Designate a Meeting-Free Day to Keep Productivity Up

Unchecked, meetings can be a superfluous time suck. While it's possible to have better than average ones, try setting at least one day per week aside with a complete meeting ban. The idea is that, at least from the perspective of those doing regular creative or productive work, meetings are an interruption. An abnormality to the normal workflow that throws everything off. Managers can sometimes handle this because meetings are their job, but every meeting has to be weighed against the productivity it kills: When you're operating on the maker's schedule, meetings are a disaster. A single meeting can blow a whole afternoon, by breaking it into two pieces each too small to do anything hard in. Plus you have to remember to go to the meeting. That's no problem for someone on the manager's schedule. There's always something coming on the next hour; the only question is what. But when someone on the maker's schedule has a meeting, they have to think about it. Of course, if you're not a manager, there's only so much you can do to dictate meeting schedules. If you're in a situation where your workflow is being interrupted on a daily basis, talk to your bosses to see if your company can institute a no-meeting day policy.

Add "Copy/Move to Folder" to Windows Explorer's Context Menu

There are a hundred ways to copy files from one place to another with Windows Explorer, but copying to another folder from the right-click menu has remained strangely absent. No more! With a simple registry tweak, you can add both a "Copy To folder..." and "Move To folder..." option to the context menu. Seven Forums has download links for both options that will automatically add the necessary registry entries. Just run them once and you're done. Can't get much simpler than that.

Don't Do Research When You Hit Your Writing Groove

Whether you're writing a research paper, a lengthy email, or TPS report, it's easy to get side tracked by a quick Google search to confirm that one detail you need. When that urge comes up, don't give in. As design blog 99u points out, research doesn't need to be integrated into the writing phase of your project. The structure, verbiage, and style of a written piece are distinct elements from the facts. All are important, but each has their place. To quote Cory Doctorow: Researching isn’t writing and vice-versa. When you come to a factual matter that you could google in a matter of seconds, don’t. Don’t give in and look up the length of the Brooklyn Bridge, the population of Rhode Island, or the distance to the Sun. That way lies distraction — an endless click-trance that will turn your 20 minutes of composing into a half-day’s idyll through the web. Instead, do what journalists do: type “TK” where your fact should go, as in “The Brooklyn bridge, all TK feet of it, sailed into the air like a kite.” “TK” appears in very few English words (the one I get tripped up on is “Atkins”) so a quick search through your document for “TK” will tell you whether you have any fact-checking to do afterwards. And your editor and copyeditor will recognize it if you miss it and bring it to your attention. Part of learning to write well is realizing that you don't have to write the words in order for them to be in the right order. If you hit a stride while you're writing, don't ruin it with Google.

Dolphin Browser Releases a Beta with Early Access to new Features

Android: Dolphin Browser, our favorite browser for Android, would like to invite you to become a beta tester. Through the Play Store Beta program, you'll get test versions of the browser through app updates. As with any beta program, some updates might be buggy, but you'll be able to check out the latest features ahead of other users. To sign up: Join the Dolphin Browser Beta Testers Google+ Community Then head to the "Become a tester" page And finally install the beta version of the app from Google Play

The Bay Window Workspace

Giordanobd's workspace is tucked in a little alcove, but the arrangement puts everything within easy reach. And look at all that natural light. In response to last week's featured workspace, Giordanobd writes: I thought I would add my own. It's in my London apartment, the street below connects Leicester Square to Trafalgar Square, so there is always a lot of people—I'm never alone. The curved glass desk looks perfect for this spot, and you can tell by the accessories and such that this is a place where lots of stuff gets done (even with all the people-watching). If you have a workspace of your own to show off, share them with us by: a) posting it in the discussion below, attaching your image to the post, b) posting it to your personal Kinja blog using the tag featured workspace, or c) adding it to our Lifehacker Workspace Show and Tell Flickr pool. Make sure any photos you include are at least 640x360. Keeping them to 16:9 helps, too! Include a little text about the stuff you used, how you came up with the design, and any other relevant details. If your clever organization and good design sense catches our eye, you might be the next featured workspace.

Hacker Challenge: Hack Your Garage or Carport

Welcome to our next Hacker Challenge! Each week, we issue a new challenge. You get until Sunday to prepare your submission and send it to us. That gives you a few days to think about it and a whole weekend to work it up. Our editors pick the best submissions and our favorite will be featured right here on Lifehacker! Ready to get started? This Week's Hacker Challenge: Hack Your Garage or Carport The garage is a versatile place. Sure you can park your cars there. You can also use it for storage, projects, working out, or pretty much anything else. We've shown you how to make a DIY ceiling storage system, a simple garden tool rack, and even how to open your garage door using Siri and a Raspberry Pi. Now, it's your turn. We'd like to see your best garage or carport hack. How to Submit Your Entry Make sure to follow these instructions when you submit your entry: Post your entry below or send it to challenge@lifehacker.com with the subject Hacker Challenge: Garage. If you post your entry below and need to include more than one image, just reply to your own comment or host your extra pics on a free, quick image-hosting site like imgur and link out to your gallery. We will accept entries up through Sunday night, September 15 at 11:59pm Pacific Standard Time We will showcase the best submissions and announce our favorite Tuesday, September 17. So get to work! And don't forget to check back for new challenges every week.

Which New iPhone You Should Get?!

We've already discussed how to pick which of the new iPhones is right for you, but if you aren't sure, our sister site Gizmodo has one recommendation to rule them all. Here's the iPhone you should get if you can't decide which one to get.