I’ve been cutting my own hair since I was in college. I’ve used a lot of different electric hair trimmers, but just recently I got one that has ceramic coated blades. It clips hair much more efficiently than plain steel blades. As a bonus, this one is cordless, making it easier to maneuver. — MF

Tipped off by the comprehensive research at America’s Test Kitchen, I’ve found that the best — really the only — stain remover for laundry that really works is sodium percarbonate, which is a powder you need to mix in water before each use. (No liquid spray works nearly as well.) You then soak garments for 6 hours and wash. It completely removes just about any food stain, even stale ones. There are generic versions available but a proven brand of percarbonate is OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover. — KK

For me, this article on Lifehacker was less about how to make more money and more about how other people are budgeting their income. Five different people share their spending, goals, plans and advice about finances. It’s really refreshing to have a candid conversation about money, even if I wasn’t the one participating in it. Another article about money I found interesting this week was this one in Fast Company. — CD

The Internet Archive has a chrome extension for their Wayback Machine that has become essential to my browsing. I can search through previous versions, lookup domain info and traffic statistics, and I can even look at public tweets linking back to the website. — CD

It’s been true for a while, but some travellers don’t realize that the best currency exchange rates you’ll get will be at a local ATM, even with a fee. It is also by far the most convenient way to change money. I’ve gotten local currency from my debit card in every country I have visited (though not every local ATM will accept foreign cards — look for American credit card logos on the machine as a sign that it will.) I raised the limit on the ATM card to its max since this is my only source of currency. — KK

You can easily look up the meaning of words by entering define:word in your browser’s search bar, like this define:doryphore. — MF

I bought this 13-inch balance disc ($14) to help reduce lower back pain. I use it for about 4 hours a day when I’m sitting at my desk. It keeps me from slumping forward and helps perfect my posture. — CD

I finally upgraded my one-speed cordless driver with a variable speed drill driver ($35). Made by Tacklife it has adjustable torque, and speed is controlled by how much you pull the trigger. A built-in light turns on when you use it. I wish I would have bought this a long time ago. — MF

I collect visual reference books to provoke me when I make things. I recently discovered the work of the prolific illustrator Charley Harper, who in part created the graphic look of the 1950s and 60s. His illustrations are witty, spiffy, and timeless. Many hundreds of his designs have been gathered into a nifty book called Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life. It’s not nostalgia: I get at least 10 new ideas each time I open it. — KK

My favorite way to learn new Photoshop techniques is by watching the Phlearn YouTube channel. I’ve learned how to remove objects, remove backgrounds, touch up skin, remove glare from eyeglasses, and my favorite: how to use the clone stamp tool. — MF

If I’m not confident with how I’ve used an expression, I will google the turn of phrase inside of quotation marks, and if I get Google Books results with similar examples then I know I’ve used it correctly. Lately, I’ve been using Ludwig for the same kind of phrase searches. I like that it gives me back example sentences from different sources like encyclopedias, news and science publications. — CD

I discovered a number of years ago that playing one track of music in an endless loop helped me write the difficult first draft. Some writers and coders use white noise, but another group (I am one) prefer a single musical track in a loop. The kind of music varies by person (I use one specific Russian choir hymn); after a dozen loops the music disappears and what I get is a feeling of comfort, which helps me focus for hours while it repeats. Try it with your song. — KK

Here are a few quotes that keep kicking me. — KK

“If you’re not ready to find exceptional things, you won’t discover them.” — Avi Loeb

“I don’t explain — I explore.” — Marshall McLuhan

“Everywhere I go I find a poet has been there before me.” — Sigmund Freud

“The genius is the one most like himself.” — Thelonious Monk

“There is only one difference between a madman and me. I am not mad.” —Salvador Dali

I bought these dark chocolate bars for my wife as a Christmas present, and now we’re hopelessly hooked. They’re a bit like peanut butter cups, but in bar form, and less sweet. A 4-pack runs $25, but if you order them via Amazon subscribe and save, it’ll cost you $21.25. — MF

I like using Google Calendar’s “month view” to plan my life, and I realized it would be helpful if I could see a weather forecast while I’m scheduling hikes and social outings. The easiest way I found to add a weather calendar was here. Now I have a two-week forecast always visible. — C

In Russian Doll, a video game programmer finds herself in an endless loop of dying and repeating the same day. Each reboot requires her to dig deeper into her own existence, relationships, and trauma to figure out the purpose of the paranormal glitch and try to fix it. It is Groundhog Day meets Twilight Zone meets a life coaching session from hell. It’s great — I finished it in two days. — CD

I am not into management or business books, but this one is an exception: Brave New Work. It’s an intelligent and readable summary of the best practices (so far) in remaking what we used to call “work.” Aaron Dignan evaluates all the crazy ideas (open books, no bosses, etc.) to see which ones are effective in creating organizations that get us to do our best. He distills practical advice, too. — KK

In addition to Recomendo, I also write a newsletter for Institute for the Future, called “News from the Future.” It comes out twice a week and each issue has four or five short news items that are signals of possible futures that await us. Subscribe here. — MF

Ever since I tried Teavana’s Golden Monkey Tea a few years ago, no other tea can compare to its bold flavor. The problem is that 2 ounces cost $22. I’ve tried other, less expensive, brands of golden monkey tea to no avail, but finally found one that is as good as Teavana. It’s called Yunnan Golden Special by Tealyra and 4 ounces cost $15. — MF

These Adirondack chair covers ($22) by Classic Accessories look really good and are made of heavyweight water repellant material. The fabric has handles sewn on so they’re really easy to pull off and put on furniture, which otherwise would be a big deterrent for me. They have a variety of covers to fit all kinds of outdoor furniture. — CD