Everyone who works in an office has to deal with meetings. Depending on who's leading them and the tools they use, they can be boring, ego-driven time-wasters where little gets accomplished, or they can be productive working sessions where real decisions get made and people leave with a clear sense of purpose. This week, we're going to look at five of the best tools to make sure your meetings are the latter, based on your nominations. More »

You know what's cooler than having lots of skills? Having skills you can use with one hand tied behind your back. Here are our top 10 tricks that only take 25% of your limbs to accomplish. More »

Wish you were better/smarter/stronger/faster? Sure, hard work helps, but the truth is, your self perception may be getting in the way. We all form our own realities, and those realities aren't perfect. Your self perception can be very limiting, and shaking up your notion of the world can do wonders for your productivity, creativity, and happiness. Here's how to recalibrate your reality. More »

Your phone is already the center of your digital life—it keeps your in touch with friends and family, it's the camera you keep in your pocket, and it's the music and video player you can pull out for entertainment whenever you're bored. Let's take your phone and all of the media you have on it to the next level. Let's turn that phone into a jukebox full of music, movies, and photos that you can play on almost any TV, stereo system, computer, or other device you may come across, whether you're moving from the living room to your bedroom or your house to a friend's place. The technology is already built into your phone and the gear you have at home; all you need to do is unlock it. Here's how. More »

Windows is great. The way Windows installs applications, however, is an out-of-date mess, adding local dependencies and unnecessary cruft to your system. In this day and age, there's no reason to stick with Windows' antediluvian default. What's the alternative? Using portable apps, you can install an app once, have all of the necessary files in one place, and even sync its settings across different machines with Dropbox. Handy, right? Here's how it works, and why you should do it. More »

You want to start your own blog but you don't want to look tacky by using an existing design. Creating your own theme can be daunting, but with some assistance you can have a unique design for your blog in no time. This post will help you put it all together using WordPress, the most popular (and free) blogging software available. More »

When its time to buckle down and get some serious work done, we would hope that you have a go-to productivity method or technique that works best for your workflow. After all, we talk a lot about productivity at Lifehacker, and all of the different techniques you can use to spend more time doing, and less time organizing or thinking about doing. So this week we're going to take a look at five of your favorite productivity techniques, based on reader nominations. More »

Web development and design are two great skills to have because they allow you to work from anywhere and create amazing, beautiful sites and apps. Nonetheless, it can be hard to get started when you don't know what to do. We can help you out with these ten great tips and tools. More »

Linux is a badass open-source operating system. Take it from a card-carrying Linux lover. But it's not without problems. One such problem: There are nearly six hundred different versions of Linux out there—an incredibly overwhelming number to even the most experienced of Linux users. If you've tinkered with Linux a bit and want to move beyond the basics, here's how to narrow down that selection and find the distribution that fits your needs. More »

The Nook Simple Touch is great for reading ebooks. It's got plenty of storage, it's small enough to carry anywhere, can be used with one hand, can hold tons of books, its e-ink display is crisp and easy to read, and most importantly, it runs a skinned and customized version of Android behind Barnes and Noble's interface. I got my hands on one a couple of weeks ago from a friend, and with about a half-hour, some basic tools, and a little patience, I turned my new Nook into a solid starter Android tablet with complete access to the Android Market, Google apps, your email, and the web. Here's how. More »