up, emails multiply like rabbits, and your to-do list somehow has more on it than it did Monday morning.
You don’t need a Himalayan retreat or 12 new productivity apps to reclaim your week. Just a few sneaky little tweaks, and it’s focus mode, activated. Here’s how I work:
📝 1. Know your energy level
Midweek is the perfect time to re-sort your list by energy level. High-energy? Knock out a tough project or major decision first. Low-energy? Handle the easy wins, quick emails, forms, supply orders. Super tired? Focus only on next steps, not the whole project.
Use your brain when it’s sharpest, not when you’re running on coffee fumes. You’re not lazy. You’re strategic.
📅 2. Set ‘No Meetings’ time
Yes, meetings are necessary. But so is silence. Even a one-hour block can reset your brain.
Open your calendar. Pick a 1–2-hour window tomorrow (or today if you can). Mark it “Focus Time” or “Deep Work, Do Not Book.”
Pro tip: In Google Calendar, you can set “Focus Time,” and it automatically declines meeting invites. (Best. Feature. Ever.)
One setting you’ll use all the time
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Ever stumble across a setting and think, “Wait, why didn’t I set this up sooner?”
Turn your phone into a shortcut machine with this hidden feature. Let me introduce you to Back Tap.
Reason #452 why I sold my Tesla: FSD was a pile of poopy hype. In repeated trials, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature rolled past stop signs and mowed down child-size mannequins like a GTA side quest. Elon says safety is top priority, which is reassuring to the mannequins’ plastic parents.
LinkedIn lesson: Want to give someone a shout-out, boost your post’s visibility, or simply say thanks in a more public (and professional) way? Use the @mention feature! And for a limited time, use my special link to post a job for free on LinkedIn.
🧠 ChatGPT update: OpenAI finally rolled out a memory feature for the free version. Now the chatbot can remember things you’ve told it and tailor replies to match. Say you’re dairy-free? Expect vegan recipes. Heads up though: It’s a light version, so only recent convos stick. You can turn it off under Settings > Personalization > Memory.
🤳 Am I hot or not? That’s what people are asking ChatGPT. They upload photos, ask for an honest opinion, then get glow-up advice (think skin care routines or makeup tips). Kinda sketchy now that ChatGPT has a shopping feature that recommends products. AI meets e-commerce. Its advice could be influenced by ads, not what’s actually best for you.
TikTok’s got a pulse: TikTok just dropped its “AI Alive” feature, which animates photos into surreal little videos with sound, motion and vibes. Your beach pic now sighs wistfully, your group selfie smiles mid-scroll. It’ll be labeled AI-generated. Here’s to hoping it can also animate my will to fold laundry.
🖥️ Windows is getting AI agents: This is great. Microsoft just announced a new feature that lets you change computer settings just by asking. In Settings, you can type stuff like “my text is too small” or “control my PC with voice,” and the AI will handle it. No more digging through menus. It’s coming to Copilot+ PCs first, with more devices to follow.
🖥️ Own a Copilot Plus PC? Microsoft’s finally rolling out Recall, the controversial feature that snaps everything you do on your Windows PC (including those embarrassing things) so you can search your “memories” later. Windows Search also now lets you find stuff just by describing it instead of remembering exact file names. I went Mac and never went back.
🍎 Minute details matter: Rick Shearman’s Apple Watch’s SOS feature saved his life after he was swept almost a mile out to sea. He used the emergency feature while treading water. The rescue team scooped him up before it turned into a “Find My Body” sort of mission. PSA: Swim parallel to shore and float, don’t fight.
🔒 WhatsApp’s new privacy feature: Scammers love to ask you to use WhatsApp. When the new Advanced Chat Privacy mode is on, your messages can’t be exported and pics/vids won’t auto-download. To find it, tap the chat name, then select Advanced Chat Privacy.
🔒 Link unlocked: You need 10K followers for Instagram’s “Swipe Up” feature to link directly from your Stories. Not there yet? Just create a new Story and tap the Sticker button (smiling face in a square). Hit Link and add your URL. Pro tip: A call-to-action sticker like “tap here” tells your followers to click.
These new budget phones are worth it
Tight budget? You can still get a fast, feature-packed phone. Here’s a few to put on your shopping list.
🎬 Keeping it reel: Gen Z is ditching big-budget TV and movies for social media content. They say it feels more real, more relevant and they trust creators over celebrities. Barry helped produce a feature film over a decade ago (Frontera — Watch it!), and it was tough then. Today? Getting a movie made is like climbing Everest in flip-flops.
Check your kid’s phone for Zepeto: If you have kids, think Roblox meets Facebook, where people create avatars and explore virtual worlds. A mom says a predator used the private messaging feature to contact her 12-year-old daughter. The sicko pretended to be a teen, asked if she’d had sex and demanded photos. Gross.
Good news if you have an Aura frame: It’ll keep auto-syncing with Google Photos after all. ICYMI, the feature was supposed to shut off this month, but Aura’s working with Google to keep it going. They make great gifts for grandparents. You can remotely share new pics.
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Stay safe: Fitness app Strava’s Heatmap feature shows popular workout routes … but it also broadcasts your location. Keep your routes private: Go to Settings > Privacy Controls > Map Visibility and uncheck Contribute your activity data to de-identified, aggregate data sets.
Scam alert: Google’s new call-scanning feature tells you in real time if you’re getting swindled on the phone. AI analyzes conversations, and if something sketchy happens, you get an audio, vibration and visual warning. It’s for Pixel 9 or later only. Go to the Phone app > Settings > Scan Detection. PSA: Google says they’re not saving your calls. Yea, right.
Apple’s shiny new modem: The iPhone 16e is the first iPhone to feature Apple’s own C1 modem, marking a move away from Qualcomm. So how’s it doing? Depends on your carrier. On AT&T and Verizon, the 16e had better download and upload speeds than the regular iPhone 16. But on T-Mobile, the iPhone 16 still had slightly better upload speeds.