We’ve shared some simple hacks in a previous episode to improve our productivity as enablers of change. In this episode, we’re going to help you with clever ways to find books on your bookshelf, plug in those pesky USB chargers, and seamlessly copy and paste text in Windows.
Our first tip relates to finding books on a bookshelf. If you’re anything like us, you’ve probably got more than a few books on your bookshelf and finding one can sometimes feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. Fortunately, technology now offers an easy fix. Using our phone’s camera and built-in text recognition, we can take a photo of our bookshelf and let our device identify the titles and authors automatically. This works through optical character recognition (OCR), which scans the spines or covers and turns them into searchable text. On some phones, the Live Text feature even lets us copy this text straight into another document. Once our books are indexed, simply search by title, author, or keyword and the app will pinpoint where the book is. It’s a quick, frustration-free way to organise and navigate even the largest collection—turning a time-consuming task into a few taps on our phone.
Along similar lines, do you ever need to extract text from an image? Doing this is now quick and effortless, thanks to built-in tools and free apps. Whether it’s handwritten notes, a recipe, a presentation slide, or a business card, we can capture and convert the text into editable form without retyping. This saves time, improves accessibility, and keeps information organised. We can use Windows 11’s Snipping Tool (select Text Actions after taking a screenshot), Google Keep’s Grab image text feature, Google Gemini (simply upload an image and ask it to extract the text), or the Copy text and Live Text from image options in Android and iOS camera apps. Opening a picture in Google docs also does a good job of converting an image to text.
Our next tip is about those older style USB charging cables. Have you ever fumbled with a charging plug, trying to figure out which way is up? A simple solution can save us time and frustration: placing a coloured dot on the plug to indicate the right way up. This little hack is really effective, especially for those of us who constantly plug and unplug our devices. Here’s how it works: take a black permanent marker, some liquid paper, or a coloured sticker and place a dot on the top side of the charging plug, so we know which way is up. The next time we need to charge our device, we’ll know instantly which way to insert the plug. No more flipping it around, hoping it fits. Fortunately the newer USB-C charging cables work either way around!
Our next tip is for PC users and is about copying and pasting text. If you’re using a Windows PC, the upgraded clipboard manager in Windows 11 is a simple tool. Gone are the days when we could copy only one thing at a time using Ctrl +C and Ctrl +V. Now, by pressing the Windows logo key + V, we can view a history of copied items, pin frequently used snippets like email templates or phrases, and even sync our clipboard across devices. This makes it easy to pick up where we left off, whether we’re working on a desktop or mobile device. To enable the feature, open Settings > System > Clipboard and turn on Clipboard history. Once active, click the three dots in the Clipboard Manager—the “meatball menu”—to pin an item, paste without formatting (perfect for web editing), or delete old entries. It’s a small change that can make a big difference to everyday efficiency.
Do you sometimes struggle to read the fine print on a label, tag, or instruction sheet? Then this one is for you! Our smartphones can double as a handy magnifier. Most phones have a built-in Magnifier tool that uses the camera to enlarge small text or details, letting us zoom in far beyond normal camera limits. If that option isn’t visible, simply open the camera app and use the zoom function for a quick fix. It’s a simple, practical way to read small print when our glasses aren’t close by, or even when they are!
Do you hate ironing clothes while travelling? We covered this one a while ago, but it’s worth repeating as it remains one of our favourite travel tips. When travelling, to deal with those creased clothes we’ve crammed into a suitcase or backpack, skip the iron and pack a small empty 20 ml spray bottle—available from most discount or craft stores. When you arrive, just pop your clothes on the hangers at your accommodation and then fill the little bottle with water and lightly mist over the creases, especially on cotton fabrics. The water helps relax the fibres so the wrinkles disappear, much like hanging clothes near a hot shower to let the steam smooth them out.
Well, you’ve read our thoughts, now we’d like to hear yours! Share your experience with these work hacks in the comments below, and feel free to add any tips or further ideas you have. We don’t want this to be just a one-way conversation—join in and share your insights with us!
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Very handy – thank you!
Thanks for letting us know you found it useful Janet!