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Posted by Meredith Dietz

https://lifehacker.com/track-all-your-new-years-resolutions-with-a-ridiculously-detailed-spreadsheet?utm_medium=RSS

New Year's Eve is my favorite holiday. I love a designated time to look forward and to reflect back, ideally while getting tipsy with friends. The turn of a new year is also a time when I’m grateful for my habit of writing down every little thing—and I don’t just mean getting my thoughts and feelings down in a journal. I’m talking about tracking every book read, every mile run, and every beer crushed (approximately). So if you’re interested in documenting your life—and you should be!—I highly recommend using a wonderfully detailed spreadsheet.

I’m not talking about bullet journaling (which can be cool, but which I find too artistically daunting). I simply create a Google sheet full of different color-coded tabs so that I can track any number of ways to measure a year. From the most thorough travel plans to your fitness journey, if you have a goal, that goal needs a spreadsheet tab.

It’s a fun, slightly nerdy technique that helps me visualize my life in a way that traditional journaling can’t. Here’s why I think this year, you should start your own spreadsheet to track all the little things in your life.

How to turn anything into a trackable achievement

The spreadsheet journal is perfect for us freaks who like to combine sentimentalism with statistics. Whatever metrics you choose to jot down, you can frame them around a sense of accomplishment. Your smart watch can track how many steps you’ve taken. A spreadsheet journal, however, is where you can appreciate how many steps you’ve achieved. From there, you can have fun with the numbers, converting those steps into miles or finding patterns over time or in whatever suits your nerdy brain.

Go wild. Create different tabs dedicated to different areas of your life, so you can appreciate how much you have going on. I’ll throw around some ideas below, but at the end of the day, this technique is really about recognizing the value in every little number that defines your life. It sounds counterintuitive, but please, don’t get too caught up in the details.

The core philosophy: track everything, judge nothing

The foundation of my system comes down to three main principles:

Radical honesty without shame. Every entry is data, not a judgment. Missed a week of workouts? Log it. The spreadsheet reveals patterns—maybe you always skip exercise when work gets stressful—which lets you plan around obstacles instead of feeling guilty about them.

Micro-goals over macro-dreams. Break each resolution into the smallest possible action. "Write a book" becomes "write 250 words daily." These micro-goals are easy to track, hard to rationalize away, and create momentum through small wins.

Weekly reviews, monthly adjustments. You'll spend 10 minutes every Sunday reviewing your data and 30 minutes at month's end analyzing trends and tweaking your approach. This prevents the "check back in December" trap where you discover too late that nothing worked.

How to create your own tracking spreadsheet

First things first: Choose your spreadsheet software. I opt for the ease of Google Sheets, but I understand you might have some privacy concerns there. Or maybe you’re simply a master at Excel. The main takeaway is to create one master file with as many different tabs as you see fit. Include tabs tracking your health/fitness goals, books/movies/TV you’ve consumed, your finances/budgeting, and whatever else is significant to you:

• Hours slept

• Miles walked

• Concerts attended

• Movies watched

• Books started

• Books finished

• Date nights

• Places traveled

• Gifts given

• Thank-you notes sent

• Time spent in traffic

• Playlists created

Make sure you include a column for adding notes to your entries—some personal commentary to spice up the statistics.

Use this template to help get started

I've created a barebones template you can download here. It has some starter tabs to get started: a resolution dashboard, daily habit tracker, and weekly review template. Following these templates, you could add a monthly deep dive, or even more detailed activity logs.

Resolution dashboard

The resolution dashboard is your command center, providing an at-a-glance view of all goals. My sample columns include:

• Resolution Name: Be specific. Your goal may be to "get healthy," but somewhere you need to write down a specific action item, like "complete 150 workouts this year."

• Category: Physical, Professional, Financial, Personal, Social, Creative.

• Target Metric: The number you're chasing (150 workouts, 24 books, $10,000 saved).

• Current Progress: Updated weekly with your actual numbers.

• Completion %: A simple formula dividing current by target, if applicable.

• Weekly Average Needed: Calculates how much you need to do weekly to hit your annual goal.

• Status: On Track (green), At Risk (yellow), Behind (red)—use conditional formatting.

For example, if your resolution is "Read 24 books this year" and you're in week 15 with 8 books completed, your completion percentage is 33%, you're reading 0.53 books per week, and you need 0.43 books weekly to finish on time. The status would show green because you're ahead of pace.

Daily habit tracker

This is where consistency lives. For 2026, I start my timeline on Jan. 5, since it's the first Monday of the new year. In a grid with dates across the top, I have daily habits going down the left side. Each habit gets a row where you mark completion with an X, checkmark, or the actual number achieved.

Daily habits should be small and specific: "10 minutes meditation," "2 liters of water," "no phone before 9am," "practice Spanish for 15 minutes," "write 250 words." Don't track more than 5-7 habits here—this is about sustainable daily practices, not overwhelming yourself.

Use color coding: green for completed, red for missed, yellow for partial completion. At the end of each row, you could create columns for weekly streaks, longest streak this year, and completion percentage. These metrics gamify the process and make patterns visible. If you notice you always miss meditation on Wednesdays, you can investigate why and adjust.

Weekly review template

Every Sunday, spend 10 minutes completing this structured reflection:

Wins This Week: List 3-5 specific accomplishments, no matter how small. "Worked out Monday and Thursday" counts. "Saved $50 by cooking instead of ordering out" counts. This section fights the negativity bias that makes us forget progress.

Challenges Faced: What obstacles came up? "Too tired after work for gym" or "Got distracted by social media during writing time." Be honest and specific.

Pattern Recognition: After a few weeks, you'll notice trends. "I always skip workouts when I have early meetings—need to switch to evening gym sessions." These insights are gold.

Adjustments for Next Week: Based on challenges and patterns, what will you change? Maybe you'll prep gym clothes the night before, or set a social media blocker during writing hours.

Energy and Motivation Level (1-10): Track your overall state. If you notice motivation plummeting, you can proactively adjust expectations or seek support before completely derailing.

Beyond these three main tabs, I've also included even simpler activity trackers with the drop-down menus and color-coding I personally use to track my travel, books read, and running.

How to maximize your spreadsheet

You can dedicate a column in each tab for jotting down miscellaneous notes, but for the sake of tidiness, make sure not to overfill your boxes with text. It also helps to stay consistent with your formatting—e.g. bolding the header of each metric. I color code at whim. For instance, as a stand-up comedian, I keep track of all my shows with a specific color to mark how I felt about them: Shades of green mean the show went well, and shades of red mean the show...did not go well. In times where it looks like everything in my life is red, it’s nice to be able to shift my gaze to all the green, too. Perspective!

I recommend getting started with just one sheet: a weekly habit tracker for 3-4 habits you genuinely want to build. Commit to tracking honestly for four weeks without judgment. At the end of the month, review your completion rates and patterns. This low-stakes beginning helps you learn the rhythm without overwhelming yourself.

At the end of the year, you’ll be able to use all that data to visualize both the big and the little things in your life over the 12 months prior. At a glance, you’ll be able to pat yourself on the back for how successfully you cut back on caffeine, or upped your time outdoors, or improved your books-started to books-completed ratio. Ultimately, my own spreadsheet is about appreciating all the little things in my life, even if I do so in one of the nerdiest ways imaginable.

https://lifehacker.com/track-all-your-new-years-resolutions-with-a-ridiculously-detailed-spreadsheet?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Daniel Oropeza

https://lifehacker.com/tech/amazon-deal-of-the-day-sonos-era-100-speaker?utm_medium=RSS

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

The Sonos Era 100 is an improved version of the Sonos One, with much more powerful bass and other upgrades that make it one of the best multi-room smart speakers you can buy. It's currently at its lowest price ever—$169 (originally $249 at launch)—according to price-tracking tools. Most of the other Sonos speakers are also seeing their lowest prices right now.

Sonos Era 100

$169.00 at Amazon

$249.00 Save $80.00

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Get Deal

$169.00 at Amazon

$249.00 Save $80.00

The Sonos Era 100 came out in early 2023 and received an "excellent" review from PCMag for its ability to create stereo audio with a single device (it has a dual tweeter setup); its balanced audio; the useful companion app that allows you to adjust the EQ; its ability to connect with Bluetooth and wifi; Alexa and Sonos voice integration; and compatibility with most major music streaming services. As it is still a single speaker, the stereo effect won't match a true stereo setup, but it's a good approximation and an improvement over previous Sonos speakers.

The real point of differentiation for the Sonos Era 100 (and most Sonos speakers, for that matter) is the ability to seamlessly group with other Sonos speakers that you own. Sonos makes it easy to handle multi-room pairing (lets you play your music in multiple Sonos speakers in different rooms) without needing to connect to your wifi over and over again.

Back when the speaker first launched, it only supported Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and Pandora—with Spotify a notable omission. However, Spotify and other music services are now available. The Sonos voice assistant is still limited in capability, with no Google Assistant or Google Cast integration, and the speaker also doesn't support Dolby Atmos, which is disappointing for a device at this price level.

Caveats aside, if you're looking for a stationary smart speaker with great audio that can easily connect with other Sonos speakers you own or might add in the future (they also work as rear speakers with a Sonos soundbar), the Sonos Era 100 is a great choice—especially at its lowest price.

https://lifehacker.com/tech/amazon-deal-of-the-day-sonos-era-100-speaker?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Lindsey Ellefson

https://lifehacker.com/work/how-to-use-the-flow-state?utm_medium=RSS

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You hear people talk about working in a “flow state,” but what does that even mean? before you start thinking of it as one of those corporate jargon phrases that gets tossed around so much it loses any meaning it ever had, it's worth knowing that it's a "real" thing, backed up by a whole lot of psychological research. In essence, being in a flow state enables you to work more efficiently and effectively at whatever you're focused on.

What is flow theory?

Psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi came up with this theory in 1970, suggesting a flow state is similar to when someone is floating along, being carried by water: Their brains are working so efficiently they’re moving straight ahead on a task with no issues, almost as if they are being propelled forward. 

He spent his time interviewing artists and athletes at the top of their game to understand when and how they performed optimally—and how everyday people can tap into a “flow” state, too. He wrote several books on the topic, but for our purposes here, you don't need to ingest all of them. What's most important is to understand the eight main traits of flow theory.

The basics of flow theory

Csíkszentmihályi’s work ultimately describes eight clear characteristics of being in flow:

1. You’re completely concentrated on your task.

2. You have clarity around goals in your mind and can get immediate feedback.

3. Time feels like it's transforming, either speeding up or slowing down.

4. The work is intrinsically rewarding.

5. There is a sense of effortlessness or ease.

6. The work is challenging, but you have the skills for it.

7. You are not self-conscious; actions and awareness are working together.

8. You feel you have control over the task.

This may remind you of the concept of “deep work,” which is author/professor Cal Newport’s definition of doing demanding tasks when you’re fully engrossed in them and not distracted. The two concepts are similar, but to achieve either, there are a few things you need to do. It’s clear from the list of flow characteristics above that mastery and resources play a big role in whether you'll feel you’re in a flow state when you're working. Obviously you’ll likely only hit this state if you’re doing something you’re completely prepared for, so don’t aim for it if you’re going to be doing something that requires contributions from other people, resources you don’t have, or skills you don’t possess. You can be ripped from it quickly if, say, you're waiting around for a colleague to email you something you need for the project, which can destabilize your whole day. (For a better understanding of that, it's worth familiarizing yourself with the difference between downtime and idle time.)

When you are trying to hit a flow state, plan around when you need to do a major, demanding task. For instance, when planning your 1-3-5 to-do list for the day, your one big task should be one you’re fully prepared and have all the resources for. Keep Carlson’s Law—the idea that any work you attempt to do while distracted will be suboptimal—in mind, too; you can’t work, let alone flow, if you’re being pulled in multiple directions, so schedule the time you’re going to take on your big task to coincide with a time when you have nothing else going on and can give it your full attention. Use timeboxing to allocate this time in your schedule, minute by minute, and, if you can, make your calendar publicly visible so people in your organization know you’re not available.

When I explored adopting this mindset in my own life, I found that my biggest blocker was dealing with distractions, especially from my phone (no surprise there). Almost counterintuitively, I found two apps to be helpful: Steppin, which blocks my access to distracting apps unless I trade time I've banked by walking around in the real world; and Focus Pomo, which blocks all other apps whenever I'm in a "focus session."

So, if you’re working hard on something but don’t feel like you’re achieving any kind of flow state, refer back to the list of characteristics to see what’s missing. Are you distracted? Do you not have the option to get immediate feedback? Are you lacking a necessary resource? Is the work too challenging for your skills or maybe even not challenging enough to keep your attention? Identifying which characteristic you’re lacking most will help you fix the problem and get you closer to flowing your way to major productivity.

https://lifehacker.com/work/how-to-use-the-flow-state?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Stephen Johnson

https://lifehacker.com/entertainment/what-people-are-getting-wrong-this-week-christmas-myths?utm_medium=RSS

Season's greetings and all that. In honor of this most special time of the year, I'm taking a look at commonly held Christmas myths and misconceptions. I busted a ton of Jesus myths a couple weeks ago, then got secular and finally revealed the truth about Santa Claus, so this week I'm doing a round-up of seasonal misinformation, both religious and secular.

Religious Christmas myths

Jesus was born in a stable

The Gospels aren't specific about where where Jesus was born, other than "Bethlehem." Here's how Luke 2:4–7 is traditionally translated: "And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." But that isn't entirely accurate, because it turns out Greek word καταλυμα (kataluma) doesn't mean "inn." It means something closer to "spare room," and since the holy family was in Bethlehem because it was where Joseph was from, it seems more likely that they were crashing at a friend or relative's place, all the bedrooms upstairs were taken, so they were sleeping downstairs, where people kept the animals—hence, the manger. The stable idea likely stuck because it’s visually simple and works well for nativity scenes, and it's in keeping with the point of the story: Jesus was born in humble circumstance.

Three wise men attended Jesus' birth

The Gospel of Matthew says King Herod told an unspecified number of "wise men" (or Magi) to go to Bethlehem, because a star appeared heralding the birth of the Messiah. So they went off to find him to bring him gifts. We don't know how many of said wise men went to Bethlehem or how long it took them to get there, but Matthew 2:11 says they visited a house. The Bible does say they brought gold, frankincense and myrrh, so at least that part is right.

Calling it "Xmas" is attempting to cross the "Christ" out of "Christmas"

This is a weird one, but a lot of Christians think the use of "Xmas" is part of the ongoing secular War on Christmas, but it isn't. In the Greek New Testament, the word for Christ is "ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ." Using XP or X to indicate Christ dates back to early Christians writing in Greek, and it was used in English writing, too. Something like Xmas (Xp̄es mæsse) was written as early as 1100 a.d. to indicate "Christ's Mass" or Christmas. That was centuries before secular Christmas even existed.

Secular Christmas myths

"Jingle Bells" is a Christmas song

"Jingle Bells" is not a Christmas song—technically. Even though it's probably the song most widely associated with the holiday, there's no mention of Christmas in the lyrics. It's just a song about how much fun it is to go a'riding in a one-horse, open sleigh. (Another common misconception about "Jingle Bells" is that it was written for Thanksgiving. That's not true either.)

Like a lot of history, "Jingle Bells" is more troubling than you might think. It was written by James Pierpont and first performed at a minstrel show in 1857. Sleigh riding is a great subject for songs, so there was a whole subgenre of minstrel songs about it, some more racist than others, and "Jingle Bells" is the one that survived.

Other Christmas songs that don't mention the holiday include "Let It Snow," "Winter Wonderland," "Baby, It's Cold Outside," "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," "Home for the Holidays," and "Frosty the Snowman." Technically, none of these are Christmas songs if you use the most strict definition of "Christmas song," but on the other hand, they're songs everyone sings around Christmas, and they're generally about winter fun and holidays and whatnot, so there's a strong argument that they actually are Christmas songs. It's the kind of thing you can decide for yourself.

Boxing Day is for boxing up gifts you're going to return

December 26 is called "Boxing Day," and a lot of people think it got the name because that's the day we box up presents we don't want and return them to the store. But the holiday originated in England and it was a day that rich people would give their servants the day off and a box of presents, and/or just give some presents or donations to local unfortunates.

Mrs. Claus' first name

We know Mr. Claus' first name is "Santa," but what about his wife? It turns out she doesn't have a first name. Santa's source material, St. Nicolas, was a Catholic bishop, so he didn't have a wife. The collective unconscious filled in the details of Santa Claus as a mythical figure (The North Pole home, the worker elves, etc.) but no one ever gave Mrs. Claus a name that stuck.

Here are a few attempts, though: in 1985 film Santa Claus: The Movie Mrs. Claus is named "Anya." She's called "Margaret" in the 2011 movie Arthur Christmas. She's named "Carol" in the Santa Clause movies (but in that mythology, she will be replaced when she dies). These are all one-offs, but there's one Mrs. Claus name that has a few data points backing it up: Jessica.

Reportedly, the creators of the 1970's stop-motion film Santa Claus is Comin' to Town called Mrs. Claus' character "Jessica," although she's not referred to as that in the movie. Ryan Reynolds called Mrs. Claus "Jessica" on Instagram. Most importantly, this random little girl in 1974 said Mrs. Claus' name is Jessica, so I'm going with that one.

https://lifehacker.com/entertainment/what-people-are-getting-wrong-this-week-christmas-myths?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Pradershika Sharma

https://lifehacker.com/tech/lg-45gx950a-b-ultragear-oled-monitor-sale-december-2025?utm_medium=RSS

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

At just under $1,460 on Amazon right now (down from $1,999.99), the LG 45GX950A-B Ultragear OLED is still a major investment, but a serious one for anyone who cares about pixel density, immersion, and future-proof display tech.

LG 45GX950A-B Ultragear OLED Monitor

$1,459.93 at Amazon

$1,999.99 Save $540.06

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$1,459.93 at Amazon

$1,999.99 Save $540.06

You’re looking at a 45-inch ultrawide curved OLED screen with a resolution of 5120 x 2160, which puts it in rare territory. It doesn’t just look good; it’s one of the only displays of this size and shape that offers this much clarity, according to PCMag’s “excellent” review. Compared to more extreme 32:9 panels, its 21:9 aspect ratio feels a little more natural for everyday use and offers more usable vertical space. Whether you’re gaming or multitasking, that extra resolution pays off in clean text, sharper details, and more visible screen real estate.

The curved 800R OLED panel of the 45GX950A-B is paired with a 165Hz refresh rate at full resolution and can go up to 330Hz if you drop the resolution down to 1080p. Add in DisplayPort 2.1, two HDMI 2.1 ports, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and G-Sync compatibility, and this thing is clearly built for performance. Input lag numbers back it up, with sub-10ms results in most tested modes. The monitor also supports multiple display modes depending on your use case, like a 4K 16:9 mode at 37 inches if you're watching movies or need tighter framing. The stand is solid, adjustable, and surprisingly desk-friendly for a monitor this large, and the USB-C port with 90W power delivery is a nice touch for anyone using it with a laptop setup.

Still, it’s not a monitor for everyone. The rated brightness is only 275 nits, which means it won’t pop in sunlit rooms the way some Mini LED or IPS panels do. And while it does have internal speakers with a bit of bass, they’re not loud enough to carry a room—headphones are still the way to go. But if you’ve got the desk space, GPU power, and budget, the 45GX950A-B might be the best way to go big without going full TV.

https://lifehacker.com/tech/lg-45gx950a-b-ultragear-oled-monitor-sale-december-2025?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Lindsey Ellefson

https://lifehacker.com/work/increase-productivity-with-power-hour?utm_medium=RSS

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When you think of “power hour,” you might think of a drinking game, but what we’re about to discuss is kind of the opposite of that—sorry! "Power Hour" is also a specific productivity hack. It comes from Adrienne Herbert’s book, Power Hour: How to Focus on Your Goals and Create a Life You Love and asks you to devote an hour a day to working hard on your biggest task—or the thing you care about the most. I'm skeptical of self-help and productivity books in general, but I do recommend this one because its insights are valuable and novel. Don't have time to read it right now? No big deal. The need-to-know concepts are below.

What is a "Power Hour"?

At its core, the Power Hour is about reclaiming part of your daily time and devoting it to something intentional. The author uses flowery language here, saying you should do this in the first hour of your day “before the rest of the world needs your love, attention, and energy,” and suggests using the Power Hour for a task that is meaningful to you. You can adapt it, however, to be for productivity, even on tasks that are more necessary and boring than your passion projects. I am not a particularly saccharine person, so I don't relate to all this stuff about the world needing my "love," but I have found that since I started devoting the first hour of my day to something that matters to me—namely, a strictly scheduled Pilates class that benefits my personal fitness and lifestyle goals, undertaken before my friends are even awake—I have become more productive and, generally, happier. In my experience, this idea works.

Herbert suggests using the first hour of the day for this, but you can also use a time of day that makes most sense for you. Everyone is different and has different “peaks” of productivity, largely determined by the time of day and something called the Yerkes-Dodson Law, which shows that you’re likely to be most productive when you have a little stress (like a deadline) but not too much (like a deadline that’s in 15 minutes). Use time tracking software and a daily journal to figure out when you generally have your most productive moments, then shape your Power Hour around those. For the most part, this is a habit you should try to build and stick to, so putting the Power Hour at a predetermined time every day is advisable; but if something like a big project crops up, you have some wiggle room to move it around to suit your needs. 

To keep using myself as an example, my morning workout Power Hour works because I book my class two days in advance, so there is no question about whether or not I have to wake up at 5 a.m. that day; I simply do. But it can still be a little flexible as long as you are committed to getting the Power Hour in there somewhere on days your typical approach falls short. This weekend, something came up that forced me to cancel my morning class, but you better believe I was in there in the afternoon because I know this method works and I owed it to myself. That mindset will take you far with this.

How to use a Power Hour for productivity

Once you’ve decided where in your day the Power Hour should go, it’s time to get started. You’ll be engaging in deep work here, or uninterrupted work that is solely focused on one task. Your first step to getting there is to block the Power Hour off in a way that both holds you accountable and lets other people know you’re busy. Be sure to mark it in your calendar and stick to it, but also try to include it on public-facing calendars, whether they’re ones you use with your family or with your colleagues. 

Next, you have to get into the deep work, which means focusing for a straight hour. A few things can help you do this: 

• Software that limits distractions, like Steppin, which blocks pre-determined apps at all times but unblocks them in exchange for banked time you earn by walking around in the real world, or Focus Pomo, which blocks all your apps when you're in a "focus session."

• A Pomodoro-style timer to count down the hour so you aren’t watching the clock. (Just make sure it has a full 60-minute option; some of them don’t.)

Or, do what I do and engage in your chosen task in a way that makes it impossible to do anything else. When I am in my morning workout classes, I can't touch my phone or do anything but focus on what I'm being instructed to do; it's just one of the many reasons I've opted for group fitness over solo gym trips lately. If your Power Hour is dedicated to reading, put your devices in another room while you do it. Take meaningful steps to ensure you are only focused on your task, whatever that looks like for you.

Depending on how you usually work, a Power Hour could take some time to get used to, especially if you’re someone who usually multitasks or loses focus. Once you get the hang of it, though, you can use it to blast through all kinds of tasks, whether those include work-related activities, cleaning your house, budgeting, or anything else you lack the time and attention to pull off in a typical day. Communicating that you’re busy and sticking to the schedule are key, so make sure to plan for this before you try it. 

https://lifehacker.com/work/increase-productivity-with-power-hour?utm_medium=RSS