Upgrade Your Life and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Start reading Upgrade Your Life on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 

Upgrade Your Life: The Lifehacker Guide to Working Smarter, Faster, Better [Paperback]

Gina Trapani
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Free Two-Day Shipping for College Students with Amazon Student

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition $19.99  
Paperback --  
Shop the new tech.book(store)
New! Introducing the tech.book(store), a hub for Software Developers and Architects, Networking Administrators, TPMs, and other technology professionals to find highly-rated and highly-relevant career resources. Shop books on programming and big data, or read this week's blog posts by authors and thought-leaders in the tech industry. > Shop now
There is a newer edition of this item:
Lifehacker: The Guide to Working Smarter, Faster, and Better Lifehacker: The Guide to Working Smarter, Faster, and Better 4.6 out of 5 stars (43)
$18.37
In Stock.

Book Description

March 17, 2008 0470238364 978-0470238363 2
Whether you?re a Mac or Windows user, there are tricks here for you in this helpful resource. You?ll feast on this buffet of new shortcuts to make technology your ally instead of your adversary, so you can spend more time getting things done and less time fiddling with your computer. You?ll learn valuable ways to upgrade your life so that you can work?and live?more efficiently, such as: empty your e-mail inbox, search the Web in three keystrokes, securely save Web site passwords, automatically back up your files, and many more.


Editorial Reviews

Review

"A productivity manual-slash-computer book, this book is packed full of tips...Buy this book. Immediately." Photo Pro June 2008 "Easy to dip in and out of, you won't fail find something here that will speed up your work.".net August 2008

From the Back Cover

Spend more time getting things done and less time fiddling with your computer

This book isn't a computer user manual, and it isn't a productivity system. It's a mashup of both. It's where you learn to practice big-picture productivity methods on your very own computer desktop. Whether you're a Mac or Windows user, know only enough to get by or are the family tech support geek, there are tricks here for you. Whether or not you've been turbocharging your day with the tips from Gina's first Lifehacker book, you'll feast on this buffet of new shortcuts to make technology your ally instead of your adversary.

A dozen ways to upgrade your life:

  • Hack 1: Empty your email inbox
  • Hack 14: Instantly recall all your different passwords
  • Hack 22: Make your to-do list doable
  • Hack 29: Turn tasks into gameplay
  • Hack 45: Search the Web in three keystrokes
  • Hack 55: Securely save web site passwords
  • Hack 56: Become a scheduling black belt
  • Hack 59: Automatically back up your files
  • Hack 75: Remote-control your home computer
  • Hack 86: Supercharge your Firefox downloads
  • Hack 111: Synchronize folders between computers
  • Hack 114: Have your Mac and Windows too

Companion Web site
At http://lifehackerbook.com you'll find hack updates, additional information, and more tips and tricks.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 480 pages
  • Publisher: Wiley; 2 edition (March 17, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0470238364
  • ISBN-13: 978-0470238363
  • Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1 x 9.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #473,493 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gina Trapani is the award-winning author, blogger, and programmer whose work translates cutting-edge technology into insights that boost personal productivity. Currently located in San Diego, CA, Gina leads development on ThinkUp, an open source social media insights engine the White House uses. She created Todo.txt apps, a text-based personal task manager, and Narrow the Gapp, a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data-driven web site about the gender pay gap. Gina was the founding editor of Lifehacker, the seminal productivity blog which garnered nominations for Blog of the Decade and yielded the best-selling book, Lifehacker, which is now in its third edition.

Her writing has appeared in The Harvard Business Review, Wired, CNN.com, PC World, Fast Company, Maximum PC, and Macworld magazines. Profiles of Gina's work have appeared in venues ranging from The Wall Street Journal to The New York Times. Fast Company named her one of the Most Influential Women in Technology in 2009 and 2010, and Wired magazine awarded her its prestigious Rave Award in 2006.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
78 of 82 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The book will pay for itself April 8, 2008
Format:Paperback
I've read the entire book and implemented quite a few of the Hacks in my daily routine. Based on the amount of time I've already saved in just a few weeks, this book has easily paid for itself 2 or 3 times.

Some of the specific Hacks that I'm using and their results:

* Email Control - My Inbox is empty and I've finally got my email under control with filters and the 3-folders system created (I added a 4th folder - Print - for emails that I want a hard copy of but my laptop isn't connected to my printer)

* Digital Photos - I've got all my photos tagged and organized for fast searches

* Repetitive Typing - how did I ever get along without Texter???

* Google Calendar - I love using my mobile phone to update my calendar when I'm on the road or need to post a quick reminder that Calendar will email and text me.

I've still got a few things from the book on my To-Do List:

* Get my bookmarks moved over to del.icio.us as described in the book
* Setup my automated data backup to my external hard drive (I do it manually right now)

Gina's written a great book that really works. The book is platform independent and she tells you when something is Mac or Windows specific. She also lets you know the skill level (Easy, Medium, Advanced) that a Hack will require.

I enjoyed reading it and will probably go through it again soon to make sure I've implemented any hacks that can make my life easier - I'm sure I missed a few.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
42 of 44 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The second edition is just as good as the first... July 31, 2008
Format:Paperback
I remember reading the first edition of Gina Trapani's Upgrade Your Life: The Lifehacker Guide to Working Smarter, Faster, Better and thinking how wonderful it was. Of course, when the second edition came out, I had to get that one too. And as with the first one, I have all sorts of post-it notes scattered throughout the book for reference and "go back and try this" notes. Well worth the time and money you spend here.

Contents:
Control Your Email; Organize Your Data; Trick Yourself into Getting Done; Clear Your Mind; Firewall Your Attention; Streamline Common Tasks; Automate Repetitive Tasks; Get Your Data To Go; Master The Web; Hone Your Computer Survival Skills; Manage Multiple Computers; Index

Over the span of the chapters above, Trapani presents 116 different "hacks" that you can incorporate into your daily computer life to, well... work smarter, faster, and better. As with most books that are a compilation of different tips, some will resonate strongly with your current needs, while others are skimming material that may not be relevant. For instance, the hacks in the first chapter, Organize Your Data, hit home. I'm working towards consolidating multiple email addresses with Gmail, and I'm cutting down the number of folders I have, relying on search to find what I need. Master The Web also had some cool tricks, like having multiple home pages in Firefox and using Google Notebook for web clippings. I wasn't quite into the Managing Multiple Computers as much, as my current setup doesn't call for that. Still, it's good information to have around should you need it at a later time.

I actually found a couple different things occurring as I read through the material. There were hacks where some software was presented that did a certain task, and I'd realize I've been looking for something just like that. Similar to scratching an itch that you couldn't quite reach. Then there were the hacks that opened your eyes to whole areas you didn't even know you needed. Let's call that finding AND scratching the itch you didn't know you had five minutes prior. After going through some of the Automate Repetitive Tasks hacks, I have started to look at a lot of things I do with a view towards eliminating the manual repetitive effort that I just accepted as necessary before.

I highly recommend this book to everyone who spends most of their waking hours in front of a computer, and/or earn their living in front of one. Taking away even a small handful of nuggets can radically change the way you do things.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a collection of hints, tips and hacks for the technologically inclined. Areas covered are email, organizing your data, tricks to overcome your procrastination, clearing your mind, focusing your attention, streamlining common tasks, mastering the web, honing your computer survival skills and managing multiple computers.

Not at all ironically, the people for whom this book will be most useful - real geeks - will already know some, not all, of these things. I am most definitely a geek, but I did learn many new things and happy for that.

In some ways, the book will a half-loaf for many. There's a lot of Macintosh stuff that will not be helpful to Windows users and vice-versa. There's Windows Vista material that will not be useful to those (most of us, perhaps?) who are sticking with Windows XP. But this is not a major problem: the book has so much good stuff in it, that there is plenty for everyone.

Trapani's writing style is wonderfully clear, direct and concise.

Overall, other than calling it useful, versatile, eclectic and well-done, this book is difficult to classify. It merges real life (remembering to pick up the milk) with the technical (setting up a VPN) and lots, lots more. It is definitely a fun book to browse, packed with lots of great information.

A very worthwhile addition to your library.

Jerry
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Should have got it sooner!!!
This will help as I start a new job. Great tricks and tips for managing everyday life. Everything from your inbox to your music.
Published 21 months ago by C. Prevatte
5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive Hacks makes Cyber-Life Better!
Gina Tapani and her team really know their stuff. This do-able list of Hacks really demonstrates the hidden power of fine tuning applications and systems. Read more
Published on October 2, 2010 by Santos Garcia, Jr.
4.0 out of 5 stars Out of date, but still many good tips here.
An unavoidable problem with writing any tech book is how quickly they get outdated, and this book is no exception. Read more
Published on July 13, 2010 by Matt Brown
4.0 out of 5 stars It delivers
This book is packed with tons of great ideas and tricks to get more done and understand why you own a computer, which sometimes is hard to answer. I highly recommend it.
Published on February 6, 2010 by Kevin B.
5.0 out of 5 stars Even better than the website
This book is about what Gina told in an [...] blog, the three things she would teach in a Lifehacker MBA course would be:
- how to install a personal organization system,... Read more
Published on October 24, 2009 by Imre Oliver KOZAK
5.0 out of 5 stars Worth its weight in iPhones
I was a big fan of the first edition of Gina's LifeHacker. "Upgrade Your Life" is the expanded, revised, resized and renamed Second Edition, which should make it more accessible... Read more
Published on June 3, 2009 by James
4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book of Common Sense Tips for Nerds Like Me
I read through this book over the course of a few days and highlighted everything that pertains to my workflow. Read more
Published on May 17, 2009 by Monalia Ventress
2.0 out of 5 stars save your time
better off as an article . the point is well made but the book is often redundant .
Published on May 16, 2009 by Murry Zborowski
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Tips for Your Computer and Regular Life
Excellent book. Upgrade Your Life contains an abundance of sensible tips and tricks for anyone who uses a computer on a regular basis and would like to be more efficient. Read more
Published on March 24, 2009 by V. Garcia
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Ideas and then some
First I have been working diligently on de cluttering my personal and business life. I have read so many simplifying and de-cluttering and efficiency books I almost have a clutter... Read more
Published on March 8, 2009 by C. Hargrave
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Forums

Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions

Topic From this Discussion
Price? Be the first to reply
More of the same? Be the first to reply
Kindle edition?
According to Lifehacker, the publisher is going to add a Kindle addition in "a few weeks." Reference here: http://lifehacker.com/365680/upgrade-your-life-now-shipping-from-amazon .
Mar 11, 2008 by Richard Hay |  See all 4 posts
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 






Look for Similar Items by Category