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Review of Lifehacker: 88 tech tips to turbocharge your day by Gina Trapani

Life is hectic and while conventional wisdom says technology makes our lives more efficient, the time spent learning how to use technology can quickly spiral out of control and consume any free time. Lifehacker by Gina Trapini introduces 88 ways to use technology as a tool to live a productive life.

Trapini writes in the introduction, “This book is a self-help guide for the over-wired and the overwhelmed. Anyone from the technically savvy to the attention-challenged will find something useful in its pages.”

I agree, and even though Lifehacker offers step-by-step tutorials to improve your productivity, it is an idea book as much as a guide book. For example, “Hack 24: Automatically Log Progress in a Spreadsheet” gives you a script that prompts you to record daily weight loss in a spreadsheet without opening Excel. You could easily modify this script to keep track of any number of items, such as the hours spent writing or the miles walked during the day.

The term “life hacks” was coined by technology journalist Danny O’Brien as a way to characterize the processes of hyper-productive technologists. Trapini, writer and web programmer, writes “In January of 2005, I began writing Lifehacker.com, a daily weblog devoted to life hacks.” The book shares a polished version of the best blog entries.

The book divides into ten chapters and each one represents a broad objective. For example, chapter three is titled “Automate Repetitive Tasks” and provides seven hacks to schedule common events. Chapter six outlines nine hacks to “Control Your Email,” while chapter six will “Kickstart Your Productivity” with to-do lists and work logs.

At the end of each chapter, Trapani includes a reference list, so that you can continue to explore the topics covered. The references let us know the hacks covered are inspired by and build upon the works of other people, which in a glimpse encapsulates the collaborative nature of Web 2.0.

Often, a book like Lifehacker excludes users by focusing on a single operating system or a particular skill level. However, Trapani includes hacks for Mac, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Linux, though the book’s jacket excludes Linux. Not all hacks require a computer. “Hack 6: Take Great Notes” focuses on paper and pen methods to record meeting notes and includes a section on how to create custom note paper.

Each hack is rated with the level of expertise required by the user. “Hack 68: Google Like a Pro” lists as an easy level topic, but offers specific search tips for finding information quickly. “Hack 114: Run a Home Web Server” requires a more in-depth technical aptitude or a willingness to learn, so it’s an advanced topic. “Hack 71: Extend Your Web Browser” is a medium level topic that discusses how to extend Firefox’s features by installing extensions.

You can view the book’s table of contents at www.lifehackerbook.com, which provides a link back to the original Lifehacker.com blog post for each hack. Lifehacker merges online and print media successfully, and I recommend both the blog and the book.

Originally published in the Williamsport Sun-Gazette on March 18, 2007