This post is a running compilation of the Thursday Things Tech Tips from February 19th, 2026 through July 30th, 2026 (the second half of Year 2), sorted by reverse chronological order.

This way you don’t have to dig through your old emails just to search for a specific tech tip you wanted a refresher on. 👍

15 ways EAs are using Claude (7/30/2026)

An EA on Reddit asked what repeatable tasks they could use Claude for, and Ethan summarized the best ones here.

Main takeaway: don’t try to overhaul your entire workflow. Pick one annoying repeatable task and start there.

Gmail tip: turn on “Send & Archive” (7/23/2026)

Did you know Gmail has a built-in Send & Archive button that does both at once? It just saves one click but those clicks add up over time!

How to turn it on

1. Open Gmail on desktop

2. Click the gear icon → See all settings

3. Under General, find Send and Archive

4. Select Show “Send & Archive” button in reply

5. Scroll down and click Save Changes

Now, when you reply to an email, you’ll see a new send button that sends your reply and archives the thread from your inbox.

Unfortunately, Outlook doesn’t really have a clean equivalent here. You can reply, then archive manually, but Gmail gets the satisfying one-click version.

Start Claude’s usage window before you need it (7/16/2026)

This tweet is obviously a joke…

But also… it does really work!

If you use Claude heavily, its usage limits run on a rolling 5-hour window.

This means if you start a tiny Claude session early in the morning, it’ll start the usage limit reset clock sooner too.

Pro tip: You can also set up a tiny recurring morning task around 5am so Claude takes a simple action automatically, which helps start the window before you’re even awake.

Stop naming files “final_final_ACTUALfinal” (7/9/2026)

This week’s tech tip steals something from what engineers already do.

When they ship software, they don’t name things:

• App Update Final

• App Update Final 2

• App Update Final FINAL

• App Update ACTUAL FINAL

• App Update ACTUAL FINAL USE THIS ONE

They use version numbers.

So next time you’re naming your file, instead of trying to describe the emotional state of the file name, use:

• Board Deck v1

• Board Deck v2

• Board Deck v3

Or, if you want to get a little more precise:

• Board Deck v1.0

• Board Deck v1.1

• Board Deck v1.2

• Board Deck v2.0

v1.0 → v1.1 = small edits, copy changes, formatting tweaks

v1.2 → v2.0 = bigger changes, new structure, major revisions

This makes the file history way easier to follow, especially when multiple people are reviewing the same deck, proposal, event plan, or board packet.

Perhaps more importantly, it also saves you from ever creating a file called: Q3 Planning FINAL FINAL REAL ONE USE THIS PLEASE.pdf

Sync personal events to a locked-down work calendar (just invite it) (7/2/2026)

This tech tip comes from CCing my EA reader Ramona Justice!

“I have a tech tip that might seem obvious, but it was a total game-changer for me.

If you use separate personal and work calendars that don't sync; for instance, if your work Outlook is locked down and can't be added to your phone; you can simply invite your work email address to your personal events.

For example, if you receive a doctor's appointment confirmation on your personal email, adding your work address as an invitee will add it to your professional calendar automatically.

This is a great way to avoid double entries and ensure your schedule is up to date on both ends.” —

New in Vimcal EA: Schedule with voice (6/25/2026)

We just launched a new feature this week that lets you schedule events by voice!

I know it’s a lot of friction to click out of this email just to watch a video, but I swear it’s seriously cool.

I love it because I don’t have to be perfect with my choice of words and it’ll still schedule properly. For example, I can say:

“Schedule a meeting with me and Richard for next Thursday at 1pm. Never mind, I don’t want Thursday. Let’s make it Tuesday, and let’s start it at 3pm instead. Let’s run it for 45 minutes. I would like this to be recurring every 3 weeks. And as a matter of fact, let’s make that meeting only 30 minutes instead.” — This is the exact example I give in the video

And it’ll still create the correct event!

Check out the video here to see it in action (begins at 23 sec mark): Very cool scheduling feature.mp4

Typing accénts on PC (6/18/2026)

This tech tip comes from CCing my EA reader Nadine Murray in response to a tech tip last month about typing words with áccents on Mac.

Here’s how you do it on PC!

I love how you can remember which key to press to activate the accent by just using the associated shape on your keyboard.

Samsung Modes & Routines (6/11/2026)

This tech tip comes from CCing my EA reader Max Corbin, in response to an iPhone automation tech tip I shared a few weeks ago (the one where you could have your phone automatically turn on Work Focus mode when you join your company’s Wi-Fi).

“I read through this week’s tech tip. I know most of your readers are probably iPhone users, but Samsung has something similar!

Modes and Routines can be customized for various activities and can be set to locations or times. There’s a pre-set option for work where you can design what exactly to have the phone do. Grayscale can be turned on, Sound modes modified, and apps restricted. Under the “Turn on Automatically” segment, you can chose an all or any condition for a time, place, app being opened, or a large number of other conditions.

I’ve used this previously to set my phone on vibrate, block my social media apps, change my wallpaper, and open up our office’s payroll app when I arrive at the office during the work week! It made clocking in and out a bit faster and reduced some friction.” —

To find it on your Samsung phone, just go to: Settings → Modes and Routines

From there, you can choose Work (preset) or create your own routine, then set Turn on automatically based on:

• time

• place

• opening an app

• (and a bunch of other triggers)

Finally a tech tip for Samsung users! :)

Hide self view in Zoom (6/4/2026)

This tech tip comes from Nikki, an EA and CCing my EA reader, in response to this meme I shared a few weeks back.

“One of the best pieces of advice given when my company started with Zoom was to turn off the self-view. It's too distracting for some people, it's hard not to worry about what you look like, what shows, is the virtual background holding up or is my room peeking in.... To this day if I even one time look at myself during a video call, I turn off my self-view. I don't want to be “that person” like in the images you shared. LOL” —

“To turn on, hover over the icon of the squares in the upper right corner to access the View menu. You can toggle it off/on there (highlighted in green in the screenshot). Others on the call can still see your video.” —

Swipe left halfway on an iPhone notification for Options (5/28/2026)

Most people either tap a notification (and get sucked in) or swipe it away entirely. But did you know there's a middle option?

Swipe left on any notification but only halfway across the screen, it will reveal Options.

You can now mute that app for 1 hour, mute it for the day, or go straight to its notification settings.

This is the fastest way to do a real-time notification audit without ever going into Settings. The next time a low-priority app sends you a notification, fix it right then and there!

Auto-turn on Work Focus when you join office Wi-Fi (5/21/2026)

This is a follow up to last week’s Work Focus tech tip and will use iPhone’s built-in Shortcuts app.

Once you’ve set up Work Focus, you can make your iPhone turn it on automatically the moment you connect to your office Wi-Fi, and then turn it off when you leave.

1. Open Shortcuts app

2. Tap Automation (bottom)

3. Tap + → Under Personal Automation, tap Wi-Fi

4. Choose your office Wi-Fi network name

5. Select both Is Joined and Run Immediately → Next

6. Create New Shortcut

7. Use the Search Actions box to find “Set Focus”

8. Focus: Work → set to On → Next

9. Done!

Then create another automation with the same steps but turn Work Focus OFF when you leave Wi-Fi.

That’s it. Now your phone automatically goes into “work mode” when you’re on the office network, and returns to normal when you’re not.

Tiny caveat: If your office Wi-Fi is spotty, Work Focus may toggle on/off as you move around. If that’s annoying, you can use a different trigger instead (location, time window, or “when I open Slack”).

iPhone’s Work Focus mode (5/14/2026)

I might be very late to the party but I just discovered iPhone’s Work Focus feature!

Think of it as a second Do Not Disturb profile.

Yes, regular Do Not Disturb can already silence notifications. The point of Work Focus is that you can create a separate setup for work without messing up your personal DND settings.

That means you can have a separate “allowed list” specifically for work, which only lets execs + key people, Calendar, Slack/Teams notifications get through while muting the rest.

On top of that, you can also have a work-only Home Screen!

You can make it so when you have Work Focus turned on, your home screen only shows your work apps/pages.

So when you unlock your phone at work, it’s basically: Calendar, email, Slack, with none of the distracting stuff.

You can set it up by just going to your iPhone’s Settings → Focus → Work

Next week’s tech tip will build on this Work Focus feature so make sure to set it up this week if you want to follow along!

Typing äccénts on Mac (5/7/2026)

I had to type a lot of accented Irish names this past week for our Dublin meetup invitations and used this trick over-and-over again.

On Mac, it’s super simple: press and hold any vowel and you’ll get a little accent menu.

For example:

1. Press-and-hold e → a menu pops up with options like é, è, ê, etc.

2. Then just hit the corresponding number (e.g., 2 for é) and it drops right in.

If you didn’t know this one, I’m genuinely curious: how were you typing accented letters before? 👀

Webinar replay: What an AI dashboard can actually look like (OpenClaw) (4/30/2026)

Yesterday we ran a webinar on OpenClaw with ex-EA (now Chief of Staff) Steph Rohweder from Atria Ventures, who walked us through what she’s built.

Originally, the plan was for Steph to walk me through setting up OpenClaw live. But we quickly realized OpenClaw gets powerful because it connects to sensitive systems (email, calendar, etc.), so there are real security considerations to think through before you plug anything in.

So instead, Steph demo’d her actual setup, and it’s one of the best “this is what AI can do today” examples I’ve seen.

In one dashboard view, she was able to see:

• emails that need replies (and a button to automatically draft them)

• deal flow + updates

• her exec’s schedule + upcoming meetings

• and much much more

The most practical takeaway (that anyone can use right away) was her explanation of skill files: the evolution from “write the perfect prompt every time” to “teach the AI how you want work done once, then talk to it normally”, which we then built together.

▶️ You can watch the recording on YouTube here: youtu.be/IY7v4oZ4HQw

Flip your phone for DND (Android) (4/23/2026)

I use to use an Android phone for years and I wanted to highlight one feature I miss dearly that I hope Apple brings to their phones natively.

It’s one where when you place your phone face down, it will automatically go into Do Not Disturb (or at least silences itself).

Google Pixel: Flip to Shhh (true Do Not Disturb)

• Settings → Digital Wellbeing & parental controls → Flip to Shhh → On

• Now when you place your Pixel face down, it automatically turns on DND.

Motorola: Flip for DND (true Do Not Disturb)

• Settings → Sound (or Sound & vibration) → Flip for DND → On

• (Depending on model, it may live in the Moto app under Gestures/Moto Actions.)

Samsung Galaxy (and many others): flip to mute

• Samsung usually has a “flip to mute” gesture. It’s not full DND, but it will silence incoming calls/alerts.

• Settings → Advanced features → Motions and gestures → Mute with gestures

Hope you find this helpful at meetings and dinner tables!

Browser Tab Groups (4/16/2026)

Continuing on from last week’s topic about vertical browser tabs, did you know you can also group your browser tabs together?

Chrome, Edge, Safari

1. Right-click a tab

2. Click Add tab to new group

3. Name it (e.g., Exec, Offsite, Board, Hiring) and pick a color

4. Drag other tabs into the group

Pro-tip: you can collapse the whole group with one click to hide it, then expand when you need it again.

Vertical tabs in Chrome browser (4/9/2026)

Earlier this week, Google made it possible to arrange your tabs in a vertical sidebar, which lets you see wayyy more tabs at once compared to before.

To do so, just visit chrome://flags in your browser and enable Vertical Tabs

Once you’ve relaunched your browser to apply the effects, go to Settings → Appearance → change Tab strip position to “Side”.

It's taking a little bit to get used to be I already feel better not having all my tabs squished so closely together where I can’t even read the titles.

Bonus tech tip: Vimcal EA’s new Cancellation Counter

You can now see how often a recurring meeting has been cancelled over the past 6 months with Vimcal EA’s new Cancellation Counter!

It helps surface things like:

• 1:1s that quietly fade out

• Recurring meetings no one prioritizes

• Time that looks blocked, but never gets used

As an added bonus, the cancellation counts are now included in Executive Calendar Audits too, so you’ll see this stat in your CSV exports when reviewing your exec’s calendar activity.

If you want to give it a try, visit vimcal.com/ea to get started!

iPhone Shortcut: Automatically turn on Low Power Mode at X% battery (4/2/2026)

Okay guys, I just discovered iPhone’s built-in Shortcuts app and it has had me so excited that I’ve decided to dedicate a few of the upcoming tech tips just to it. That said, I’ll do one for Android’s equivalent Tasker app too.

For context, Shortcuts basically allows you to create one-tap buttons for things you do all the time, or set rules like “when my battery hits 30%, turn on Low Power Mode”, which we’ll do now.

Set it up

1. Open the Shortcuts app

2. Tap Automation on the bottom (between Library and Gallery)

3. Tap New Automation

4. Choose Battery Level

5. Use the slider to set it to Falls Below 30% and select Run Immediately, then tap Next

6. Select Set Lower Power Mode in the Get Started section

7. Confirm

That’s it. Next time you drop under 30%, your phone will automatically go into Low Power Mode without you having to lift a finger!

Extras

• Set another automation for When Battery Level Rises Above 70% → Turn Low Power Mode Off so you’re not stuck in LPM forever

• You can toggle “Notify When Run” if you want visibility into the automation.

The fastest way to get useful feedback: “Score it out of 10.” (3/26/2026)

I know this isn’t necessarily a “tech” tip, but it’s important enough that I’m sharing it anyway. (Let me know if you want more of these?)

Have you ever asked your exec “Any feedback?” and gotten:

• “Looks good” (but then they change everything later)

or

• “Not quite” (but with zero specifics)

Instead, ask them to score it out of 10.

Then (this is the important part) ask: “What would make it a 10?”

That’s it.

Why this works: your definition of “perfect” might be totally different from theirs. “What makes it a 10” forces them to show you what good actually looks like in their head, so you no longer have to guess.

Get better names from AI by giving context + a “safe → unhinged” scale (3/19/2026)

Whenever I ask my AI tools for ideas, especially around names or themes, I use one trick that consistently improves the output:

1. I give it way more context than feels necessary (what it is, who it’s for, what it should feel like, any words to avoid, examples I like).

2. Then I ask for 10 options ranked from 1 to 10, where:

   1. 1 = safest / most corporate

   2. 10 = totally unhinged (no company would ever ship it)

Why it works: the 1→10 scale forces it to explore a range of creative ides instead of staying bland.

Here’s an example prompt of what this may look like:

I need help naming something.

Context:
- What it is: [describe it clearly]
- Who it’s for: [audience]
- What it does / why it matters: [plain English]
- Vibe: [fun/serious/premium/playful/etc.]
- Words/themes to include: [optional]
- Words/themes to avoid: [optional]
- Examples I like (and why): [optional]
- Examples I hate (and why): [optional]

Task:
Give me 10 name ideas ranked from 1–10.
- 1 should be the safest, most straightforward option.
- 10 should be so absurd that no corporation in their right mind would ever use it.
- Make each step slightly bolder than the last.

Even if you never use #10, it usually unlocks a #6–#8 that’s way more memorable than a normal brainstorm.

Slack: Jump to any channel or DM instantly (3/12/2026)

If you’re like me and constantly looking for Slack channels that keep disappearing from the sidebar, you might find this shortcut a lifesaver!

Just press:

• Mac: ⌘ + K

• Windows: Ctrl + K

That opens Slack’s search bar. You can then start typing a person or channel’s name and it’ll pop right up!

No more dragging the mouse and clicking the search box :)

New Vimcal EA feature: Agenda Generator (3/5/2026)

For today’s tech tip, I wanted to share a new feature we literally just launched in Vimcal EA that might be useful if you're ever asked by your exec to create a daily or weekly agenda.

It’s called Agenda Generator, and it generates a copy-pasteable version of your exec's schedule straight from their calendar (instead of you having to manually type everything out).

You’ll find it under Quick Actions in Vimcal EA’s side panel.

If you want to check out what else a calendar built specifically for Executive Assistants has to offer (I mean, “EA” is literally in the name 😉), you can sign up for a free intro call at: vimcal.com/ea!

Quickly unsubscribe from emails (2/26/2026)

I’ll let the following Threads post do all the talking this week:

Just visit mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#sub

Tech Tip: Tell ChatGPT to ask clarifying questions first (so it stops hallucinating) (2/19/2026)

ChatGPT has one default mode: be helpful fast.

That means if you give it a vague task, it’ll often choose a path, commit to it, and answer with full confidence, even when it’s missing key context.

And when it hallucinates, that’s usually not “AI being dumb.” It’s a signal that you didn’t give it enough information, so it fabricated something to fill in its gaps of understanding.

The fix is simple: give it permission to ask questions before it answers.

Copy/paste this at the end of your next prompt:

“Before you answer, ask me the clarifying questions you need until you’re 95% confident you can complete this with 100% accuracy. If anything is unclear or missing, don’t guess, ask.”

You’ll be shocked how much better the output gets when you force ChatGPT to interview you first.

Pro tip: make it your default (Custom Instructions)

If you’re tired of typing that line every time, you can add it to your settings:

• ChatGPT → Settings → Personalization → Custom Instructions

Then paste something like this into “How would you like ChatGPT to respond?”:

Always ask clarifying questions before completing a task if any details are missing. If you’re not sure, do not hallucinate—ask.

Quick note: This doesn’t work 100% of the time… but doesn’t hurt to add anyways.

Do you have a tech tip you want to share?

What’s your personal favorite tech tip?

Email us about it directly at [email protected] so we can include it in a future issue!

And be sure to include a link to your LinkedIn page so we can give you proper credit. :)