502 tips · new ones added continuously
Every tip is one concrete thing you will do better or faster. Filter by what you use and who you are — or just search.
Forgot sudo? Don't retype the command: “sudo !!” reruns it with admin rights. And “!$” inserts the last argument from the previous line.
Dragging a file from File Explorer or Finder into a terminal window inserts its full path — correctly quoted, without a single typo.
Open the current folder from the terminal in your graphical file manager with one command: “open .” on a Mac, “explorer.exe .” on Windows and in WSL.
Jumping between two directories? You don't have to type the full paths back and forth — “cd -” always jumps to the previous folder.
One command uploads your public key to a server — from then on you log in without a password, faster and more securely.
The file ~/.ssh/config remembers addresses, usernames, ports, and keys for you. Connecting to a server shrinks down to two words.
Need to get files onto another device on the same network? Python turns any folder into a downloadable web page.
Exam slots fill up within minutes. A reminder set to the exact moment registration opens decides whether you plan your exam period, or take whatever's left.
For subscriptions through the App Store or Google Play, you can cancel the trial a minute after activating it: it still runs to the end, and nothing gets charged. Elsewhere, a reminder does the job.
Before a meeting or a coworker pulls you away, write one sentence: what you're doing and what the next step is. Coming back then takes seconds, not a quarter hour.
Build your own Quick Action in the Shortcuts app in five minutes — select photos, right-click, and they're the right size for email.
Does an invoice belong in the project folder and in accounting? Tags solve the age-old dilemma of where to save a file — it can show up in more than one place at once.
An urgent fix comes in and your code is half-finished? git stash tucks it away in a drawer, git stash pop brings it back. No half-baked commits.
Bad reset, deleted branch, a rebase gone wrong? git reflog shows the history of everywhere HEAD has been — and lost commits can be brought back.
Files from your system and editor don't belong in every project's .gitignore. Set up a global ignore file instead — it applies to every repository.
A forgotten file or a typo in the message doesn't need a new commit. --amend rewrites the last one, as if the mistake never happened.
One file has both a bug fix and an unrelated cleanup? git add -p walks through the changes chunk by chunk and asks what belongs in the commit.
Put the meeting window on the monitor with the camera, notes and materials on the other. You look people in the eye, never share anything private, and minutes write themselves.
An insurance claim or a warranty issue comes up once a year — which is exactly why you can never find the paperwork. One cloud folder shared with your partner fixes it for good.
The most effective note-taking format doesn't need a template: fold a margin for questions and leave a line at the bottom for a summary. Your notes turn themselves into a practice test.
You don't have to painfully recall every subscription you're paying for — searching payment confirmations in your inbox plus two system screens puts the list together in ten minutes.
Every PDF opens in Edge even though you read PDFs elsewhere. Photos open in an app you never chose. Two minutes in Settings → Default apps and files start opening where you actually want them.
Send a file to the computer next to you without a cable, email, or a flash drive: Nearby Share sends it directly, over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Most people don't know it exists.
Your computer takes minutes to boot because a dozen apps you don't need wake up with it. Turning them off in Settings takes five minutes — and it's permanent.
A notification in the middle of a shared screen is a nightmare. Windows can turn on Do Not Disturb automatically while presenting, gaming, or at set hours.
Client onboarding, publishing an article, the monthly close — a repeated process without a checklist means forgetting something, every time.
On Friday or Sunday, go through your calendar, tasks, and notes — close out loose ends, plan three priorities. Monday starts with clarity.
Not a list of twenty items, but three things that absolutely must get done today. Everything else is a bonus.
A task with no time attached is just a wish. Drag your tasks into concrete calendar slots — and give your day a budget, like money.
Five minutes at the end of work: write down loose ends, glance at tomorrow, close the laptop. Work stays at work — even in your head.