Turn yourself into a Google Workspace and Microsoft Office pro
Google Workspace and Microsoft Office are built for productivity, and they work even better when you really know what you’re doing. Below are a handful of the best tricks I’ve picked up from years of using this software. Maybe they can unlock some extra time in your day.
Quick privacy tip: Task Manager on a Windows PC and Activity Monitor on a Mac can give you an overview of everything happening on your machine. On a PC, hit Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Click the Processes tab. On a Mac, hit Cmd + spacebar to open Spotlight Search. Then, type Activity Monitor and press Enter. See anything weird? Google it before you panic.
See if your genius idea already exists: Google Patents has the full text of more than 120 million patents from around the world. Weird patent of the day: This one from Russia for fake cheese.
Permission revoked: Can’t remember which permissions you’ve given to which apps on your Android phone or tablet? There’s an easy way to check. From Settings, tap Security and privacy > Privacy > Permission manager.
Airplane mode for the movies: Wear an Apple Watch? Theater mode silences your notifications when you don’t want your watch to light up or make a sound. Swipe up from your control center and tap on the Theater mode button (it looks like a happy face and a sad face side by side).
📄 Talk data to me: OpenAI paid users can upload a mountain of PDFs, data files and images. It will spit out a full analysis in moments — something that might take a human team months. It’ll even answer questions and generate charts, too.
Principle of least privilege: Business owners, ask your IT folks if your accounts are set up this way. It means users and systems only get access to what they need to get their tasks done. It’s a simple way to keep your info safe.
Wi-Fi master: Angry IP Scanner keeps track of everything connected to your network. It scans for IP addresses and other information about the devices connected. It helps troubleshoot tech issues and catch hackers or moochers since it pinpoints unknown or suspicious devices.
🦄 Two’s company, but three’s a cloud: Duplicate photos eat up so much storage on our phones. They might be exact duplicates or pics so similar, they might as well be. There are built-in ways to clear them out on your iPhone and Android.