Self-hosting is really a hobby in itself. Once you get the bug, it's hard to stop adding more and more self-hosted services or spending even more money on your home lab setup. Self-hosting also makes several hobbies possible that wouldn't really work without it.

If you haven't used Excel in a while, you may be surprised by how much it has changed. Whether you switched to Google Sheets, moved to open-source software, stayed with an older version, or simply stopped following updates, Microsoft has added features that could dramatically change how you work with spreadsheets.

For years, I accepted Excel's ribbon exactly as Microsoft designed it, even though I only used a fraction of its commands. After spending 10 minutes removing the clutter and reorganizing my favorite tools, I had a personalized workspace that sped up my workflow and stayed with me every time I opened Excel.

After years of using Excel, it's easy to fall into muscle memory. You click the same ribbon tabs, rely on the same shortcuts, and barely notice when Microsoft adds new tools. That's how I initially overlooked Focus Cell, a simple feature that solved one of my biggest frustrations when working in Excel.

Obsidian has hundreds of community plugins—so many that simply browsing the list can feel overwhelming. Most plugins are built for specific workflows, and not every plugin will be useful to everyone.

Muscle memory is hard to shake. If you've spent years in Photoshop, you're not going to have a good time switching to GIMP. It took me three tries to switch over, and even then, tools like PhotoGIMP were incredibly helpful. You're unlearning years of shortcuts and what feels ingrained, which is hard to commit to for a tool you've never used before. If you're on the fence about switching to an alternative, then this tool is exactly what you need.

Excel isn't known for being pretty, but the overlooked IMAGE function changes that. I'd used the IMAGE function before for simple visuals, but I wanted to see how far it could go. So I put it to the test by building a couple of interactive tools, and by the end, my spreadsheets felt more like apps than worksheets.

I use FOSS (free and open-source) tools every day on my Linux machine. But before I started really getting into it, there was one app that changed the way I thought about software to that point: LibreOffice. Discovering it changed my mind about how I use software and I consider it a hidden gem that's hiding in plain sight.

The more I use—and learn about—the command line, the more I want to do in it. Whether it’s playing music, working with a git repository, or browsing the web, if there’s a way it can be done in the terminal, I want to try it.

BitWarden is a fantastic password manager, but if you're averse to recurring costs (especially in the form of subscriptions), the recent price hikes could be difficult to accept.

I have a habit of keeping all my software and files, regardless of whether I use them regularly. I have a sweet deprecated version of Noteworthy Composer (to run on a VM) and a portable version of Reaper that I've been using for years. The modern web and modern services have made it increasingly difficult (ahem, Amazon, ahem) to preserve software and digital purchases. So I preserve my software as much as possible, the same way someone might preserve their family photo albums.

Opening a PDF, reading its contents, and closing the window is one of the most basic tasks you can perform on a computer. It seems as passive as reading a physical piece of paper. In reality, two things are happening behind the scenes that you don't see: your reader is communicating with the software developer, and the document itself may be sending information to whoever drafted it.

When it comes to self-hosted alternatives to Google Photos, it doesn't get much better than Immich. The app is designed to provide a seamless experience for people switching from Google Photos—and it definitely shows.

I’ve spent more hours than I care to admit diagnosing stubborn Windows problems: sluggish laptops, desktop crashes, weird startup behavior, you name it. Over the years, I’ve used plenty of different tools, from flashy “PC optimizers” that promise too much, to hidden system utilities that actually deliver. What I’ve learned is that many of the best ones are lightweight, reliable, and give you a clear view of what’s really happening under the hood, so to speak.

When Brave first appeared on the scene, it built its reputation on being a fast, lightweight, and privacy-focused alternative to Chrome, without any of the bloat. Sadly, over the years, Brave has become bloated itself, adding features such as AI, crypto wallets, rewards, and news feeds that users never asked for. Brave Origin is a new stripped-down version of Brave that removes the bloat, but there's a pretty significant catch.

I spent years fighting Excel's default behavior before realizing many of its biggest annoyances could be fixed in minutes. These buried settings changed the way I work and let me customize Excel to behave exactly how I want. Best of all, I only had to change them once, and Excel remembers my preferences every time I open the program.

In my daily life, I like to take things slow. I take my time, weigh the pros and cons of various decisions, and stop to smell the roses whenever possible (despite being allergic to them). But when it comes to working or doing projects, I like to be efficient. I use shortcuts, custom key bindings, self-hosting, and many other tools that improve my workflow. Here are 6 applications that make my workflow run extremely well.

Most of us use the same handful of Excel commands every day, overlooking features designed to make our spreadsheets easier to manage. This weekend, explore five hidden gems that can change the way you work with Excel.