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It’s no secret that Flavor Flav loves the Olympics. The rapper and Public Enemy member has become one of the loudest supporters of women’s sports in the past few Olympic cycles. He is the official hype man and a sponsor for USA Water Polo. In October 2025, he announced he was bringing the hype to the Winter Olympics as a sponsor for USA Bobsled and Skeleton. Now, after the USA women’s hockey team declined a perfunctory invitation to the State of the Union address after President Donald The President shared a chummy locker room phone call with the men’s team—in which they laugh at the prospect of the women’s gold medalists attending—Flav is once again stepping up. He’s invited the women’s Winter Olympic and Paralympic medalists to Las Vegas for a weekend of celebration this summer, bringing on MGM Resorts, The Gist, and more sponsors for the three-day “She Got Game” weekend. What to know After the women’s Olympic hockey team—which won gold in overtime against Canada in Milan—skipped the State of the Union address, Flavor Flav was quick to issue a public alternative invitation on social media, offering up a celebratory trip to Las Vegas. A post on X on Thursday confirmed the She Got Game weekend will be held July 16-19 in collaboration with MGM Resorts and women-led sports media brand The Gist. Flavor Flav’s vision for the weekend is all about building up the Olympic and Paralympic women medalists. His posts promise nice dinners, concerts, shows, and a big party—all to support women’s sports. His message was initially for the women’s hockey team, but quickly expanded to all women’s medalists. More than 100 attendees have confirmed their involvement, according to Flavor Flav’s spokesperson. Other brands were equally eager to jump on the opportunity. Alaska Airlines replied to the original post, saying “Let’s talk.” Visit Las Vegas responded, extending an offer to every Team USA athlete who medaled. (Six of the 10 individual gold medalists for Team USA were women, and women won over 50% of the U.S.’s historic 33 total medals.) What brands are doing The Gist and MGM Resorts are official partners of the event. The Gist broke the story on its social media and has been posting updates as the event planning continues. StubHub was one of the first brands to show support, offering to be a platform for tickets to shows and live events. “We believe in the power of live experiences to bring people together and shine a spotlight on inspiring talent,” a spokesperson told Fast Company in an email. StubHub is still working through the details of their support of the weekend, the company said. Woman-owned beauty brand Megababe has committed to donating 1,000 Megababe products to girls’ and young women’s hockey leagues. Founder Katie Sturino saw supporting the She Got Game weekend as a natural fit for the company. “Megababe is all about helping women feel comfortable and confident in their bodies, especially in spaces where they haven’t always been centered,” she told Fast Company in a statement. Also onboard is Lyft, which has said it will provide ride codes to help transport athletes around Las Vegas. A Lyft spokesperson told Fast Company in an email, “When we saw what Flavor Flav was doing with She Got Game, we loved the energy—using his platform to shine a genuine, joyful light on women’s sports.” View the full article

The public outcry over artificial intelligence has largely focused on what it could mean for the average worker. Entry-level jobs in sectors like tech and finance have already been impacted by the rise of AI. And while economists have said the claims of workforce disruption are overblown at the moment, some companies are, in fact, making major cuts to their workforces in the name of AI. Just this week, Block CEO Jack Dorsey cut 40% of head count at the fintech company, citing efficiency gains from its adoption of AI tools. But it’s not just rank-and-file workers whose jobs may be on the line. As CEOs tout the vast potential of AI—and make cuts to their workforces accordingly—many of them have suggested that they could be out of work soon, too. In a podcast interview this week, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi disclosed that some of his employees had built what they called “Dara AI,” an AI-generated approximation of their boss. “They basically make the presentation to the Dara AI as a prep for making a presentation to me,” Khosrowshahi shared on entrepreneur Steven Bartlett’s podcast The Diary of a CEO. “Are you concerned they might show Dara AI to the board?” Bartlett quipped. To which Khosrowshahi laughed and argued that AI was still “missing a beat” and could not yet replicate the “ability to learn in real time.” But when that changes, he said, “that is the point at which I’m going to think, yeah, we are all replaceable.” Khosrowshahi might not be convinced that AI can supplant him just yet—but he’s not the only CEO who sees a future where that might be the case. “Shame on me if OpenAI is not the first big company run by an AI CEO,” Sam Altman said on the Conversations with Tyler podcast last year. He claimed to often think about what would enable an AI CEO “to do a much, much better job of running OpenAI than me?” At a conference last week, Altman doubled down on this idea. “AI superintelligence at some point on its development curve would be capable of doing a better job being the CEO of a major company than any executive—certainly me,” he said at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has suggested a CEO’s job might be relatively simple in the hands of AI. “I think what a CEO does is maybe one of the easier things maybe for an AI to do one day,” he told the BBC a few months ago. Within the next year, Pichai said, AI will be able to perform more complex tasks autonomously. It’s not clear whether CEOs genuinely believe that their jobs could be replaced in the near future, or if this is largely another attempt to convince workers that it’s time to get on board with AI. After all, there is a huge disconnect between how tech leaders and CEOs talk about AI and what workers seem to feel: In 2025, a report from the Pew Research Center found that only about 17% of Americans expected AI to have a positive effect overall, while 43% said they anticipated being personally harmed by the technology. Then again—it may not be an easy adjustment for every CEO, even among the most vocal AI evangelists. Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski has been outspoken about AI adoption and has cut his company’s workforce in half over the last three years, in part by relying more heavily on AI (to varying results). He was less optimistic, however, about a world in which his role might cease to exist. “To me, AI is capable of doing all our jobs, my own included,” he said in a post on X last year. “I am not necessarily super excited about this. On the contrary, my work to me is a super important part of who I am, and realizing it might become unnecessary is gloomy. But I also believe we need to be honest with what we think will happen.” View the full article

My best friend messaged me on Facebook Messenger. It wasn’t urgent, so I swiped the notification away, making a mental note to reply later. Ten minutes later, Facebook sends another notification. “Reminder: [My friend] sent you a message.” This is clingy, even for Facebook. And it’s not the only app increasingly desperate for any crumb of attention. In just the last couple months, I’ve personally gotten dozens of what I can only call desperation notifications. Push alerts from apps that don’t really need anything, but would really like it if I gave them some attention anyway. These include, but are not nearly limited to, the following: The Disney+ app let me know that because I watched The Simpsons, I might be interested in watching The Simpsons Movie (which I also recently watched). Discord informed me that someone in a server I'm also in updated their status, which is, I guess, a thing you can do in Discord. Venmo would like me to know I can fund my Kalshi account with my Venmo balance. (I do not and will never have a Kalshi account.) Reddit began sending push alerts for news stories from communities I wasn’t subscribed to and had never visited. Duet sent an aggressive half-dozen notifications within 15 minutes of closing the app, including multiple alerts that read “She just likes you.” Which is a surprisingly exasperated tone for a dating app. GrubHub asked me if I wanted to order food, precisely five minutes after I ordered food. Some of these are obviously just advertisements disguised as alerts—its own annoying problem—but just as many seem to be little more than a reminder that an app exists. And if you could please open the app and boost its engagement numbers, that would be great. Are app notifications really getting worse? Wow, I hadn't thought of that, thanks Disney+. Credit: Lifehacker While it’s always hard to quantify vibes-based annoyances, there’s at least some data to back up the idea that companies are getting increasingly desperate for your notification attention. According to a 2025 analysis from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, news publishers have increasingly relied on push notifications to reach their audiences, as a way to avoid relying too much on platforms like Google or social media apps. However, this bid for direct attention comes at a cost—and in the midst of an arms race with platforms. According to the Reuters report, 79% of respondents don’t get any news alerts at all, and 43% of those are because users actively disabled the notifications. Worse yet, iOS and Android have both experimented with questionably reliable AI summaries of notifications, making them even more annoying to deal with. This report only examines one small segment of the notifications you might sift through on any given day, but it’s instructive of a broader trend. We increasingly live in an attention economy, where seemingly unrelated industries are in competition for your eyeballs. Which is how you end up with companies like Netflix investing in video games, or the video game industry competing with gambling sites and porn. In that context, your notifications become the frontline in the battle for your attention. No, it doesn’t take a genius to know that someone who watched The Simpsons might be interested in watching The Simpsons. But if a quick notification can remind me to watch more of the show today, rather than play more Pathologic 3, that’s a win for Disney. And any win is going to be worth it to most companies right now. Broadly speaking, the economy isn’t doing so hot. So, if a company can do something to show that engagement in their app went up by even 5%, they likely will. And sending more notifications is generally one of the cheaper and easier ways to juice internal numbers. How to decrease app notification spam Credit: Lifehacker There’s at least one silver lining to the whole notification arms race problem: There are a lot of tools available to help get your alerts under control. Some are baked right into your phone’s OS, but there are also third-party tools you can use to enforce some peace and quiet. Here are some of the best options available. Use your phone’s OS-level settings to manage notificationsBoth major smartphone platforms have pretty robust tools to dictate what kind of alerts you can receive, and how disruptive they can be. We have full guides on tools for managing your Android and iOS notifications, but even if you don’t want to dive too deep into your phone’s settings, you can slowly whittle away the most annoying alerts as you receive them. On Android, you can long-press a notification in your shade to find options to tweak or suppress the alerts. Most notifications can be sorted into either Priority, Default, or Silent, which behave differently depending on your default settings. You can also tap the Settings gear icon to dive into the app’s specific notification settings to disable categories of alerts. These will vary by app, but in many cases you can disable things like advertisements or news alerts without turning off messages you actually care about. On iOS, you can find similar tools by swiping on a notification and tapping Options. Here, you’ll find quick shortcuts to do things like mute notifications from an app for a short period of time, or jump to more in-depth settings to disable categories of notifications. In my experience, it’s often easier to tweak these settings whenever I receive a particularly annoying alert, rather than audit all my notification settings at once. Explore each app’s notification settingsMost apps have their own category of notification settings that can be adjusted individually. In some cases, these can overlap with the same settings you’ll find using the above method, but just as often, you’ll find a lot more toggles that don’t. Though, some apps are shadier than others in terms of how easy it is to find these settings. For one instructive example, in the Reddit app, you can navigate to Settings > Account Settings > Manage notifications to find a lengthy list of possible alerts you can receive. That’s already pretty buried, but if you sign into the app with multiple accounts, you’ll need to go through this process for each account you’re signed into. Otherwise, notifications you turned off for one account might still pop up via another. Most apps aren’t quite this chaotic, but it can still be annoying to dig through all the tedious menus. In some cases, this might be your only option, though. On Android, Reddit only has one notification category using the previous method, meaning you can only turn all notifications on or off at once. So, if you’re not finding the tools you need to selectively mute certain alerts in the OS-level settings, it might be worth digging through the app’s menus. When all else fails, use third-party toolsIt shouldn’t really be necessary to install an app just to get other apps to shut up, but if we must, then we must. BuzzKill, for Android, is a simple $4 app that gives you more robust tools to filter, manage, or suppress notifications than any of the built-in notification management settings. What sets BuzzKill apart is that, on top of filtering notifications by which app is sending them, it can also filter alerts by things like words they contain, whether they have an image attached, or whether they’re part of a group chat. So, if you want to keep getting news alerts, but you’re just sick of hearing about that one guy who’s always in the headlines for some reason, you can selectively filter those out. Unfortunately, this one’s likely to stay Android only, as iOS generally keeps apps in tighter sandboxes. BuzzKill needs to be able to read notifications from other apps in order to filter them, and that’s not something iOS generally allows apps to do. So, if you’re in the Apple ecosystem, you’ll have to stick with built-in tools for now. More broadly, it also can’t hurt to let app developers know when you’re annoyed by their incessant pings. Companies might try to boost their engagement by testing how much they can poke your attention span before you turn them off (or uninstall the app) entirely. But turning off unnecessary alerts can send a signal that they’ve gone too far in the wrong direction. Sending feedback reports, where possible, can potentially send an even stronger signal. View the full article

MBS numbers at both soared in January, when The President directed the enterprises to accumulate more bonds, but a decline in loans shrunk Freddie's total number. View the full article

New York is seeking $21 billion in federal grants for a construction project at Sunnyside Yard, which would allow the city to build 12,000 new affordable homes. View the full article

Ellison father and son viewed deal as a matter of survival to compete with tech giants that now dominate HollywoodView the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Ultrahuman just launched its newest ring, the Ultrahuman Ring Pro. While it’s not yet available in the U.S., I’m excited for this to come to the market. The real game changer here isn’t what’s on the ring, but what Ultrahuman has managed to do with the charging case—that is, a lot more than just charging. Specs of the Ultrahuman Ring ProAccording to Ultrahuman, the new ring retails for $429 and has: 15-day battery life—that’s more than RingConn’s battery life and about double Oura’s Storage for 250 days of data Whole sizes 5 to 14 A faster processor that Ultrahuman says allows for more accurate data processing Break points allowing the ring to be cut apart easily in emergencies Physically, the ring looks similar to the Ultrahuman Ring Air, which I’ve previously reviewed. It has a smooth internal surface (no sensor bumps) with a small flat area at the base of the finger. The charging case is the real innovation here Credit: Beth Skwarecki What really intrigues me about this ring is not the ring itself, or even the fact that it has a charging case, but the fact that Ultrahuman is now using the charging case as a device in its own right. I haven’t seen anything like this from other smart ring manufacturers, and it’s a brilliant idea. For example, smart rings can’t easily act as an alarm, because then they would need components that can vibrate or make noise—thus adding to the bulk of the ring and reducing battery life. But a charging case can easily act as an alarm clock, especially since you’re likely to have it on your nightstand already. (Ultrahuman’s app has an alarm feature, but it didn’t play well with my iPhone’s silent mode and I didn’t find it reliable.) The charging case for the Ultrahuman Ring Pro also has LED indicators, can charge wirelessly, and has a USB-C port. The case has features for diagnostics and troubleshooting, including a button to hard reset the ring if needed. The case can also store up to a year’s worth of ring data and sync it to your phone later. And you know what else I love about the new case? It isn’t sized to the ring. The ring attaches magnetically to the pins on the post, leaving empty space around it if the ring is a large size, and less empty space if it’s a smaller size. If you ever needed to replace the case, you wouldn’t need to find one in your specific size. Why we can’t get this ring in the U.S. (yet?)Legal action behind the scenes has been messing with the U.S. market for smart rings. About a year ago, there were plenty of options, but then Oura made the case to the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) that it believes its smart ring patent covers the design of nearly every smart ring out there. The ITC agreed, and Ultrahuman was one of the companies that needed to pull its rings from the U.S. market. Ultrahuman said almost immediately that it was working on a new ring design anyway, one that is so differently constructed that it can’t possibly run afoul of the ITC ruling. The Ring Pro appears to be the design it was referring to, with Ultrahuman conspicuously referring to its “unibody architecture” rather than using a design with a transparent lining (that transparent lining is one of the features of the patent at issue). It seems there is still a possibility that this approach may pay off. A spokesperson told me by email today: “We are working through the necessary steps to bring Ring PRO to our U.S. customers and hope to share good news soon.” View the full article

Mortgage One is accused of using an artificial intelligence voice agent for outbound solicitations, recommending a cash-out refi to the plaintiff in the case. View the full article

US president delays move against leading AI start-up in feud over military use of the technologyView the full article

Though changes to bank capital rules previewed by Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman in February being viewed as welcome, experts say other more significant hurdles — not all of them regulatory — are keeping banks on the sidelines of mortgage servicing and lending. View the full article

A race among the top AI companies to sell powerful models to the U.S. Defense Department is hotter than ever. No matter how the feud between Anthropic and the Pentagon ultimately plays out, the Pentagon is now more incentivized to contract with other tech firms. Likewise, whatever misgivings Anthropic had about working with the military have only grown. Indeed, other companies are already taking steps to pick up the government-contracting mantle. Earlier this week, xAI reached an agreement with the Defense Department to operate on classified systems. And OpenAI is working on a Pentagon deal of its own. But winning over the Defense Department officials may not be enough. To actually become a go-to AI provider for the agency, their AI will need to catch up to Anthropic’s Claude large language model, which is widely liked within the military. And they’ll likely need to connect to Palantir’s technology. Palantir, along with its partners, holds cloud security clearances that allow it to host highly sensitive military information and data. The company has also built a far more streamlined way of accessing data from across the DoD, and, presumably, data that would make any large language model far more useful to military officials. One former employee of the Defense Department’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office tells Fast Company that Palantir has effectively “taken over the data lake problem” inside the Pentagon, consolidating raw and low-level data feeds and making them accessible through its platform. “Everything runs through Palantir,” the former employee says. “They’re the 1,000 pound gorilla in this space.” The dispute centers on the Pentagon’s demand that it be allowed to use Anthropic’s Claude model for “all lawful purposes,” while Anthropic has sought safeguards blocking uses for mass surveillance and autonomous weapons. After negotiations stalled this week, the The President administration has reportedly deemed the company a “supply chain risk,” which forces military contractors to ditch Anthropic models. On Friday afternoon, President Donald The President posted on Truth Social that every agency was to immediately stop using all Anthropic products. The Pentagon has already reached out to defense contractors to ask about their reliance on Anthropic. Palantir, notably, uses Anthropic models internally, one person tells Fast Company, and would possibly be impacted by the decision by the U.S. government to blacklist the AI firm’s technology. Still, Anthropic has a real advantage in its integration with Palantir. “Since Claude is playing ball with [Palantir], it makes them more appealing than having to get Palantir to agree to share their stuff with OpenAI,” the former DoD employee says. Even so, Claude’s agile technology remains a powerful draw. One recent government AI official says the LLM is so far ahead of its rivals that current and former government workers, (including those from the Defense Department) are sending memes about the standoff in at least one group chat. Anthropic’s value to the Defense Department is also owed to the fact that its technology enriches the Maven Smart System, one former Palantir employee tells Fast Company. The Maven system—which has a long and controversial history—is an integrated platform that might help, for example, a military command team to access critical data that might be spread across the Defense Department. That data might include information about nearby munitions supply, or the number of soldiers that a military operation might be able to deploy. Making these systems more interoperable makes it a lot easier to plan a military operation, the person said. While Anthropic could certainly try to independently sell its own system to the government, its technology is most useful to the government when integrated with a system like Maven. Palantir, the former Palantir employee added, wouldn’t be in a position to prevent OpenAI or Anthropic from connecting to something like Maven, but to be similarly useful as Anthropic those companies would likely want to enrich it, too. From their understanding, it appears that Anthropic was early to gaining accreditation to work in these kinds of military systems, and other companies are still catching up. Neither Palantir nor the Defense Department responded to a request for comment. View the full article

If you've been eyeing a Hyrox race, but weren't sure how to train for one, Peloton may have just solved your problem. The fitness platform announced today the launch of a 12-week Hyrox training program, timed specifically for athletes preparing for the upcoming Hyrox NYC events taking place May 28-31 and June 4-7, 2026. And if you're not racing in New York, don't worry—the program lives in Peloton's library for all members, meaning you can start it 12 weeks out from any Hyrox event on your calendar. What is Hyrox, anyway?Before diving into the program, a quick primer for the uninitiated. As my colleague Beth Skwarecki explains here, your friend who used to be obsessed with Crossfit is probably now obsessed with Hyrox (unofficially short for "hybrid rockstar"). Hyrox is a fitness competition designed for athletes who don't quite see themselves as pure endurance athletes or pure strength athletes, but something in between. What seems to make Hyrox unique—or at least, uniquely appealing—is its consistency. Unlike Crossfit competitions, where the format can change dramatically from event to event, every single Hyrox race follows the same predictable structure: eight 1-kilometer runs, with a functional fitness station in between each one. Those stations include things like sled pushes, wall balls, rowing, and ski erg work, adding up to roughly 5 miles of running plus eight rounds of serious effort. Because the format never changes, you can compare your finish time against anyone else who has ever raced Hyrox, much like comparing marathon times. But one thing that sets Hyrox training apart from something like classic marathon prep is that it's inherently communal. While you can train for a race on your own with nothing but a good pair of shoes, Hyrox training requires access to a rowing machine, a ski erg, a sled, and a wall ball target—in other words, the sort of equipment that's hard to come by outside of gyms geared toward this kind of training. (For the record, most Crossfit gyms and a growing number of commercial gyms can accommodate these types of workouts, but it's worth calling ahead.) That shared training environment tends to foster a community that athletes say is a big part of the draw. What Peloton's Hyrox program offersPeloton's new 12-week program is structured around six training days per week, with many days including both a strength and a run component. Classes include strength, running, rowing, tread bootcamps, mobility and stretching, and meditation. As a regular ol' race runner myself, I’m drawn to the ways these classes cover so many different disciplines. My colleague Beth shares a screenshot of the Peloton Hyrox training program. Credit: Beth Skwarecki Week 12 is race week, so the training load lightens considerably as athletes taper toward the starting line. There aren't many workouts that final week, but one notable inclusion is a Hyrox pre-race meditation, which I find speaks to the program's whole community-based philosophy. Week one of the Peloton Hyrox training program. Credit: Beth Skwarecki Week 12 of the Peloton Hyrox training program. Credit: Beth Skwarecki How Peloton's Hyrox program is builtThe program is grounded in five core principles that Peloton describes as the five pillars of Hyrox performance: Aerobic Power: Threshold work starts on Day 1, teaching athletes how to manage effort and develop sustainable high gears over time. Simple Tools, High Impact: The program leans on running, the erg, and strength training as its primary vehicles for building hybrid endurance. Efficiency Over Speed: Rather than chasing raw pace, the focus is on smart pacing and clean technique that conserves energy across transitions. Progressive Volume: Training load builds deliberately over the weeks, developing the ability to perform under cumulative fatigue. Performance Drivers: Recovery, fueling, and mindset are treated as training components, not afterthoughts. Taking a look at the program here, its structure reflects these principles in a clear arc. The first six weeks focus on building what Peloton calls the "aerobic engine" and establishing threshold control, laying the foundation before intensity picks up. By Week 7, athletes complete a 75-minute simulation designed to test their pacing strategy and transition skills under realistic race conditions. The final weeks then shift toward what the program describes as "real demand" training, simulating the fatigue carryover of heavy sled pushes and wall balls bleeding into running. Like with any good training program, the goal is to arrive at race day sharp and well-prepared, not worn down. How to join the Peloton Hyrox training programNeedless to say, you need an active Peloton membership. And for now, the Hyrox program can only be joined from the Peloton app or Peloton hardware like the Peloton Bikes, Tread, Row, and Guide. You can’t join from the Peloton website or TV apps. To find it on your device, you can browse the programs area, find the Hyrox Training program, and hit join. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Meta's strategy for its Quest 3 and 3S VR headsets is clearly to make virtual and mixed reality as easy, fun, and affordable as possible, but they might have done the job a little too well. All that user-friendliness has left a lot of power on the table. Casual Questers don't know that the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor is powerful enough to handle spatial computing and multitasking that rivals some laptops, and that they can link their headset to a PC for close-to-4K visuals that rival much more expensive headsets. With the right software and a little bit of monkeying around with (often-hidden) settings, you can take the Quest 3 and 3S way beyond its the out-of-the-box performance. Below are ten hacks every Meta Quest user should know to get the most out of their headset. (2 pack) Meta Quest 3S 128 GB - Get Batman: Arkham Shadow and 3-Month Trial of Meta Horizon+ Included - All-In-One Headset $498.00 at Walmart $598.00 Save $100.00 Get Deal Get Deal $498.00 at Walmart $598.00 Save $100.00 Download the Quest Games Optimizer for Your Meta Quest 3If you choose just one hack, it should be downloading Quest Game Optimizer. QGO is a third-party utility that lets you control a ton of hidden settings for any Quest game or app. Meta typically locks its hardware to conservative clock speeds to preserve battery and thermal headroom, but QGO lets you force the Quest's chip to work at its maximum power. Most impressively, it lets you to increase the internal render resolution up to 300%, effectively "supersampling" your games to match the high-fidelity density of the Quest 3’s pancake lenses. It really makes a difference. As you might have guessed, you won't find QGO on the official Meta Store, and it takes some lightly hacker-ish work to set up. To get it running, you'll need to: Purchase the software. It's currently $9.99 on itch.io. Create a developer account with Meta. This is free, and you can do it from inside your headset. Enable Developer Mode on your Meta account. Uncompress the QGO app. Either sideload the compressed Android file on your PC using a tool like SideQuest, or unzip it straight in the headset using a file manager like AnExplorer or Mobile VR Station. Grant Accessibility Permissions within the headset to allow the optimizer to override system defaults. That's the gist, but check out these deeper guides for how to do all of the above with just your Quest headset, with SideQuest and a PC, and through Meta Quest's developer's mode. Link your Quest to your PCYou can take the Quest 3 beyond standalone by linking it to your PC, either tethered or with a virtual link. This offloads the computing to a more powerful processor, turns your headset into a high-def display, and lets you use programs like Half-Life: Alyx or Microsoft Flight Simulator that would be impossible to run natively. You'll seriously be shocked at how good they look and how smoothly they run. You can do this in two ways: Wired This is the best choice for the highest possible fidelity visuals and the easiest set-up, plus you don't have to worry about how fast your wifi works. Open the Meta Horizon Link app on your PC. Get a high-quality USB-C 3.1 cable or the Meta Link Cable, and plug it in. Follow the instructions on your headset. WirelessThis is the choice if you want the freedom of wireless connection and you have really reliably wifi. For best results, connect your PC to your router via Ethernet, make sure your Quest 3 is on a 5GHz or 6GHz (Wi-Fi 6E) band, and use the Quest and PC in the same room. Run Meta Horizon Link on your PC. In the Quest, go to "quick settings" and select the "Link" tile. Switch "Use Air Link" to "On," select your PC, and hit "Pair." Click "Launch" and you'll be streaming directly from your PC to your face computer. Unlock experimental features on the Meta Quest 3Meta lets users test out "coming soon" features in its experimental menu and get an early look at "quality-of-life" improvements, most of which will be heading to the Quest soon. Among other improvements, the current experimental menu contains a couple of bangers: "lying down mode," and "Meta AI" integration. Here's how to check it out: Open the "Settings" menu. Scroll down to the Experimental tab on the left-hand sidebar. Toggle the features you want to try. Try the Meta Quest 3's new spatial locking featureThis brand new (as of February 2026) feature is evidence of how hard Meta is leaning into mixed reality. Spatial locking lets you anchor windows wherever you want in physical space, so you can look at your real television and see a virtual one, have three virtual monitors extending your workspace, or create a window to YouTube over your sink for when you're washing dishes. Bonus: The Quest will remember where these windows are when you restart it. Here's how it works: Make sure you're in pass-through mode. Open a window in your headset. Grab the window with the control bar at the bottom and move it where you'd like. Select the "anchor" icon on the control bar. This won't work with travel mode. But speaking of travel mode... Enable travel mode on the Meta Quest 3Yes, you'll look sort of dorky on a plane, but the Quest 3's travel mode makes it possible to use your Quest on the road by creating a stationary boundary, and setting the Quest to ignore external velocity and rely only on head movements. Here's how to turn it on: Go to the "Settings" menu. Click on "Environmental Set Up." Click on "Travel Mode." Install Bigscreen Beta streaming app on the Meta Quest 3Bigscreen Beta is the go-to video streaming app on Quest headsets. It allows you to sit in a highly detailed virtual environment—a cozy modern living room, a massive outdoor drive-in, another planet, etc.—and stream video. You can use the Bigscreen Remote Desktop tool on your PC to stream content from Netflix, Disney+ or just about anywhere else directly into your virtual environment. Not only that, you can stream content directly from Bigscreen into your private space, invite friends over to watch with you, or watch movies and TV with strangers in shared virtual theaters. Play Xbox games on the Meta Quest 3 in mixed realityIf you have an Xbox Live account, you can play (2D) Xbox games right from your VR headset, giving you a portable game console with a 100" screen. Here's how it works: Download the XBox app on your Quest headset. Pair a controller with your Quest. Quest controllers aren't made to work with XBox games, so you'll have to use Bluetooth to pair a game controller to your Quest. You can use an XBox controller, a PS5 controller, a Switch 2 controller, and a ton of generic controllers. Run the Xbox app and choose a game. Enable passthrough. This lets you play your game on as big a screen as you'd like while still being in the "real" world. There can be some latency, as the game is being run from the cloud, but it's surprisingly smooth in my experience. Explore WebXR on the Meta Quest 3WebXR might be the Quest's biggest secret. It lets you use a seemingly infinite number of games and apps that are not available in the Meta store, and are almost all free. Since WebXR apps are browser based, all you have to do is point your Meta browser to a site that hosts a WebXR program and hit go. If you like experimental little tests and whatnot, you'll never run out. Here are some to check out: Moon Rider: A totally free, open-source alternative to Beat Sabre. Silkbrush: A web-based version of the famous Tilt Brush that lets you paint in 3D space. Above Par-adowski: A surprisingly deep browser-based miniature golf game. Master the Meta Horizon mobile appYou can do a lot with your Quest without even turning it on. The Meta Horizon mobile app lets you manage your library, download games, change your settings, and more, all without strapping anything to your face. Browsing the Meta store feels way more natural on the app, and it's easier to navigate and change setting there too. Plus, the app can tell you how much charge is left in your battery, whether your friends are online, download screenshots and videos, and cast what's going on in your headset to another screen. Invest in a third-party battery strap for the Meta Quest 3The Meta Quest 3 is ergonomically fine for shorter sessions, but if you wear it long enough, you realize how much the design is a battle between comfort and performance, and it compromises on both ends—it's kind of heavy and the battery life is kind of short. The front-weighted design puts pressure on your face and the battery life rarely survives a two-hour session, but there's a solution to both problems: Trade the stock fabric strap for a third-party "Elite" style strap with a built in extra battery, like the KIWI design H4 Boost or the BOBOVR S3 Pro. These move the extra weight to the back of your head, balancing the ergonomics, and they have swappable extra batteries so you can use your headset as long as you'd like. BOBOVR S3 Pro Battery Strap Accessories,Head air Conditioning and 10000mah hot-swappable Battery Pack,Compatible with Meta Quest 3/Quest 3s $85.99 at Amazon Get Deal Get Deal $85.99 at Amazon View the full article

Bing rewrote its webmaster guidelines to cover Copilot grounding, meta directive controls for AI answers, and a softened stance on AI-generated content. The post Bing Adds GEO To Official Guidelines, Expands AI Abuse Definitions appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Creating an effective customer service questionnaire is essential for gathering valuable feedback from your customers. It involves comprehending the key components that contribute to a thorough survey, including various question types that can yield both quantitative and qualitative insights. By focusing on clear goals and best practices in design, you can encourage participation and obtain unbiased responses. This approach not merely helps in analyzing feedback but likewise sets the stage for meaningful improvements. What specific strategies can you implement to improve your questionnaires? Key Takeaways Define clear goals for your questionnaire to gather actionable insights about customer experiences and service quality. Include a mix of question types, such as multiple-choice, Likert scales, and open-ended questions, for comprehensive feedback. Ensure questions are concise, neutral, and free of bias to avoid leading respondents and to encourage honest feedback. Deliver the questionnaire promptly within 24 hours of service interaction to enhance response rates and accuracy. Regularly analyze results to identify trends, strengths, and areas for improvement, fostering a culture of continuous enhancement in service delivery. Understanding Customer Service Questionnaires Customer service questionnaires play an important role in gathering insights about customer experiences and service interactions. These tools are designed to assess various aspects, including responsiveness, problem resolution, and overall satisfaction with service representatives. When you create a customer service questionnaire for customers, consider incorporating a mix of question types, such as Likert scales and open-ended questions, to provide a thorough view of customer experiences. Utilizing clear and neutral wording helps prevent bias, ensuring that responses accurately reflect sentiments. Timing is also vital; sending questionnaires shortly after interactions can capture accurate feedback and boost participation rates. Studies show that delivering surveys within 24 hours results in higher response rates. Furthermore, including customer loyalty survey questions can help you understand factors influencing repeat business. Analyzing the data gathered can reveal trends and areas for improvement, guiding your organization in refining service strategies to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. Key Components of an Effective Questionnaire Creating an effective questionnaire hinges on several key components that directly influence the quality of the feedback you receive. First, guarantee your questionnaire has a clear goal, as this guides the design of your questions to gather actionable insights. Utilize a variety of question formats, combining Likert scales and open-ended questions to capture both quantitative and qualitative data. Keep the questionnaire concise, aiming for a completion time of under five minutes to reduce survey fatigue and improve response rates. Ascertain questions are neutral and unbiased, avoiding leading questions that may distort the data collected. Lastly, incorporate demographic questions to segment responses. This enables you to analyze feedback more effectively and target specific customer groups for improvement. Types of Questions to Include When creating your customer service questionnaire, you’ll want to include various types of questions to gather meaningful feedback. Rating scales can help you quantify satisfaction levels, whereas open-ended questions encourage customers to share detailed insights. Furthermore, incorporating demographic questions allows you to segment responses and tailor your analysis for more targeted improvements. Question Types Overview How can you effectively gather feedback from your customers? To guarantee you collect thorough insights, use a mix of question types in your customer service questionnaire. This variety allows you to capture both quantitative and qualitative data. Multiple-choice questions offer standardized feedback, simplifying trend analysis. Likert scale questions measure the intensity of customer sentiment, giving you deeper insight into satisfaction levels. Open-ended questions invite detailed responses, revealing unique insights and contextual experiences. Incorporating demographic questions can additionally help you segment responses, enhancing your grasp of customer needs across different groups. Rating Scales Usage Incorporating rating scales in your customer service questionnaire can greatly improve the quality of feedback you receive. Using Likert scales allows customers to express their satisfaction levels on a continuum, typically from “very dissatisfied” to “very satisfied,” which provides nuanced insights into their sentiments. A common practice is using a 1 to 5 or 1 to 10 scale, where higher numbers indicate greater satisfaction, facilitating clear quantitative analysis. Moreover, semantic differential scales can help gauge emotional responses by asking customers to rate feelings between two opposing adjectives. Including multiple-choice questions with rating options improves data collection efficiency, as well as tiered rating scales reveal trends over time, enabling you to track changes in customer satisfaction and service quality effectively. Best Practices for Survey Design When designing your customer service survey, focus on clear and simple wording to guarantee that respondents easily understand your questions. Align each question with your survey’s objectives to keep the content relevant and engaging, which helps prevent fatigue. Finally, incorporate a variety of response formats, such as multiple-choice and open-ended questions, to gather an extensive range of feedback. Clear Question Wording What makes a customer service questionnaire effective? Clear question wording is essential for gathering reliable feedback. When you use simple and direct language, respondents easily grasp what you’re asking, which reduces confusion and abandonment rates. Avoid jargon and complex phrasing to encourage honest responses. Neutral wording in your questions likewise plays a key role, ensuring you don’t lead participants toward biased answers. Consider these best practices: Test your questions with a small group to identify misunderstandings. Keep questions focused on specific aspects of customer service experiences. Use straightforward language to improve clarity and relevance. Focused Objectives Establishing focused objectives is crucial for designing an effective customer service questionnaire, as it guarantees that each question serves a clear purpose aligned with your overall goals. By defining specific aims, like measuring customer satisfaction or identifying improvement areas, you ascertain each question is actionable and relevant. This focus prevents purposeless data collection and improves the quality of insights you gather. Keep your survey concise, aiming for completion within five minutes to respect customer time. Tailor questions to specific interactions and service touchpoints, increasing your chances of obtaining valuable feedback. Using a mix of question types, such as Likert scale and open-ended questions, provides a thorough grasp of customer experiences during the survey process while maintaining engagement throughout. Engaging Response Formats How can you improve engagement in your customer service questionnaire? By using diverse response formats, you can make it easier and more enjoyable for customers to share their thoughts. Consider these best practices: Mix question types: Use Likert scales, multiple-choice, and open-ended questions to gather both quantitative and qualitative insights. Keep it concise: Aim for completion within five minutes to prevent fatigue and maintain high response rates. Incorporate neutrality: Use unbiased wording in your questions to encourage honest feedback. Additionally, personalize your survey invitations and clearly state the survey’s purpose. This approach shows customers that their input is valued and increases participation, eventually leading to more meaningful insights. Analyzing and Interpreting Responses Analyzing and interpreting survey responses is vital for comprehending customer perceptions and experiences with your service. Start by categorizing data into relevant themes; this helps identify trends, strengths, and areas needing improvement. Use statistical tools to quantitatively analyze the data, calculating averages and percentages to uncover patterns in customer feedback. Don’t overlook qualitative data from open-ended responses; reviewing these can reveal recurring themes or sentiments that provide deeper insights into customer experiences. Utilizing sentiment analysis techniques can gauge overall feelings regarding service interactions, allowing you to prioritize action items based on emotional responses. It’s equally important to regularly review and compare survey results over time. This practice helps track changes in customer satisfaction and the effectiveness of any improvements you implement. Utilizing Feedback for Improvement Utilizing feedback from customer service questionnaires is a potent way to drive improvements in your business operations. By aligning your questions with specific improvement areas, you guarantee the feedback gathered leads to actionable changes. This approach helps you identify both strengths and weaknesses in your service delivery, allowing you to improve customer satisfaction effectively. Incorporate open-ended questions to capture qualitative insights and deeper context about customer experiences. Regularly analyze survey results and adjust your strategies accordingly, nurturing a culture of continuous improvement. Keep in mind that 73% of customers expect companies to act on their feedback, so implementing changes based on their responses can greatly boost loyalty. Examples of Effective Customer Service Questionnaires Creating effective customer service questionnaires is essential for gathering valuable insights that can drive your business forward. To achieve this, consider incorporating a variety of question types, such as Likert scales, multiple-choice, and open-ended questions. For example, you might ask, “How satisfied were you with the support received?” to gauge customer satisfaction. Additionally, include a Net Promoter Score (NPS) question like, “How likely are you to recommend our service to a friend?” This helps assess customer loyalty. Open-ended questions, such as “What can we do to improve your experience?” allow for specific feedback. Keep your questionnaire concise, ideally under five minutes. Here’s a simple structure to illustrate these elements: Question Type Example Likert Scale How satisfied were you with our service? Multiple-Choice What service did you use? Net Promoter Score Would you recommend us? Open-Ended Any additional comments or suggestions? Frequently Asked Questions What Are Good Questions for a Customer Service Survey? Good questions for a customer service survey include satisfaction ratings, like “How satisfied were you with the support received?” To assess performance, use a Likert scale for queries such as “How responsive were our representatives?” Open-ended questions, like “What could we improve?” provide valuable feedback. Furthermore, ask about likelihood to recommend your service on a scale from 0 to 10. Demographic questions help segment responses and tailor services effectively to meet diverse customer needs. What Are the 5 Questions to Ask in a Questionnaire? To create an effective questionnaire, you should include five key questions. First, ask respondents to rate their overall satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 10. Second, inquire about the responsiveness of your representatives. Third, measure loyalty by asking how likely they’re to recommend you. Fourth, request the main reason for their contact. Finally, encourage open feedback by asking how you can improve their experience. These questions yield valuable insights. What Are the 3 C’s of Customer Satisfaction? The 3 C’s of customer satisfaction are Customer Needs, Customer Expectations, and Customer Communication. First, you need to identify what your customers require to feel satisfied with your products or services. Then, guarantee you meet their expectations by delivering on your promises consistently. Finally, maintain effective communication to keep customers informed about their experiences and how their feedback is used. Excelling in these elements can lead to higher retention rates and increased referrals. What Is an Example of a Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire? A customer satisfaction questionnaire often includes key questions to gauge overall experience. For example, you might see a question like, “How satisfied were you with your recent experience?” rated from 1 to 5. It could likewise feature an NPS question, such as, “How likely are you to recommend us?” Moreover, including open-ended questions, like, “What can we do to improve?” helps gather specific feedback, enhancing your comprehension of customer needs and expectations. Conclusion To summarize, creating an effective customer service questionnaire involves careful planning and execution. By incorporating a variety of question types and maintaining a neutral tone, you can gather valuable insights from your customers. Remember to analyze the responses thoroughly and use the feedback to make informed improvements. This approach not just improves customer satisfaction but additionally strengthens your overall service quality. With a well-crafted questionnaire, you can better understand and meet your customers’ needs. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Creating an Effective Customer Service Questionnaire for Customers" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Creating an effective customer service questionnaire is essential for gathering valuable feedback from your customers. It involves comprehending the key components that contribute to a thorough survey, including various question types that can yield both quantitative and qualitative insights. By focusing on clear goals and best practices in design, you can encourage participation and obtain unbiased responses. This approach not merely helps in analyzing feedback but likewise sets the stage for meaningful improvements. What specific strategies can you implement to improve your questionnaires? Key Takeaways Define clear goals for your questionnaire to gather actionable insights about customer experiences and service quality. Include a mix of question types, such as multiple-choice, Likert scales, and open-ended questions, for comprehensive feedback. Ensure questions are concise, neutral, and free of bias to avoid leading respondents and to encourage honest feedback. Deliver the questionnaire promptly within 24 hours of service interaction to enhance response rates and accuracy. Regularly analyze results to identify trends, strengths, and areas for improvement, fostering a culture of continuous enhancement in service delivery. Understanding Customer Service Questionnaires Customer service questionnaires play an important role in gathering insights about customer experiences and service interactions. These tools are designed to assess various aspects, including responsiveness, problem resolution, and overall satisfaction with service representatives. When you create a customer service questionnaire for customers, consider incorporating a mix of question types, such as Likert scales and open-ended questions, to provide a thorough view of customer experiences. Utilizing clear and neutral wording helps prevent bias, ensuring that responses accurately reflect sentiments. Timing is also vital; sending questionnaires shortly after interactions can capture accurate feedback and boost participation rates. Studies show that delivering surveys within 24 hours results in higher response rates. Furthermore, including customer loyalty survey questions can help you understand factors influencing repeat business. Analyzing the data gathered can reveal trends and areas for improvement, guiding your organization in refining service strategies to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. Key Components of an Effective Questionnaire Creating an effective questionnaire hinges on several key components that directly influence the quality of the feedback you receive. First, guarantee your questionnaire has a clear goal, as this guides the design of your questions to gather actionable insights. Utilize a variety of question formats, combining Likert scales and open-ended questions to capture both quantitative and qualitative data. Keep the questionnaire concise, aiming for a completion time of under five minutes to reduce survey fatigue and improve response rates. Ascertain questions are neutral and unbiased, avoiding leading questions that may distort the data collected. Lastly, incorporate demographic questions to segment responses. This enables you to analyze feedback more effectively and target specific customer groups for improvement. Types of Questions to Include When creating your customer service questionnaire, you’ll want to include various types of questions to gather meaningful feedback. Rating scales can help you quantify satisfaction levels, whereas open-ended questions encourage customers to share detailed insights. Furthermore, incorporating demographic questions allows you to segment responses and tailor your analysis for more targeted improvements. Question Types Overview How can you effectively gather feedback from your customers? To guarantee you collect thorough insights, use a mix of question types in your customer service questionnaire. This variety allows you to capture both quantitative and qualitative data. Multiple-choice questions offer standardized feedback, simplifying trend analysis. Likert scale questions measure the intensity of customer sentiment, giving you deeper insight into satisfaction levels. Open-ended questions invite detailed responses, revealing unique insights and contextual experiences. Incorporating demographic questions can additionally help you segment responses, enhancing your grasp of customer needs across different groups. Rating Scales Usage Incorporating rating scales in your customer service questionnaire can greatly improve the quality of feedback you receive. Using Likert scales allows customers to express their satisfaction levels on a continuum, typically from “very dissatisfied” to “very satisfied,” which provides nuanced insights into their sentiments. A common practice is using a 1 to 5 or 1 to 10 scale, where higher numbers indicate greater satisfaction, facilitating clear quantitative analysis. Moreover, semantic differential scales can help gauge emotional responses by asking customers to rate feelings between two opposing adjectives. Including multiple-choice questions with rating options improves data collection efficiency, as well as tiered rating scales reveal trends over time, enabling you to track changes in customer satisfaction and service quality effectively. Best Practices for Survey Design When designing your customer service survey, focus on clear and simple wording to guarantee that respondents easily understand your questions. Align each question with your survey’s objectives to keep the content relevant and engaging, which helps prevent fatigue. Finally, incorporate a variety of response formats, such as multiple-choice and open-ended questions, to gather an extensive range of feedback. Clear Question Wording What makes a customer service questionnaire effective? Clear question wording is essential for gathering reliable feedback. When you use simple and direct language, respondents easily grasp what you’re asking, which reduces confusion and abandonment rates. Avoid jargon and complex phrasing to encourage honest responses. Neutral wording in your questions likewise plays a key role, ensuring you don’t lead participants toward biased answers. Consider these best practices: Test your questions with a small group to identify misunderstandings. Keep questions focused on specific aspects of customer service experiences. Use straightforward language to improve clarity and relevance. Focused Objectives Establishing focused objectives is crucial for designing an effective customer service questionnaire, as it guarantees that each question serves a clear purpose aligned with your overall goals. By defining specific aims, like measuring customer satisfaction or identifying improvement areas, you ascertain each question is actionable and relevant. This focus prevents purposeless data collection and improves the quality of insights you gather. Keep your survey concise, aiming for completion within five minutes to respect customer time. Tailor questions to specific interactions and service touchpoints, increasing your chances of obtaining valuable feedback. Using a mix of question types, such as Likert scale and open-ended questions, provides a thorough grasp of customer experiences during the survey process while maintaining engagement throughout. Engaging Response Formats How can you improve engagement in your customer service questionnaire? By using diverse response formats, you can make it easier and more enjoyable for customers to share their thoughts. Consider these best practices: Mix question types: Use Likert scales, multiple-choice, and open-ended questions to gather both quantitative and qualitative insights. Keep it concise: Aim for completion within five minutes to prevent fatigue and maintain high response rates. Incorporate neutrality: Use unbiased wording in your questions to encourage honest feedback. Additionally, personalize your survey invitations and clearly state the survey’s purpose. This approach shows customers that their input is valued and increases participation, eventually leading to more meaningful insights. Analyzing and Interpreting Responses Analyzing and interpreting survey responses is vital for comprehending customer perceptions and experiences with your service. Start by categorizing data into relevant themes; this helps identify trends, strengths, and areas needing improvement. Use statistical tools to quantitatively analyze the data, calculating averages and percentages to uncover patterns in customer feedback. Don’t overlook qualitative data from open-ended responses; reviewing these can reveal recurring themes or sentiments that provide deeper insights into customer experiences. Utilizing sentiment analysis techniques can gauge overall feelings regarding service interactions, allowing you to prioritize action items based on emotional responses. It’s equally important to regularly review and compare survey results over time. This practice helps track changes in customer satisfaction and the effectiveness of any improvements you implement. Utilizing Feedback for Improvement Utilizing feedback from customer service questionnaires is a potent way to drive improvements in your business operations. By aligning your questions with specific improvement areas, you guarantee the feedback gathered leads to actionable changes. This approach helps you identify both strengths and weaknesses in your service delivery, allowing you to improve customer satisfaction effectively. Incorporate open-ended questions to capture qualitative insights and deeper context about customer experiences. Regularly analyze survey results and adjust your strategies accordingly, nurturing a culture of continuous improvement. Keep in mind that 73% of customers expect companies to act on their feedback, so implementing changes based on their responses can greatly boost loyalty. Examples of Effective Customer Service Questionnaires Creating effective customer service questionnaires is essential for gathering valuable insights that can drive your business forward. To achieve this, consider incorporating a variety of question types, such as Likert scales, multiple-choice, and open-ended questions. For example, you might ask, “How satisfied were you with the support received?” to gauge customer satisfaction. Additionally, include a Net Promoter Score (NPS) question like, “How likely are you to recommend our service to a friend?” This helps assess customer loyalty. Open-ended questions, such as “What can we do to improve your experience?” allow for specific feedback. Keep your questionnaire concise, ideally under five minutes. Here’s a simple structure to illustrate these elements: Question Type Example Likert Scale How satisfied were you with our service? Multiple-Choice What service did you use? Net Promoter Score Would you recommend us? Open-Ended Any additional comments or suggestions? Frequently Asked Questions What Are Good Questions for a Customer Service Survey? Good questions for a customer service survey include satisfaction ratings, like “How satisfied were you with the support received?” To assess performance, use a Likert scale for queries such as “How responsive were our representatives?” Open-ended questions, like “What could we improve?” provide valuable feedback. Furthermore, ask about likelihood to recommend your service on a scale from 0 to 10. Demographic questions help segment responses and tailor services effectively to meet diverse customer needs. What Are the 5 Questions to Ask in a Questionnaire? To create an effective questionnaire, you should include five key questions. First, ask respondents to rate their overall satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 10. Second, inquire about the responsiveness of your representatives. Third, measure loyalty by asking how likely they’re to recommend you. Fourth, request the main reason for their contact. Finally, encourage open feedback by asking how you can improve their experience. These questions yield valuable insights. What Are the 3 C’s of Customer Satisfaction? The 3 C’s of customer satisfaction are Customer Needs, Customer Expectations, and Customer Communication. First, you need to identify what your customers require to feel satisfied with your products or services. Then, guarantee you meet their expectations by delivering on your promises consistently. Finally, maintain effective communication to keep customers informed about their experiences and how their feedback is used. Excelling in these elements can lead to higher retention rates and increased referrals. What Is an Example of a Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire? A customer satisfaction questionnaire often includes key questions to gauge overall experience. For example, you might see a question like, “How satisfied were you with your recent experience?” rated from 1 to 5. It could likewise feature an NPS question, such as, “How likely are you to recommend us?” Moreover, including open-ended questions, like, “What can we do to improve?” helps gather specific feedback, enhancing your comprehension of customer needs and expectations. Conclusion To summarize, creating an effective customer service questionnaire involves careful planning and execution. By incorporating a variety of question types and maintaining a neutral tone, you can gather valuable insights from your customers. Remember to analyze the responses thoroughly and use the feedback to make informed improvements. This approach not just improves customer satisfaction but additionally strengthens your overall service quality. With a well-crafted questionnaire, you can better understand and meet your customers’ needs. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Creating an Effective Customer Service Questionnaire for Customers" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. If you own a home, it's never a bad time to be thinking about its curb appeal. That's a given when it's time to sell, but making a series of smaller upgrades over time will leave you with less to worry about once it comes time to list it, at which point you'll probably be more focused on interior renovations. Plus, that way you'll get to enjoy coming home to a prettier, well-kept exterior every single day until then. The math around the cost of improvements and their potential return on investment is always complex, but less so when the upgrades don't cost much to begin with. You can handle a lot of projects yourself in a few hours on the weekend, and with modest budgets (often less than $100). Here are a dozen of the best ways to boost your home’s curb appeal without draining your bank account. Add a coat of paint or stain to beautify your front doorThe front door of your house is one of the first things people see, and it has a huge impact on the home’s perceived value. Installing a new front door can have an ROI of almost 200%, but if the average cost of about $2,300 is a bit too rich for your blood, simply painting or staining the door can add thousands of dollars to your home’s value at a cost of less than $100 in materials, and a few hours of your time. Add an awning over the front doorInstalling an awning over your front door or other entrances isn’t an expensive or difficult project, and it can add both beauty and practicality to the exterior of your house, protecting you from rain and drips from your roof line. It also makes your front door more welcoming to guests, who won’t have to stand in the elements waiting for you to answer their knock. Patch and seal your driveway before small cracks become a big problemYour driveway should be considered part of your landscaping, because its condition is part of the first impression people form about your house. A cracked, crumbling, stained driveway says all the wrong things (and is a warning of a big repair bill coming sooner rather than later), so cleaning it up and sealing it will go a long way. Sweep away dirt and debris Clean thoroughly with a power wash (you can use dish soap and your garden hose in a pinch) Fill in cracks with a quality crack filler product for asphalt or concrete. Seal the concrete or asphalt with an appropriate product. The total cost will be around $300. Hang exterior art to make your home stand outAn easy, affordable way to make the exterior of your home stand out is to hang some outside wall art. For just a few bucks (this dog-themed piece is just $16, for example) you can give the exterior of your home a bit of your personality, eliminate boring blank space, and make your outdoor spaces more visually interesting. That will prompt guests or potential buyers to think of those spaces as finished, and invite them to imagine themselves using those spaces. Plant some trees to increase your property valueAn easy way to spruce up the exterior of your home is to plant some trees—and trees definitely add to your home’s curb appeal and property value. Trees provide shade, which makes outdoor spaces more comfortable (and can even help keep your interior cooler by blocking some of the sun), and they make an outdoor space feel organic and comfortable. It can even be a $0 investment, because many cities and towns offer free tree programs, so if you’re willing to put in the sweat equity, the project doesn’t have to cost you a thing. Upgrade your mailboxIf your house has a mailbox on the edge of your property, upgrading it has a lot of advantages. For one, a larger mailbox can accommodate packages, meaning fewer crushed items and “we missed you” slips. And a new, stylish mailbox will be a little boost to the overall curb appeal of the house. While you’re at it, consider creating a mailbox garden, if there’s space for it. Building a simple raised garden bed around the mailbox and filling it with native flowers or spreading plants will enhance the mailbox and extend the influence of your landscaping. Refresh your garage door with new hardware and paintYour garage door is literally a huge aspect of your home’s curb appeal—typically anywhere from 50 to several hundred square feet of exterior space. If it’s looking a bit dingy, no amount of landscaping or other tricks will make your house look good. Luckily, upgrading your garage door doesn’t require an expensive replacement, as long as the door is in good physical shape. A coat of good-quality exterior paint can do a world of good. And you can also give your garage door a more lux look by adding some faux hardware whether permanently attached or using magnetic versions. Doing both will come in under $100. Add or replace your exterior lightingIf your front door is a dark and gloomy place, adding some lighting (or replacing what's there) will make your home seem a lot more inviting. You don’t need to spend hundreds of bucks and hire an electrician, either—you can pick up a battery- or solar-powered exterior light that installs with a few screws. Not only will this make your exterior a little nicer, it also means not fumbling with your phone’s flashlight when you get home late and can’t quite see your keys. Replace your house numbers with something stylishIf your home’s address is difficult to read, it can be hard to find. And if your home’s address numbers are faded or rusted, it reflects poorly on the rest of the home’s curb appeal. Replacing those numbers is pretty easy—and you have an incredibly wide range of styles to choose from, so you can really match or augment your home’s exterior style. You can get custom address plates made, of course, but you can find address numbers that attach via screws or adhesive if you’re not in the mood to break out the power drill. Install window plant boxes to hide your outdated windowsWhether your windows are brand new or a bit weathered, you can easily upgrade their look (and thus the look of the whole house) with the addition of window garden boxes. They extend your landscaping up onto the vertical space, creating a unified, cohesive look, and they help frame your windows with color and architectural interest. You can just place freestanding boxes on the sill if there’s room, or install something more permanent for a more upscale look. Install ornamental shutters to add visual interestJust like wall art, shutters can fill up the empty space on your exterior walls and create visual interest. They also imply a certain fanciness (that’s a technical real estate term) that can make the whole house look and feel a bit more expensive. But, secretly, they’re an inexpensive and easy upgrade: You can buy a pair of durable, paintable vinyl shutters for under $100, and they install easily, instantly transforming your exterior look and feel. Paint your gutters to make them popIf your gutters are the standard white, they’re an opportunity to make your home’s exterior pop a little more—because you can paint your gutters as easily as anything else. Choose a strong accent color, pick an exterior paint that’s appropriate for your gutter material (plastic or metal, typically), and transform them by spending a few hours painting (being super careful if you’re on a ladder, of course). View the full article

IN The Next RenAIssance: AI and the Expansion of Human Potential, AI expert Zack Kass believes “properly harnessed, AI could democratize education, revolutionize healthcare, and accelerate innovation,” but “for Al to truly serve humanity, we will be forced to solve radical new ethical dilemmas, unprecedented economic disruptions, daunting technical challenges, environmental collapse, dehumanization, the loss of identity, and above all, terrifying uncertainty.” Yet because AI is not a tangible tech – something we can see – we are naturally suspicious. How does it work? Kass writes that AI systems must begin to “show their work” rather than just spitting out an answer if they are to be trusted. How did you get to the conclusion it came to? What information was considered? How valid is it? We need real-time transparency. “Real-time transparency gives users a window into what the system is prioritizing and why, helping build informed trust instead of blind faith.” What about the future of work? “Predicting Al’s impact on jobs has become high-stakes roulette, and the bets often say more about the gambler’s worldview than technology itself. Even among industry and economic experts, the topic is very much still up for debate.” Kass offers a set of four principles meant to guide how we live, work, and lead in the age of artificial intelligence. 1. Go Outside: The physical world matters more than anything else. It is life in four dimensions. Serendipity happens naturally. The physical world carries variety that no recommender system can deliver. Algorithms collapse toward similarity. Streets, markets, trails, and small talk offer variance and surprise. Serendipity does not follow a schedule. It happens when you are a little off route, a little curious, and fully present. It shakes loose stale assumptions. It builds resilience. You learn to adapt. Adaptability will keep you relevant. Anchors will keep you principled. If you confuse methods for values, you will collapse with them. But if you adapt while anchoring in your values, you will find the formula for resilience in any era. Go outside and be in the world you are trying to serve. Be in it. 2. Learn How to Learn: Study what you want. The process alone will teach you how to learn something else. Learning The Presidents what you already know. You will not be defined by what you know, or even by what you have already mastered. You will be defined by your ability to master something new, and your drive to keep doing so again and again. Knowledge expires. Tools expire. But learning endures. 3. Optimize for Human Qualities: Be Human. AI will make human qualities more valuable. Courage, compassion, hope, curiosity, humor, wisdom, and empathy are measures of human achievement. And soon these “soft skills” may in fact become our primary means of differentiation. In the age of AI, your humanity is the product. Your bedside manner matters. 4. Lead with Optimism: Lead with optimism. Fear constrains. Choose a can-do approach. Progress does not happen by default. People build toward the stories they believe. Narrative sets policy. Belief sets budgets. A leader’s horizon becomes a team’s boundary conditions. If we tell stories of decline, we will write rules that constrain. If we tell credible stories of a better future, we will invest, upskill, and move. Optimism is the way forward. * * * Follow us on Instagram and X for additional leadership and personal development ideas. * * * View the full article

Self-serve negative keyword lists are now live in Microsoft Advertising, according to Ads Liaison Navah Hopkins — giving advertisers long-requested control without submitting support tickets. What’s happening. Advertisers can now create and manage shared negative keyword lists directly in the UI. Lists support up to 5,000 negative keywords (one per line) and can be applied at either the campaign or account level. Match types function the same way in Performance Max as they do in traditional Search campaigns. Lists can also be edited, exported as CSV files, or removed from campaigns as needed. Microsoft notes that match type formatting requires brackets for exact match and quotation marks for phrase match — not hyphens. Why we care. Negative keywords are critical for filtering irrelevant traffic and protecting budgets. Making lists self-serve streamlines workflow, reduces reliance on support tickets, and gives advertisers faster control over search query exclusions. The bottom line. Microsoft is handing more operational control back to advertisers — and eliminating friction in one of the most essential levers for campaign efficiency. Dig deeper. How to add keywords that won’t trigger my ads (negative keywords) View the full article

On February 10, 2026, the United States District Court dealt a significant blow to fraudsters exploiting the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) initiative. Joshua White, a 44-year-old from Yoe, Pennsylvania, received a 96-month prison sentence for his role in a broad scheme that siphoned off more than $11.5 million in federal funds aimed at supporting small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. This case serves as a stark reminder of the potential pitfalls related to government assistance programs and their implications for legitimate small business owners. During the early days of the pandemic, many small businesses turned to these programs for much-needed relief. However, as highlighted by U.S. Attorney Brian D. Miller, the White family exploited these funds for fraudulent gains. Joshua White was one of four defendants sentenced in this extensive conspiracy. His father, Creed White, operated Aluminum Alloys Manufacturing and was sentenced to a decade in prison for a similar conspiracy. Others involved, including employee Joseph Bailey and Kester Murray, also faced significant legal consequences. For small business owners today, the ramifications of this case go beyond the courtroom. The harsh penalties imposed send a clear message: engaging in fraud against federal relief programs is a risky path that can lead to severe personal and financial consequences. As IRS-CI Philadelphia Field Office Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty stated, “These individuals deliberately and repeatedly defrauded the PPP and the EIDL programs, which were designed to help small business owners during the COVID pandemic.” This statement underscores the critical nature of compliance. Practical insights emerge from this case worth noting. For small business owners seeking federal aid: Documentation is Key: Ensure that all applications are accurate and substantiated by proper documentation. Misrepresentation or inaccuracies can lead to severe repercussions, including criminal charges. Understand Eligibility: Familiarize yourself with the requirements for PPP and EIDL loans. Each program had clear guidelines, and adherence to these is vital for both securing funds and avoiding legal pitfalls. Transparency is Crucial: Establishing clear communication with banks and lenders can safeguard against misinterpretation or fraud accusations. Regular audits of financial documentation can also prevent issues down the line. However, potential challenges arise as small business owners navigate these waters. Increased scrutiny from regulatory agencies may lead legitimate businesses to feel the heat, creating an environment where honest applications could undergo rigorous examination. As Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, Special Agent in Charge of the SBA Office of Inspector General, remarked, “When individuals manipulate pandemic relief programs for personal gain, they undermine public trust.” This observation emphasizes the delicate balance legitimate entrepreneurs must maintain in ensuring trust while accessing government funds. Moreover, the aftermath of fraud cases like this one could lead to adjustments in federal programs, impacting future funding availability. As policymakers tighten regulations to prevent further abuses, small businesses may face increased compliance burdens. Finally, relying on accurate legal and financial advice can be instrumental in successfully navigating these complexities. Seeking guidance from legal experts and financial advisors familiar with government grants and loans may not only help in making well-informed decisions but also in building trust with lending institutions. The sentences handed down to the White family serve as a stern warning to those considering deceitful practices. With total restitution exceeding $2.3 million, the focus remains on protecting taxpayer dollars and ensuring that relief programs serve their intended purpose. In light of this case, it’s more important than ever for small business owners to engage in ethical practices when seeking financial support. For additional context, small businesses interested in keeping informed about investigative cases and oversight reports related to federal assistance can register for updates through the SBA’s Office of Inspector General here. For more information, view the original U.S. Department of Justice press release here. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Four Sentenced in $11.5 Million COVID-19 Fraud Scheme in Pennsylvania" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

On February 10, 2026, the United States District Court dealt a significant blow to fraudsters exploiting the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) initiative. Joshua White, a 44-year-old from Yoe, Pennsylvania, received a 96-month prison sentence for his role in a broad scheme that siphoned off more than $11.5 million in federal funds aimed at supporting small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. This case serves as a stark reminder of the potential pitfalls related to government assistance programs and their implications for legitimate small business owners. During the early days of the pandemic, many small businesses turned to these programs for much-needed relief. However, as highlighted by U.S. Attorney Brian D. Miller, the White family exploited these funds for fraudulent gains. Joshua White was one of four defendants sentenced in this extensive conspiracy. His father, Creed White, operated Aluminum Alloys Manufacturing and was sentenced to a decade in prison for a similar conspiracy. Others involved, including employee Joseph Bailey and Kester Murray, also faced significant legal consequences. For small business owners today, the ramifications of this case go beyond the courtroom. The harsh penalties imposed send a clear message: engaging in fraud against federal relief programs is a risky path that can lead to severe personal and financial consequences. As IRS-CI Philadelphia Field Office Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty stated, “These individuals deliberately and repeatedly defrauded the PPP and the EIDL programs, which were designed to help small business owners during the COVID pandemic.” This statement underscores the critical nature of compliance. Practical insights emerge from this case worth noting. For small business owners seeking federal aid: Documentation is Key: Ensure that all applications are accurate and substantiated by proper documentation. Misrepresentation or inaccuracies can lead to severe repercussions, including criminal charges. Understand Eligibility: Familiarize yourself with the requirements for PPP and EIDL loans. Each program had clear guidelines, and adherence to these is vital for both securing funds and avoiding legal pitfalls. Transparency is Crucial: Establishing clear communication with banks and lenders can safeguard against misinterpretation or fraud accusations. Regular audits of financial documentation can also prevent issues down the line. However, potential challenges arise as small business owners navigate these waters. Increased scrutiny from regulatory agencies may lead legitimate businesses to feel the heat, creating an environment where honest applications could undergo rigorous examination. As Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, Special Agent in Charge of the SBA Office of Inspector General, remarked, “When individuals manipulate pandemic relief programs for personal gain, they undermine public trust.” This observation emphasizes the delicate balance legitimate entrepreneurs must maintain in ensuring trust while accessing government funds. Moreover, the aftermath of fraud cases like this one could lead to adjustments in federal programs, impacting future funding availability. As policymakers tighten regulations to prevent further abuses, small businesses may face increased compliance burdens. Finally, relying on accurate legal and financial advice can be instrumental in successfully navigating these complexities. Seeking guidance from legal experts and financial advisors familiar with government grants and loans may not only help in making well-informed decisions but also in building trust with lending institutions. The sentences handed down to the White family serve as a stern warning to those considering deceitful practices. With total restitution exceeding $2.3 million, the focus remains on protecting taxpayer dollars and ensuring that relief programs serve their intended purpose. In light of this case, it’s more important than ever for small business owners to engage in ethical practices when seeking financial support. For additional context, small businesses interested in keeping informed about investigative cases and oversight reports related to federal assistance can register for updates through the SBA’s Office of Inspector General here. For more information, view the original U.S. Department of Justice press release here. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Four Sentenced in $11.5 Million COVID-19 Fraud Scheme in Pennsylvania" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Republicans target ex-president over ties to late sex offender while Democrats press for answers over Donald The PresidentView the full article

Lenders weigh losses linked to Market Financial Solutions, linked to Bangladeshi politician’s real estate empire View the full article

Ever since I deleted my Facebook account, Instagram has taken its place as the social network I visit most often to check what my friends are up to. I've been on the app for something like 15 years now, and during this time, I've learned a trick or two that improve the experience (or at least make it less annoying). Here are 10 Instagram hacks that will enhance your privacy, reduce the amount of junk in your feed, help you reset your algorithm, and more. Use Instagram filters to block spam messages and comments and clean up your feedOn every social media app, I like to set up filters to mute offensive keywords, but you can use keywords to block almost anything you don't want to see. On Instagram, you can use filters to easily block spammy comments and offensive messages. While you can customize your filter list, I just looked up a list of offensive phrases, and quickly added it to my IG account, then added a few additional terms. You can do the same thing by going to your Instagram profile page, and tapping the three-lines menu in the top-right corner in Instagram. This opens the Settings and activity page, where you can select Hidden Words. It lets you add multiple words, as long as you separate them with a comma. Once added, Instagram will block comments and messages containing those terms. You can also add mute keywords for posts appearing in your feed. Go to Instagram Settings > Content preferences > Specific words and phrases. On the Content preferences page, go to Sensitive content and Political content, and you can limit those types of posts and videos from showing up on your feed too. Reset your Instagram algorithmEvery once in a while, my Instagram algorithm goes haywire and I'm forced to reset it. After all, I mostly open this app to see my friends' updates and cat videos, and once my feed starts showing me too much Hyrox content (a "sport" I couldn't care less about), I know I'm in trouble. If something like this happens to you, there are two ways to reprogram your feed. The easy option is to just look for a reel you enjoy (such as a cat video), and swipe upwards a few times till you reach a non-cat video, then navigate away. Repeat this process a few times and your feed will be back to more cat videos and less Hyrox (or anything else). If that doesn't work, or if your feed is too far gone in the wrong direction, then you can go to Instagram Settings > Content preferences > Reset suggested content to reboot it entirely. Remove tracking links from InstagramWhen you share any post, reel, story, or other type of content on Instagram, the app tracks who you're sharing it with, even if you send the link outside Instagram. You can see this by tapping the Share button on any post, and selecting Copy link: Paste this link in any text editor, such as Apple Notes or Google Keep, and you'll see that the link has tracking parameters at the end, such as "?igsh=…" or "?utm…". That helps Instagram identify that you've shared the link. There's no way to disable this tracking, but you can manually remove it from each link before you send it to someone. Just paste the URL it as usual, then delete everything after the question mark. Force Instagram to open DM links in your preferred browser Credit: Pranay Parab Whenever you open a link in Instagram, the app opens it in an in-app browser. This is the least privacy friendly option, as Instagram can then track which websites you're visiting quite easily. You can partially stop this by tapping the three-dots button in the top-right corner of Instagram's in-app browser and selecting Open in external browser. There's no way to make this the default setting for all links, but you can set it as default for links you receive via DM. To do this, go to Instagram Settings > App website permissions > Message links and turn on Open in external browser. Limit your Instagram notificationsAfter you post something, Instagram loves to spam you with notifications every time a few people interact with the post. Even if you don't use Instagram for a day or two, you'll still get a deluge of notifications from the app. I don't face this problem because I never allow Instagram permission to send any notifications on my devices, but that's not an option for everyone. If you don't want to turn off notifications entire, you can choose to receive only the useful notifications from Instagram. To do this, go to Instagram Settings > Notifications and review all the options available to you. I particularly like the Messages only option, which only sends me an alert when someone DMs viaon the app. To further limit notifications, go to the Following and followers section on this page, and disable Account suggestions. Similarly, you can go to Messages and disable Message reminders and all varieties of channel notification settings. You can also go to the Calls section and turn off Video chats, which has the added bonus of disabling video calls on Instagram, which I've never wanted to use. Hide your online status and disable read receipts on InstagramFor some reason, Instagram shows other people when you're online. If you want to be more discreet, go to Instagram Settings > Messages and story replies > Show activity status and turn the setting off. (On the previous page, you can select Show read receipts and turn it off to stop people seeing if you've read their messages too.) Hide the "typing" indicator in Instagram messagesWhen someone is messaging you on Instagram, the app shows you an animation to tell you that the other person is typing. More often than not, this feature only makes me keep the app open longer while the other person types their message, which is probably why Instagram's added it in the first place. If you don't want to see the typing indicator in a chat, you can disable it: Open any chat in Instagram and tap the contact's name up top. Go to Privacy and safety and turn off Typing indicator. Sadly, you'll need to do this manually for each of your Instagram chats. Enable end-to-end encryption to make Instagram more secure Credit: Pranay Parab Instagram chats are not encrypted by default, which means that the company can read all your messages. If you want to beef up your security, consider using end-to-end encryption for your chats. Just like Telegram, Instagram hides its end-to-end encrypted chat feature, and makes you enable it manually for each chat. You can do so by opening any chat in Instagram, tapping the contact's name up top, selecting Privacy and safety > Use end-to-end encryption. Automatically clear your Instagram search historyYour Instagram search history shows up whenever you try to search for anything on Instagram. This can be embarrassing if you've looked up something really silly (or slightly naughty), and someone else sees it. to prevent this, you can clear your searches by tapping the search bar in Instagram, and selecting Clear all, or tapping the x next to each search term. However, there's also a way to automatically clear your search history on Instagram: Go to Instagram Settings > Accounts Center > Your information and permissions > Search history > Keep searches for, and select 3 days, which is the minimum time for automatically deleting your searches. Reset your Instagram ad preferences to protect your dataThere's no way to block ads on Instagram, but you can reduce the amount of your data that Instagram uses to show you those ads. Just go to Instagram Settings > Accounts Center > Ad preferences > Manage info. You can go through each option on this page and turn off everything you can. Under Categories used to reach you, select Remove on every option. You can choose Don't allow us… in these two categories: Ads in other apps and Ads about Meta. Finally, you can select Activity information from ad partners > Review setting, and pick No, don't make my ads more relevant. View the full article

If you think Paris is always a good idea and the French do everything better, especially leisure—then this one is for you. Unlike Americans, who treat their weekends as a sprint to see who can do the most chores, Sundays are sacred in France—a time to slow down, reset for the week, and do as little as possible. (“Even protests in France happen every day except Sunday . . . that’s how sacred [they] are,” Céline Kaplan, co-founder of upcycled products marketplace OOOF (Out of Office Forever) and PR agent for French clients in New York, tells The Zoe Report.) Looking for more work/life balance? Try treating Sunday as a holiday instead of the first day of a new week, and you may find some surprising results—a calm start to your work week, instead of an anxiety-producing day of “Sunday Scaries.” So, what is a French Sunday? I will admit, I’ve been doing my own version of a “French Sunday” for as long as I can remember. Sleeping in late? Check. Lounge around with coffee and a paper? Check. Brunch? Bien sûr. Like most fashionable trends, “French Sunday” comes from France, but was most recently popularized by Vogue. In short, the art of Sunday à la française is an antidote to the burnout and anxiety many Americans feel come Monday. For one thing, most shops are closed by noon on Sunday in France, eliminating the need to feel “productive” or cross things off a to-do list. Instead, Dimanche is for connecting with family and friends—and not isolating on digital devices, which Americans commonly do as a way to decompress, but which actually severely affects mental health, increases stress and anxiety, and creates even more loneliness. According to the Vogue article, “French Sundays” are supposed to be “lazy, stress-free days, when the main activity is to do nothing”—the exact opposite of productivity hacks that encourage people to use Sundays to prep for next week’s meals, do that load of laundry, clean your space, review your calendar, and lay out your work clothes (making Sundays practically a sixth day of work). How to have your own French Sunday First, “French Sundays” are a mindset, not just a day. Try embracing your inner Frenchie, which means starting the day by letting your body decide when you get up, sans alarm clock. Other suggestions on how to make Sundays your own: Prioritize meeting up with friends and family, take a walk, and even allow yourself to indulge in life’s simple pleasures, which, for the French, is food. One Sunday ritual in France is the family lunch, a big meal that goes on too long, often involving a roast chicken and many, many people. (Social connection, it turns out, is good for your mental health.) Here are a few more suggestions from Vogue: Take an obscenely long nap. Be a flâner, stroll aimlessly. Snack. Cook something that takes forever. Find a pretty view to stare at. Indulge in watching two movies back-to-back in an actual theater. And of course, the most French thing of all—and something you never see as a productivity hack—make love. Bon weekend! View the full article