Welcome to a new week with the best free newsletter in the USA, friend.We all have our business quirks. Here's one of mine: Any meeting over 30 minutes gets the axe. Love it or hate it, Jeff Bezos made a bold boardroom move, banning a seemingly innocent meeting staple to force real thinking at Amazon.
🥾 What meeting habit got the boot? A) Caffeine drinks and food, B) PowerPoint presentations, C) Cell phones and laptops or D) Pants. The answer's at the end. Don't miss the memo.
⚠️ Your data is a gold mine for scammers. Brokers are scraping your home address, health info and phone number to sell to the highest bidder. That's why you can't stop the robocalls. I use Incogni to wipe my profile from their databases automatically. Take back your privacy and get 60% off with code KIM60. More below.*
Today's $250 winning code in my February Cash Grab is in someone's inbox. Is it yours? Check the top of this email for a big red box, click and claim. Don't see it? Keep checking every day. Now let's dive into today's tech topics. — Kim
Most AI prompts speed up tasks you already know how to do. These six help you think in ways you wouldn't on your own.
From stress-testing your plans to rehearsing tough conversations, these are the prompts I use.
The bonus prompt at the end is my personal favorite and works for literally any problem you're stuck on.
📖 Read time: 3 minutes
Most AI prompt lists tell you to "write a professional email" or "summarize this document." Yawn. You could do that yourself with one extra cup of coffee. The real magic? Using AI to think thoughts you wouldn't have had on your own. Here are six prompts that genuinely changed how I work.
🔥 The premortem
Don't ask AI to help you plan. Ask it to destroy your plan:
Here's my plan for [X]. Imagine it's six months from now and this has completely failed. Write a brutally honest postmortem explaining what went wrong.
You'll uncover blind spots you didn't know existed. It's like hiring a consultant who isn't afraid of getting fired.
✂️ What should I stop doing?
Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is quit something:
Here's everything I do in a typical week: [list it all]. Categorize each task as: (A) Only I can do this, (B) Someone else could do this, or (C) This probably doesn't need to be done at all.
You'll be shocked how much of your week falls into B and C. I was.
🎭 The conversation rehearsal
Got a tough talk coming up? Practice on someone who can't hold a grudge:
I need to have a difficult conversation with [person/role] about [topic]. Play their role and push back on what I say. After three exchanges, break character and tell me where I was weakest.
🌊 The consequence map
Before your next big decision, think past the obvious:
We're about to [decision]. Map out the second- and third-order consequences, what happens because of what happens. Include one chain that leads somewhere surprisingly negative and one surprisingly positive.
Most of us only think one step ahead. This gets you to three.
🔍 The tone check
Before you hit send on that important email:
Tell me what I'm literally saying, what someone could read between the lines and how this could be misinterpreted by someone in a bad mood.
This one has saved me more than once. Think of it as a "Will this start a fire?" detector for your outbox.
🎁 Bonus: The industry theft
When you're completely stuck, steal a solution from a world that's already solved it:
I'm dealing with [describe your problem]. How would this exact problem be solved in an ER, a Michelin-star kitchen, a Formula 1 pit crew and a movie set? Give me a specific technique from each.
The best ideas almost never come from your own industry. They come from someone else's. That's how consultants charge the big bucks. Now you can do it for free in 30 seconds.
💡 Copy this and text it to someone who's drowning at work:
Do it right now before you forget. Takes 5 seconds.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
They can't scam you if they can't find you
Scammers can't target you if they can't find you. Your personal information fuels almost every scam out there, those fake IRS calls, phishing texts, "bank account alert" emails, and insurance scams. It starts with shady data broker sites quietly collecting and selling your information to the highest bidder.
Incogni has completed 2,748 removal requests to have my personal information removed. It works behind the scenes to delete your data wherever it's exposed online. They cover more than 420 data broker and people-search sites, and they continuously remove your information as soon as it shows up again. Instead of spending hours trying to track down and request removals yourself, let Incogni do the heavy lifting for you.
A woman asks ChatGPT about mysterious red spots covering her body. The bot tells her to get to the ER immediately. Turns out, it was right. Mostly. What it got wrong is a lesson every single one of us needs to hear before we trust AI with our health.
Plus: hidden camera footage from inside a scam slave compound, your Wi-Fi can see through walls now and your smart speaker is tracking your mood. Just another Monday in tech.
🎧 Or search "Komando" wherever you get your podcasts. I'm everywhere. Unlike your privacy.
WEB WATERCOOLER
💡 Leaky light bulbs: That $8 smart bulb? The savings come from your security. Cheap bulbs store your Wi-Fi credentials even after you toss them, and on/off logs map your routine: when you're home, asleep or gone. Mozilla flagged Wyze for sharing data with third parties. Put smart bulbs on a guest network and skip cloud features you don't need. A light bulb should illuminate your house, not your habits.
Hear me out: If I heard whispering from the next desk all day, I'd assume a breakdown or secret fantasy football trades. Nope, it's voice mode (paywall link). Teams are dictating everything to AI now. Speaking 200 words per minute beats typing 110. But autocorrect is undefeated and nobody wants their performance review narrated out loud.
👙 Summer bodies are built now, not in June: ImproveLife Metabolism makes it easier to build better habits, feel full longer and stay consistent, so you feel stronger, healthier and more confident when summer rolls around. And yes, it's in stock right now, no back orders. Score up to 30% off, free shipping and a free gift.**
Indy's buyer moment: Zillow named the most buyer-friendly housing markets for 2026. Indianapolis is No. 1, the rare city where you can negotiate without getting laughed out of the open house. Atlanta and Charlotte round out the top three. Translation: homeownership without three side hustles and a trust fund is still possible. Just maybe not in your zip code.
🔭 Star-studded snapshots: You know how some camera nerds carry around multiple lenses? NASA's doing the same thing in space. They've got their zoom lens, the James Webb telescope. Now they've built a wide-angle partner. The Nancy Grace Roman telescope could launch as early as this fall. Its 288-megapixel camera will sweep huge chunks of sky, then hand off targets to Webb for a close-up. This beast will photograph a billion galaxies.
📱 Don't fall for this text: Millions of iPhones are getting fake Apple Pay alerts claiming someone just charged $143 to your account. Call this number immediately, it says. Don't. It's a phishing scam. The caller from Apple will ask you to download remote access software, and then your real money disappears. Forward suspicious texts to 7726 (SPAM) and delete.
DAILY TECH UPDATE
$7 million AI commercial
No need for cameras, actors or a film crew. Svedka vodka claims to have produced the first big game ad created almost entirely with artificial intelligence.
Dry or cracked leather? Not on my watch. The cleaner lifts dirt. Then the conditioner brings back softness and shine. Works on any color, couches, car seats, jackets, whatever you've got.
Image: Leather Honey
🔪 Chop it like it's hot: This reversible cutting board(26% off, $70) fights bacteria naturally and doubles as a serving tray.
Breathe easier: These air filters(15% off, $34, four-pack) trap dust, pollen and pet hair without blocking airflow. You'll be set for months.
⭐ Old glory, done right: If your flag's fraying, get an American-made one(6% off, $50). The fabric's built to handle wind, rain and sun.
Lather up: Kitsch's kojic acid soap(21% off, $10) tackles dark spots, while turmeric and shea butter keep your skin soft.
📅 One week till Presidents' Day:Tap here to catch all the early sales.
Prices and deals were accurate at the time of publication.
DEVICE ADVICE
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Need to clean up your desktop fast? Create a New Folder instantly. On Windows, hit Ctrl + Shift + N. On macOS, press Shift + Cmd + N in Finder. Bonus: On Mac, you can create a new folder that contains the currently selected items with Ctrl + Cmd + N. Windows still makes you drag 'em in the old-fashioned way. 😒
📆 Use separate calendars: Keep your personal and work tasks apart so they feel less overwhelming. On Mac, open the Calendar app > File > New Calendar. In New Outlook, go to Calendar > Home tab > Add Calendar > Create blank calendar. In Classic Outlook, open Calendar > Folder tab > New Calendar. The color coding will also make them easier to scan. When I close my calendar at the end of the day, I like to say, "Looks like someone's days are numbered."
The Wi-Fi curfew: Stop yelling "get off your phone" at midnight. Most routers let you schedule internet shutoffs by device. Log into your router, find parental controls and set your teen's phone to lose Wi-Fi at bedtime. Suddenly they're so tired by 10 p.m. Magic.
🎨 Need stunning photos? I've used Dreamstime for years. Whether for a website or a presentation, they have millions of royalty-free images that look professional. Don't settle for blurry shots.Get high-quality photos that won't break the bank.*
Turn off email threading: By default, replies get grouped into one conversation. That's fine until the thread's getting spammed and you miss a message. You can make each email show up separately in your inbox. On Gmail, open Settings > General tab > Conversation View and turn it off. In Apple Mail, choose View > Organize by Conversation and uncheck it.
🖥️ Solve PC problems remotely: Your computer has a built-in tool to view and control someone else's screen. On Windows, press Ctrl + Win + Q to open Quick Assist. On Mac, go to System Settings > General > Sharing, turn on Screen Sharing and open the app. Bravo.
This LED-lit staircase transforms your foyer into a National Geographic screen saver. Pick your escape: snowy pines, frosty fog or waterfalls. Each riser becomes a pixel-perfect illusion. Great for Instagram but hazardous for actual legs.
You'll need to bring your own railings, and depth perception is not included. It turns walking upstairs to grab the dirty laundry into a video game that's on hard mode.
Gorgeous? Absolutely. But so is slippery ice sometimes.
LOGGING OUT …
🔜 Tomorrow:That "Smart Home Discount" from your insurance company? It's not a deal, it's a data grab. Your thermostat, doorbell cam and sleep tracker are feeding your insurer info they can use to deny your claims. I'll break down what they're watching and exactly how to shut it down. You cannot afford to miss this!
📈 The answer: B) PowerPoint presentations. Bezos banned slides from Amazon meetings because he believed bullet points let weak ideas hide behind pretty formatting. His fix? Every exec writes a six-page, full-sentence memo. Then the whole room reads it in dead silence for 30 minutes before anyone talks. Imagine that energy at your next all-hands.
He also puts an empty chair in every meeting to represent The Customer, the one person who matters most but isn't there to say so. Between the silent reading and the ghost chair, Amazon meetings sound less like corporate America and more like a seance.
You know, Google Meet and Zoom meetings are seances with the living. Brian, we can't hear you. Make a sound if you can hear us.
🛡️ Don't fight data brokers alone. Trying to opt out of these lists yourself takes hundreds of hours of paperwork. Incogni handles the legal battle for you. They force these companies to delete your info, so you don't have to lift a finger. Use code KIM60 to save 60% right now.*
Kim Komando • Komando.com • 510+ radio stations • Trusted by millions daily
Photo credit(s):ChatGPT, Leather Honey, @diycraftstvofficial via Instagram
Companies and products denoted by an asterisk (*) within this publication are paid sponsors or advertisements. As an Amazon Associate, the publisher earns from qualifying purchases. Statements regarding products denoted by a double asterisk (**) have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration; such products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This newsletter is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, medical, or professional advice of any kind. Readers should consult with a qualified professional before making any decisions based on this content. The publisher disclaims all liability for any loss, damage, or injury resulting from the use of or reliance on the information contained herein.
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Keep a civil tongue.