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Your smartphone is only as good as the charge it holds. It doesn’t matter if you have the newest flagship iPhone or Android—when the device’s battery dies, all the bells and whistles don’t mean diddly. And manufacturers know it. For years, Apple and Google have managed to pack increasingly larger-capacity batteries into the phones they make. The larger the battery, the longer your phone can stay charged. But in recent years, both companies have also been turning to software features on their phones’ operating systems to help maximize battery life. Apple added several software-based battery maximization enhancements in iOS 26. Google has done the same with its popular line of Pixel phones , particularly those running Android 16. Here’s how to use them. Check your battery’s health and remaining capacity Android 16 brought a new feature to many Pixel phones called “Battery health.” Think of this as a one-stop dashboard that provides quick-glance access to critical information about your battery. As noted by 9to5Google, Battery Health provides a quick overview of your battery’s condition on select Pixel phones running Android 16. This overview includes a visual indicator to show whether your battery is running normally, the charging type you selected (more on that below), and how much capacity your battery has left. This capacity information is perhaps the most vital, as it shows how much charge your battery can hold compared to when it was new (a new battery has 100% capacity). As batteries age, their capacity decreases, and as that capacity decreases, your battery needs more frequent charging. As a rule of thumb, if your battery’s capacity drops below 80%, it’s best to consider replacing your failing battery with a brand-new one, though some of the tips below may still help you extend battery life. The new battery health feature in Android 16 makes it easier than ever to determine if you should make that choice. To access Android 16’s new Battery Health feature: Tap the Settings app. Tap Battery. Tap Battery Health. Turn on Battery Health Assistance One feature that can help extend your Pixel’s battery life is found under the new Battery Health dashboard in Android 16. That feature is called Battery Health Assistance. This feature is limited to the Pixel 6a and later, so if you bought a new Pixel phone in the last several years, you should be able to take advantage of it. As batteries age, their maximum capacity decreases. But the rate of that natural decrease can be slowed by adjusting the battery’s maximum voltage and the phone’s charging speed. Battery Health Assistance does just that, which is why it’s a good idea to keep the feature turned on. To do that: Tap the Settings app. Tap Battery. Tap Battery Health. Turn on “Use battery health assistance.” Turn on Battery Saver Battery Saver is another feature built into Android that can help you save valuable battery life each day. The feature doesn’t target the battery itself. Instead, it works by adjusting power-hungry features on your phone—or turning them off completely—which, in turn, helps preserve battery life. According to Google, Battery Saver does this by limiting some common features and apps: dimming the homescreen wallpaper, refreshing app content only when you open the app (instead of refreshing it in the background when not in use), and pausing location services when the screen is off. Battery Saver also automatically turns on the Pixel’s dark theme, which helps conserve power. Taken together, these limitations can help you save precious juice. And the best thing about Battery Saver is that you can turn it on manually or have it come on automatically. If you know you’re going to need all the battery you can get for a day, it’s best to just manually engage Battery Saver first thing in the morning when you wake up. You can do this by swiping down from the top of your screen and tapping the Battery Saver icon. Alternatively, you can set your Pixel to automatically enable Battery Saver when your battery level reaches a certain threshold (e.g., 30%). To set up automatic activation of Battery Saver: Tap the Settings app. Tap Battery. Tap Schedule and reminders. Set “Turn on based on battery level” to ON, then adjust the slider to your desired battery level, which, when reached, should trigger Battery Saver’s activation. Turn on Adaptive Charging If you want to prolong your battery’s lifespan so it continues to hold as much charge as possible as it ages, turn on the Adaptive Charging feature on your Pixel phone. This feature can prolong your Pixel’s overall battery lifespan by dynamically managing when it charges. Manufacturers say that charging your phone to full only right before you need it reduces strain on the battery, which can help it last longer. Adaptive Charging manages this for you. Here’s how to use it: Tap the Settings app. Tap Battery. Tap Battery Health. Tap Charging Optimization. Now select either “Adaptive Charging.” There’s one caveat to all the battery tips above. They aren’t available for all Pixel phones. Whether you can use the tips depends on which Pixel model you have and which Android operating system it runs. Google says the Battery Health feature requires a Pixel 6a running Android 16 or later. Additionally, some Battery Saver features require a Pixel phone running Android 11 or later. As a rule of thumb, to maximize your battery life and your phone’s battery-saving features, it’s best to upgrade to the latest version of Android your Pixel phone can run. 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Imagine you’ve set the goal of running a marathon that’s 90 days away. You’ve hired a trainer who says this a less than optimal amount of time, but if you stick religiously to her fitness routine, nutrition plan, and sleep schedule, you’ll be ready come race day. Cheat in any of those three areas, she warns, and you won’t be able to run 26.2 miles on three month’s notice. Let’s assume you feel pretty good about your odds of following through in each area. You believe there’s a 70% chance you’ll stick with the fitness routine, a 70% chance you’ll stick with the nutrition plan, and a 70% chance you’ll stick with the sleep schedule. What are your odds of doing all three and showing up ready to run? The answer, surprisingly, is only 34.3%. You have three prerequisites to success. Individually, each seems likely to happen. But you need all three to play out as planned. When we multiply your odds of completing each step in the process, the outlook isn’t so rosy. This is a relatively simple goal. You only need three things to go right. Now imagine your odds in a more complex and challenging situation—like starting a successful business or winning a coveted promotion. Suddenly, it’s not surprising that nine out of ten businesses supposedly fail or that most people make a tradition out of falling short on their New Year’s resolutions. We aren’t getting unlucky. We’re experiencing the predicted failures associated with big goals and bad odds. But this isn’t a reason to give up. It’s a reason to probability hack. Here are three steps you can take to tilt the odds in your favor. 1. Think negative: do everything you can to identify and prevent bad outcomes If you flip a coin and call heads, there’s a 50% chance you’ll get the outcome you want and a 50% chance you’ll fail. Our real-life goals are more complex, but the same principle holds. The odds of all possible outcomes add up to 100%. That means, if we can make bad outcomes less likely, we’ll automatically boost our chances of success. Many people avoid wondering about things that could go wrong. After all, we’re supposed to think positive, right? Unfortunately, positive thinking won’t prevent bad outcomes, which means it won’t improve our odds. Preparation will. By identifying threats to our success, we can get creative and systematically de-risk our goals. When I applied to become the product director of a growing health organization, shortly after graduating college, my odds of success weren’t great. I was competing against a lineup of more experienced candidates. But I didn’t give up or resort to simply manifesting a good outcome. I took intentional steps to make it happen. To keep the hiring squad from rejecting me for my youth, I grew a beard to look older. To demonstrate I was up to the task of leading a demanding team, I typed up a spiral-bound plan for improving the department and gave it to everyone I met. To fit in like an existing team member, I read books I knew the team was familiar with, which allowed me to speak their language. The day after an important interview, I woke up to find an email from the CEO. He said I was the most prepared candidate he’d ever seen. Soon after, I was a twenty-one year old department head, on my way to a successful career. 2. Multiply your odds with the power of multiple attempts An 80% chance of failure isn’t necessarily bad. It means for every five attempts, you expect to succeed once. A door-to-door salesman would be absolutely thrilled with that success rate. Knocking on 200 doors per day would lead to 40 sales! For some goals, it isn’t possible or practical to try multiple times. But for goals with a high degree of uncertainty, multiple attempts can actually be the most reliable way to break through. Sometimes you don’t have to beat the odds, you only have to play them. Apoorva Mehta estimates that he launched around 20 businesses before founding Instacart, including an ad network for gaming companies and a social media site for lawyers. When COVID hit, his grocery delivery service was in exactly the right place at the right time. Over a span of 10 months, Instacart’s valuation increased by over $9 billion. Thomas Edison outcompeted his peers and found a practical filament for the incandescent lamp by experimenting with 6,000 different plant materials. Through this inglorious process, he discovered an unlikely winner—carbonized bamboo—and won valuable patents. History’s most famous creatives took a similar approach to produce enduring works of art. Mozart composed over 600 pieces of music. Beethoven wrote over 700. Van Gogh painted and sketched so prolifically, he averaged roughly one new work of art every 36 hours for 10 years. And in the world of product development, Ben & Jerry’s created over 300 discontinued flavors on the road to uncovering classics like Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and becoming the top-selling ice cream brand in the United States. Contrary to popular belief, quantity is not the sworn enemy of quality. It’s a clever way to up your odds of producing great work. 3. Prioritize low probability steps Your overall odds of success will never be higher than your most unlikely prerequisite step. For example, imagine you need four department managers’ approval to pursue a time-sensitive idea at work. You think the first three each have a 98% chance of saying yes. The fourth has a 10% chance of saying yes. Again, you need all four to approve. That puts your overall odds at 9.4% — not good. One proactive step you can take is first talking to the manager who will probably say no. Why? If he says yes, your odds will skyrocket. If he rejects the idea, you won’t have to waste time talking to the other three managers. This is a clever way to fail fast and focus your energy on projects that are likely to succeed. In a production mindset, we prioritize the longest pole in the tent. In a probability mindset, we prioritize the step with the longest odds. Doing so consistently is a reliable way to experience smaller setbacks and get more of what you want in life. Every goal that you’re pursuing has two hidden numbers attached to it—a probability of success and a probability of failure. If we can make the first number bigger and the second number smaller, we can rewrite your future. In the context of a single goal, it could change your outcome. Over the course of several goals, it could shift the trajectory of your career. Multiplied across a lifetime of goals, it could redefine your legacy. View the full article

Team building training offers a range of crucial benefits that can greatly improve your organization’s effectiveness. It boosts team performance and increases employee engagement, during improving communication and conflict resolution skills among members. By strengthening company culture and nurturing leadership development, it additionally supports employee well-being. As you explore these advantages, you’ll discover how they align individual goals with broader organizational objectives, in the end driving success in ways you may not have considered. Key Takeaways Team building training boosts employee engagement, leading to a 17% increase in productivity and improved team performance. Enhances communication skills, allowing teams to resolve conflicts effectively and increase overall employee satisfaction by 47%. Strengthens company culture and increases retention rates, with cohesive teams 24% more likely to stay in the organization. Develops leadership skills by encouraging accountability and decision-making, revealing hidden leadership potential within team members. Promotes employee well-being by reducing stress and burnout, fostering deeper connections, and aligning individual goals with organizational objectives. Boosts Team Performance and Increases Employee Engagement Team building training serves as a critical tool for improving team performance and increasing employee engagement within an organization. By participating in a course on team building, employees learn to collaborate effectively, tapping into individual strengths that can lead to improved overall performance. Team development training promotes an environment where employees feel valued and connected to their work. This engagement can boost productivity by 17%, as engaged employees are more committed to their roles. Organizations investing in team building training for managers can directly correlate increased employee engagement scores with lower absenteeism rates and heightened profitability. Research from the University of Warwick shows that teams leveraging their collective strengths through these exercises experience a productivity boost of approximately 12%. In the end, effective team building not only improves performance but also cultivates a sense of belonging, strengthening commitment to the organization’s goals. Enhances Communication and Improves Conflict Resolution Effective communication is vital for any successful workplace, and engaging in team-building activities can greatly improve this important skill. Team building training boosts open communication among employees, making it easier for you to reach out and discuss ideas or concerns. When employees practice improved communication skills through these activities, they can resolve small issues before they escalate into larger conflicts, nurturing a more harmonious work environment. Moreover, team-building exercises encourage active listening and constructive feedback, which are fundamental for effective communication and conflict resolution. The strong relationships you form during team building promote comprehension and respect during disagreements, allowing for open dialogue instead of avoidance or hostility. Research shows that organizations with effective communication practices experience 47% higher employee satisfaction, highlighting the direct impact of team building training on workplace dynamics. In the end, improving communication skills leads to a more engaged and satisfied workforce. Strengthens Company Culture and Increases Retention Rates Creating a positive work environment through team building is crucial for promoting employee loyalty and reducing turnover. When you prioritize collaborative community building, you not just improve job satisfaction but additionally strengthen the overall company culture. As employees feel more connected and valued, retention rates naturally increase, leading to a more stable and engaged workforce. Positive Work Environment A positive work environment is essential for strengthening company culture, as it not just attracts top talent but in addition improves employee retention rates. When you cultivate a supportive atmosphere through team building, your organization can retain employees 50% longer than those in negative settings. This extended tenure greatly reduces turnover costs. Gallup research shows that team building activities can lead to a 21% increase in job satisfaction, highlighting that employees feel valued. Moreover, workers in cohesive teams are 24% more likely to stay, as connections with colleagues nurture loyalty. Improved relationships from team building also result in a 12% increase in productivity, contributing to a more engaged workforce and reducing absenteeism rates, ultimately benefiting your organization’s bottom line. Employee Loyalty Development Building on the importance of a positive work environment, employee loyalty development plays a significant role in reinforcing company culture and enhancing retention rates. When you invest in team building initiatives, you’re showing employees that they matter, which can lead to a 25% increase in retention rates. A strong team culture nurtures connections among colleagues, contributing to a 30% rise in loyalty. Organizations prioritizing team building experience a 20% reduction in turnover, as employees are more likely to stay in environments where they feel valued. Furthermore, strong relationships can boost employee satisfaction by 50%, directly correlating with loyalty. Collaborative Community Building When employees feel connected to their colleagues and the organization, they’re more likely to contribute to a positive company culture that nurtures collaboration and trust. Team building activities are crucial tools for enhancing this culture, cultivating important relationships that attract and retain top talent. A supportive environment leads to higher employee satisfaction and greatly reduces turnover rates. Organizations with strong team cohesion enjoy increased loyalty, resulting in a more stable workforce. When companies prioritize team building, they demonstrate their commitment to employee well-being, boosting morale and loyalty. Research shows that such efforts can yield up to a 12% increase in productivity, highlighting the importance of cultivating strong interpersonal connections among employees for long-term success. Fosters Creativity and Innovation Encouraging creativity and innovation within a team often hinges on the collaborative environment established during team building activities. These activities promote out-of-the-box thinking by making employees feel safe to share unconventional ideas and solutions. When engaged in collaborative tasks, team members bring diverse perspectives, which leads to innovative approaches and effective problem-solving. Moreover, team-building exercises boost motivation, as employees who feel connected and valued are more likely to contribute novel ideas. Research indicates that organizations prioritizing teamwork and collaboration see improved innovation rates, giving them a competitive edge in their industry. A supportive team environment nurtured through team building is vital for brainstorming and experimentation, both fundamental to the innovation process. By cultivating this environment, you can improve your team’s ability to generate creative solutions and drive progress, eventually benefiting your organization as a whole. Develops Leadership Skills and Unlocks Leadership Potential Team building activities are crucial for cultivating leadership qualities within your team. By encouraging accountability among team members, these exercises enable individuals to practice decision-making in a supportive setting, which boosts their confidence. As employees take on challenges together, hidden leadership potential often emerges, empowering them to step up and guide their peers effectively. Cultivates Leadership Qualities Cultivating leadership qualities within a team is important for nurturing a productive work environment, as team-building activities provide a platform for employees to take on leadership roles. These activities help you identify hidden leadership potential and develop fundamental skills. Here are three key benefits: Decision-making: Team-building exercises simulate real-world challenges, allowing you to practice making effective decisions under pressure. Conflict resolution: Engaging in collaborative tasks improves your ability to navigate disputes, a critical trait of strong leaders. Effective communication: You’ll enhance your communication skills, which are necessary for guiding and inspiring team members. Encourages Accountability Among Teams When individuals take ownership of their roles within a group, accountability naturally flourishes, creating a foundation of trust and reliance among team members. Team building training encourages this accountability by prompting you to embrace responsibility, which cultivates a sense of mutual support. As you engage in team-building exercises, you learn to hold each other accountable, improving your ability to provide constructive feedback. This process helps reveal hidden leadership potential, allowing you to step up, take initiative, and lead collaboratively. In the end, a strong culture of accountability enhances team performance, as everyone aims for excellence and meets shared goals. Key Aspects Impact on Teams Ownership of Roles Builds Trust Constructive Feedback Improves Growth Leadership Development Reveals Potential Builds Confidence in Decision-Making Building confidence in decision-making is vital for developing leadership skills and releasing leadership potential within a team. Team building activities provide a supportive environment where you can take charge and make decisions, helping you grow your confidence. Here are a few key benefits: Real-Time Practice: Engaging in team challenges allows you to practice problem-solving and decision-making, enhancing your leadership skills through experiential learning. Accountability: These activities encourage individuals to recognize their leadership potential, nurturing a culture of empowerment and initiative. Improved Team Performance: As you gain confidence in decision-making, you become better equipped to guide your team toward common goals with clarity and purpose. Ultimately, building confidence in decision-making leads to stronger leaders and more effective teams. Supports Employee Well-Being and Reduces Stress Team building activities play a crucial role in supporting employee well-being and reducing stress in the workplace. By providing a break from routine, these activities help you alleviate stress and promote relaxation. Engaging in collaborative exercises nurtures a supportive environment, improving mental health and encouraging a healthy work-life balance. Participating in team building can likewise reduce burnout, as you connect with colleagues in a more enjoyable setting. Research indicates that teams engaging in bonding activities experience lower stress levels, contributing to overall employee well-being. Regular team-building events serve as effective outlets for stress, allowing you to forge deeper connections and share experiences that bolster emotional resilience. Benefits of Team Building Impact on Well-Being Stress Reduction Break from routine Improved mental health Lower burnout Supportive environment Enhanced work-life balance Stronger connections Collaborative exercises Emotional resilience Reduced anxiety Drives Organizational Success Effective team building training is essential for aligning individual goals with company objectives, finally driving organizational success. By nurturing a unified direction among employees, this training can greatly improve overall performance. Here are three key benefits you can expect: Improved Outcomes: Research shows that strong teamwork can boost project outcomes by 25%, increasing efficiency and innovation within your organization. Increased Profitability: Engaged teams, resulting from effective team building, contribute to a 21% rise in profitability, highlighting the financial advantages of investing in team dynamics. Reduced Turnover: Organizations prioritizing team building experience a 50% reduction in turnover rates, leading to greater stability and continuity in operations. Frequently Asked Questions What Are Some Benefits of Team Building? Team building offers several benefits that can considerably improve workplace dynamics. It improves communication and collaboration among team members, which can lead to increased productivity. You’ll notice improved trust and conflict resolution, nurturing a supportive environment. Regular team-building activities likewise promote employee engagement and morale, reducing turnover rates. In the end, when employees feel connected and valued, the organization reaps the rewards through higher profitability and lower absenteeism. What Are the 7 C’s of Team Building? The 7 C’s of team building are Communication, Collaboration, Cohesion, Creativity, Commitment, Conflict Resolution, and Celebration. Communication guarantees open dialogue, reducing misunderstandings. Collaboration focuses on working together toward common goals, enhancing productivity. Cohesion builds trust among team members. Creativity sparks innovative solutions. Commitment reinforces dedication to team objectives. Conflict Resolution addresses disagreements constructively, maintaining harmony. Finally, Celebration acknowledges achievements, boosting morale and nurturing a positive team environment. Each element is essential for effective teamwork. What Are 10 Benefits of Teamwork? Teamwork offers numerous benefits that improve productivity and workplace dynamics. To begin with, it enhances communication, reducing misunderstandings. In addition, it cultivates trust, essential for collaboration. Furthermore, leveraging individual strengths can boost productivity by around 12%. Moreover, teams that collaborate experience higher employee engagement, resulting in lower absenteeism. Additionally, working together encourages creativity, as diverse perspectives generate innovative solutions. Finally, effective teamwork leads to increased profitability, creating a more successful and cohesive work environment. What Are the 5 Common Objectives of Team Building? When you consider team building, five common objectives stand out. First, enhancing communication skills helps reduce misunderstandings. Second, building trust among team members encourages collaboration. Third, improving problem-solving abilities allows for creative approaches to challenges. Fourth, promoting a positive work environment boosts employee engagement and morale. Finally, developing leadership skills encourages individuals to take initiative and make decisions, ultimately contributing to a more effective and productive team dynamic. Conclusion In summary, team building training offers important advantages that greatly improve organizational effectiveness. By boosting performance and engagement, improving communication, and nurturing leadership skills, it creates a more cohesive work environment. Furthermore, it strengthens company culture and supports employee well-being, eventually driving organizational success. Investing in team building is not just beneficial; it’s necessary for aligning individual and collective goals, reducing turnover, and increasing overall productivity, making it a key component of any successful organization. Image via Google Gemini This article, "7 Essential Benefits of Team Building Training" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Team building training offers a range of crucial benefits that can greatly improve your organization’s effectiveness. It boosts team performance and increases employee engagement, during improving communication and conflict resolution skills among members. By strengthening company culture and nurturing leadership development, it additionally supports employee well-being. As you explore these advantages, you’ll discover how they align individual goals with broader organizational objectives, in the end driving success in ways you may not have considered. Key Takeaways Team building training boosts employee engagement, leading to a 17% increase in productivity and improved team performance. Enhances communication skills, allowing teams to resolve conflicts effectively and increase overall employee satisfaction by 47%. Strengthens company culture and increases retention rates, with cohesive teams 24% more likely to stay in the organization. Develops leadership skills by encouraging accountability and decision-making, revealing hidden leadership potential within team members. Promotes employee well-being by reducing stress and burnout, fostering deeper connections, and aligning individual goals with organizational objectives. Boosts Team Performance and Increases Employee Engagement Team building training serves as a critical tool for improving team performance and increasing employee engagement within an organization. By participating in a course on team building, employees learn to collaborate effectively, tapping into individual strengths that can lead to improved overall performance. Team development training promotes an environment where employees feel valued and connected to their work. This engagement can boost productivity by 17%, as engaged employees are more committed to their roles. Organizations investing in team building training for managers can directly correlate increased employee engagement scores with lower absenteeism rates and heightened profitability. Research from the University of Warwick shows that teams leveraging their collective strengths through these exercises experience a productivity boost of approximately 12%. In the end, effective team building not only improves performance but also cultivates a sense of belonging, strengthening commitment to the organization’s goals. Enhances Communication and Improves Conflict Resolution Effective communication is vital for any successful workplace, and engaging in team-building activities can greatly improve this important skill. Team building training boosts open communication among employees, making it easier for you to reach out and discuss ideas or concerns. When employees practice improved communication skills through these activities, they can resolve small issues before they escalate into larger conflicts, nurturing a more harmonious work environment. Moreover, team-building exercises encourage active listening and constructive feedback, which are fundamental for effective communication and conflict resolution. The strong relationships you form during team building promote comprehension and respect during disagreements, allowing for open dialogue instead of avoidance or hostility. Research shows that organizations with effective communication practices experience 47% higher employee satisfaction, highlighting the direct impact of team building training on workplace dynamics. In the end, improving communication skills leads to a more engaged and satisfied workforce. Strengthens Company Culture and Increases Retention Rates Creating a positive work environment through team building is crucial for promoting employee loyalty and reducing turnover. When you prioritize collaborative community building, you not just improve job satisfaction but additionally strengthen the overall company culture. As employees feel more connected and valued, retention rates naturally increase, leading to a more stable and engaged workforce. Positive Work Environment A positive work environment is essential for strengthening company culture, as it not just attracts top talent but in addition improves employee retention rates. When you cultivate a supportive atmosphere through team building, your organization can retain employees 50% longer than those in negative settings. This extended tenure greatly reduces turnover costs. Gallup research shows that team building activities can lead to a 21% increase in job satisfaction, highlighting that employees feel valued. Moreover, workers in cohesive teams are 24% more likely to stay, as connections with colleagues nurture loyalty. Improved relationships from team building also result in a 12% increase in productivity, contributing to a more engaged workforce and reducing absenteeism rates, ultimately benefiting your organization’s bottom line. Employee Loyalty Development Building on the importance of a positive work environment, employee loyalty development plays a significant role in reinforcing company culture and enhancing retention rates. When you invest in team building initiatives, you’re showing employees that they matter, which can lead to a 25% increase in retention rates. A strong team culture nurtures connections among colleagues, contributing to a 30% rise in loyalty. Organizations prioritizing team building experience a 20% reduction in turnover, as employees are more likely to stay in environments where they feel valued. Furthermore, strong relationships can boost employee satisfaction by 50%, directly correlating with loyalty. Collaborative Community Building When employees feel connected to their colleagues and the organization, they’re more likely to contribute to a positive company culture that nurtures collaboration and trust. Team building activities are crucial tools for enhancing this culture, cultivating important relationships that attract and retain top talent. A supportive environment leads to higher employee satisfaction and greatly reduces turnover rates. Organizations with strong team cohesion enjoy increased loyalty, resulting in a more stable workforce. When companies prioritize team building, they demonstrate their commitment to employee well-being, boosting morale and loyalty. Research shows that such efforts can yield up to a 12% increase in productivity, highlighting the importance of cultivating strong interpersonal connections among employees for long-term success. Fosters Creativity and Innovation Encouraging creativity and innovation within a team often hinges on the collaborative environment established during team building activities. These activities promote out-of-the-box thinking by making employees feel safe to share unconventional ideas and solutions. When engaged in collaborative tasks, team members bring diverse perspectives, which leads to innovative approaches and effective problem-solving. Moreover, team-building exercises boost motivation, as employees who feel connected and valued are more likely to contribute novel ideas. Research indicates that organizations prioritizing teamwork and collaboration see improved innovation rates, giving them a competitive edge in their industry. A supportive team environment nurtured through team building is vital for brainstorming and experimentation, both fundamental to the innovation process. By cultivating this environment, you can improve your team’s ability to generate creative solutions and drive progress, eventually benefiting your organization as a whole. Develops Leadership Skills and Unlocks Leadership Potential Team building activities are crucial for cultivating leadership qualities within your team. By encouraging accountability among team members, these exercises enable individuals to practice decision-making in a supportive setting, which boosts their confidence. As employees take on challenges together, hidden leadership potential often emerges, empowering them to step up and guide their peers effectively. Cultivates Leadership Qualities Cultivating leadership qualities within a team is important for nurturing a productive work environment, as team-building activities provide a platform for employees to take on leadership roles. These activities help you identify hidden leadership potential and develop fundamental skills. Here are three key benefits: Decision-making: Team-building exercises simulate real-world challenges, allowing you to practice making effective decisions under pressure. Conflict resolution: Engaging in collaborative tasks improves your ability to navigate disputes, a critical trait of strong leaders. Effective communication: You’ll enhance your communication skills, which are necessary for guiding and inspiring team members. Encourages Accountability Among Teams When individuals take ownership of their roles within a group, accountability naturally flourishes, creating a foundation of trust and reliance among team members. Team building training encourages this accountability by prompting you to embrace responsibility, which cultivates a sense of mutual support. As you engage in team-building exercises, you learn to hold each other accountable, improving your ability to provide constructive feedback. This process helps reveal hidden leadership potential, allowing you to step up, take initiative, and lead collaboratively. In the end, a strong culture of accountability enhances team performance, as everyone aims for excellence and meets shared goals. Key Aspects Impact on Teams Ownership of Roles Builds Trust Constructive Feedback Improves Growth Leadership Development Reveals Potential Builds Confidence in Decision-Making Building confidence in decision-making is vital for developing leadership skills and releasing leadership potential within a team. Team building activities provide a supportive environment where you can take charge and make decisions, helping you grow your confidence. Here are a few key benefits: Real-Time Practice: Engaging in team challenges allows you to practice problem-solving and decision-making, enhancing your leadership skills through experiential learning. Accountability: These activities encourage individuals to recognize their leadership potential, nurturing a culture of empowerment and initiative. Improved Team Performance: As you gain confidence in decision-making, you become better equipped to guide your team toward common goals with clarity and purpose. Ultimately, building confidence in decision-making leads to stronger leaders and more effective teams. Supports Employee Well-Being and Reduces Stress Team building activities play a crucial role in supporting employee well-being and reducing stress in the workplace. By providing a break from routine, these activities help you alleviate stress and promote relaxation. Engaging in collaborative exercises nurtures a supportive environment, improving mental health and encouraging a healthy work-life balance. Participating in team building can likewise reduce burnout, as you connect with colleagues in a more enjoyable setting. Research indicates that teams engaging in bonding activities experience lower stress levels, contributing to overall employee well-being. Regular team-building events serve as effective outlets for stress, allowing you to forge deeper connections and share experiences that bolster emotional resilience. Benefits of Team Building Impact on Well-Being Stress Reduction Break from routine Improved mental health Lower burnout Supportive environment Enhanced work-life balance Stronger connections Collaborative exercises Emotional resilience Reduced anxiety Drives Organizational Success Effective team building training is essential for aligning individual goals with company objectives, finally driving organizational success. By nurturing a unified direction among employees, this training can greatly improve overall performance. Here are three key benefits you can expect: Improved Outcomes: Research shows that strong teamwork can boost project outcomes by 25%, increasing efficiency and innovation within your organization. Increased Profitability: Engaged teams, resulting from effective team building, contribute to a 21% rise in profitability, highlighting the financial advantages of investing in team dynamics. Reduced Turnover: Organizations prioritizing team building experience a 50% reduction in turnover rates, leading to greater stability and continuity in operations. Frequently Asked Questions What Are Some Benefits of Team Building? Team building offers several benefits that can considerably improve workplace dynamics. It improves communication and collaboration among team members, which can lead to increased productivity. You’ll notice improved trust and conflict resolution, nurturing a supportive environment. Regular team-building activities likewise promote employee engagement and morale, reducing turnover rates. In the end, when employees feel connected and valued, the organization reaps the rewards through higher profitability and lower absenteeism. What Are the 7 C’s of Team Building? The 7 C’s of team building are Communication, Collaboration, Cohesion, Creativity, Commitment, Conflict Resolution, and Celebration. Communication guarantees open dialogue, reducing misunderstandings. Collaboration focuses on working together toward common goals, enhancing productivity. Cohesion builds trust among team members. Creativity sparks innovative solutions. Commitment reinforces dedication to team objectives. Conflict Resolution addresses disagreements constructively, maintaining harmony. Finally, Celebration acknowledges achievements, boosting morale and nurturing a positive team environment. Each element is essential for effective teamwork. What Are 10 Benefits of Teamwork? Teamwork offers numerous benefits that improve productivity and workplace dynamics. To begin with, it enhances communication, reducing misunderstandings. In addition, it cultivates trust, essential for collaboration. Furthermore, leveraging individual strengths can boost productivity by around 12%. Moreover, teams that collaborate experience higher employee engagement, resulting in lower absenteeism. Additionally, working together encourages creativity, as diverse perspectives generate innovative solutions. Finally, effective teamwork leads to increased profitability, creating a more successful and cohesive work environment. What Are the 5 Common Objectives of Team Building? When you consider team building, five common objectives stand out. First, enhancing communication skills helps reduce misunderstandings. Second, building trust among team members encourages collaboration. Third, improving problem-solving abilities allows for creative approaches to challenges. Fourth, promoting a positive work environment boosts employee engagement and morale. Finally, developing leadership skills encourages individuals to take initiative and make decisions, ultimately contributing to a more effective and productive team dynamic. Conclusion In summary, team building training offers important advantages that greatly improve organizational effectiveness. By boosting performance and engagement, improving communication, and nurturing leadership skills, it creates a more cohesive work environment. Furthermore, it strengthens company culture and supports employee well-being, eventually driving organizational success. Investing in team building is not just beneficial; it’s necessary for aligning individual and collective goals, reducing turnover, and increasing overall productivity, making it a key component of any successful organization. Image via Google Gemini This article, "7 Essential Benefits of Team Building Training" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

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The US has gone all-in on artificial intelligence. But the idea of an end-of-times battle with China over tomorrow’s key technology is part delusion, part lobbying tool for Silicon ValleyView the full article

Not every ticket gets resolved on the first try. Difficult issues, technical questions, and situations out of your control can all lead to a ticket needing to be escalated to a leader or a completely different team. That’s why having a robust, documented ticket escalation workflow is so important. Without this workflow, every ticket has the potential to balloon into a massive, costly issue. So how do you get this workflow under control? How do you measure its effectiveness? Here’s Unito’s guide to this essential workflow. What is ticket escalation? Ticket escalation is a process through which tickets that need additional expertise or authority are routed to the team or manager that can handle them. For some tickets, that escalation might just come after someone requests a manager. For others, the perspective of an expert is needed to reveal the solution. Whether you’re managing a customer support team or an IT department, ticket escalation is an essential part of your work. Why ticket escalation is such an important process You can’t handle support tickets without an escalation process. Frontline agents can’t handle every ticket that comes in; that approach isn’t scalable and rarely even possible. Likewise, without an established ticket escalation process, you won’t have clear guidelines on when tickets should be escalated, where they should go, and how the recipient should respond. By clearly establishing, streamlining, and optimizing a ticket escalation process, everyone gets clarity on exactly what needs to happen with a ticket, no matter how complex it is. The 3 types of ticket escalation Not every ticket escalation is the same, but most follow one of these three types. Hierarchical escalation A hierarchical escalation follows your org chart. With this kind of escalation, a frontline agent is looking for authority. They might need a manager to make a difficult decision, make an exception, or just give guidance on the right way to solve a ticket. Functional escalation Functional escalation is about skills and knowledge. In this type of escalation, a frontline agent might be looking for support from an engineer for a technical issue, a lawyer for a legal issue, or a software developer for a tenacious bug. SLA (time-based) escalation SLAs (service level agreements) are contractual terms that cover the level of service you’re expected to deliver. They might cover ticket escalation metrics like mean time to resolution (MTTR) or time to escalation. Tickets that are taking too long to resolve might be escalated for SLA reasons so an expert or manager can close them quickly. A breakdown of the ticket escalation process While each organization might have its own specific ticket escalation process, they usually follow these steps. Initial assessment and handling At this stage, frontline agents receive a ticket and perform an initial assessment. This involves identifying the core issue and looking for potential solutions. The agent might compare the ticket to known problems or trends across their department. No escalation is happening at this stage yet; frontline agents are doing the best they can to resolve the problem themselves. Escalation trigger identification As frontline agents start handling a ticket, they look for potential triggers that could lead to an escalation. In some cases, that’s as simple as a submitter requesting a manager. In others, it might involve an agent digging and finding a software problem that only an engineer is equipped to handle. Routing After a trigger for escalation is identified, the frontline agent escalates that ticket and sends it to the right place. This might be automated, with a ticketing system that sends escalations to the right place, or an agent might have to manually send a ticket to the right department. Customer communication Once a ticket is escalated, frontline agents communicate with the submitter to keep them in the loop. That might involve telling them who the ticket was escalated to or sharing an expected timeline for resolution. Monitoring and resolution Frontline agents typically keep an eye on escalated tickets, communicating updates to customers as they become relevant. In the meantime, whoever received the escalated ticket works on resolving it, letting frontline agents know as soon as the deed is done. Follow-up and documentation An escalated ticket’s journey doesn’t end when it’s closed. Often, the frontline agent responsible for initially escalating that ticket will be the one communicating with the submitter. They might be expected to sum up how the ticket was resolved and communicate that. Additionally, escalated tickets are often documented in one way or another, contributing to a more streamlined escalation process and better data. When should a ticket be escalated? Frontline agents are typically responsible for identifying when a ticket needs to be escalated, but that identification depends on a pre-established process. Here are some common escalation triggers. Authority is needed Sometimes it’s as simple as the person submitting the ticket requesting a manager. In other situations, a ticket can only be resolved with a decision that someone with authority can make. These escalations are generally pretty quick to route and resolve, with the main obstacle being the backlog of whoever has the authority to close the ticket. Expertise is required In many industries, frontline agents need to route escalated tickets to specific experts. In software, for example, a frontline agent might need to escalate a ticket to a software developer to deal with a tenacious bug. An IT service desk might escalate a ticket to an engineer specializing in a specific system. Finally, a customer support agent in a consulting business might escalate a ticket to the legal department to review aspects of a contract. The issue is too complex Not all escalated issues neatly fit with pre-established triggers. Sometimes, a frontline agent will be left scratching their head after running into an issue they don’t have the skills or knowledge to resolve themselves. There might not be a predetermined process for escalating some of these complex tickets, meaning frontline agents sometimes need to rely exclusively on their judgment to escalate more complex tickets. Trending issues Some tickets can be tied directly to known issues, making them easy to escalate. As soon as a frontline agent can recognize the link between a ticket and one of these issues, they can escalate it to whoever’s responsible for investigating a solution and communicate that to the submitter. Ticket escalation: Customer support vs. IT Ticket escalation is an essential process in both customer support and IT, but there are some key differences in how it’s handled in each department. Ticket escalation in customer support In customer support, ticket escalation has one main goal: customer retention. When losing a customer (customer churn) can be so much more expensive than getting a new one, organizations pour a massive amount of resources into keeping existing customers. The volume of tickets in customer support can often be overwhelming, which makes having clear processes for escalation so much more important. Frontline agents are responsible for routing tickets to any number of departments, including experts in software or legal. This can often cause tickets to disappear into a black hole of sorts, creating an added administrative burden for frontline agents as they chase updates for customers. Ticket escalation in IT Ticket escalation is very different for IT departments and IT service agencies. IT tickets can cover a wide variety of tools, services, and issues, which makes it difficult to standardize tickets. Because tickets vary so much, frontline agents might have to spend a significant amount of their initial time getting to the core of an issue, confirming what troubleshooting steps the submitter has taken, and delaying the time to an escalation. Routing tickets after an escalation is often simpler than in customer support, since an initial escalation might only go to a single department, or an expert within that department. Triggers for escalation are often clearer than in customer support, meaning processes around this are easier to enforce. Similar standards apply in DevOps, as well. Essential ticket escalation metrics Your ticket escalation workflow involves several metrics you can measure to determine its effectiveness. Mean time to resolution (MTTR) Mean time to resolution (MTTR) measures the time from when a ticket is received to when it’s resolved, averaged out over all your tickets. This metric is typically a core element of SLAs (Service-Level-Agreements), and is generally used as an indicator of your workflow’s overall health. Time to escalate Time to escalate tracks the time between when a frontline agent first receives a ticket and when they escalate it. A short time-to-escalate shows that your escalation triggers and process are clear. A time-to-escalate of several hours (or even days) shows that your process has some issues. Handoff delay time Handoff delay time measures the period between when a frontline agent first escalates a ticket and when the person it’s escalated to actually takes it on. Many organizations don’t track this metric, but handoff delay time can reveal gaps in your ticket escalation process that need fixing. Context loss Context loss measures the essential information that gets lost when tickets get escalated. That doesn’t just make an escalated ticket potentially confusing when it’s received, it forces whoever’s handling it to double up on work as they investigate what’s missing. This metric is tracked as a percentage of all escalated tickets (i.e., a 10% context loss rate means 10 tickets in 100 have lost context). Escalation bounceback rate Escalation bounceback rate tracks the amount of tickets that are returned to frontline agents for extra information after being escalated. It’s expressed as a percentage (e.g. a 30% escalation bounceback rate). A good bounceback rate should be in the single digits. Once you hit 20% and over, you should reevaluate your process. Priority mistranslation rate Priority mistranslation rate reflects the percentage of tickets that don’t have their priority properly reflected as they move from system to system. This percentage should be low, at 5% or less, since a higher rate shows a technical program in the systems you use for ticket escalation. Repeat escalation rate A repeat escalation describes a ticket that’s been escalated multiple times, whether it’s by different agents or after an agent’s first escalation didn’t lead to a resolution. You should pay attention if this rate reaches 20% or more. You’re likely losing a significant amount of time to tickets being bounced back and forth between departments. 8 tips for a smoother ticket escalation process Looking to improve your ticket escalation process? Here’s how. Identify and define escalation criteria Frontline agents shouldn’t have to guess whether a ticket needs to be escalated or not. Your ticket escalation process should have clear triggers and criteria for when a ticket should (and shouldn’t) be escalated. Does asking for a manager automatically guarantee an escalation? Or does your frontline agent have more authority in adjudicating these requests? Are there specific issues or questions that always need to be escalated? Clearly defining and documenting these criteria—and keeping that documentation up to date—is essential. Support frontline agents Your ticket escalation process should account for your frontline agents solving as many tickets as they can without escalating them. One of the best ways to streamline ticket escalation is to give frontline agents the support, training, and resources they need to close a variety of tickets. Fewer escalations means your process doesn’t get bogged up, other teams don’t get overwhelmed, and every ticket is handled more efficiently. Standardize tickets Standardizing tickets allows everyone from frontline agents to the departments receiving escalated tickets to know exactly what to expect. When every ticket follows the same format, frontline agents know exactly what to add before escalating them, and other departments are less likely to send these tickets back. This indirectly helps improve all ticket escalation metrics you track. Automate ticket routing The more decisions a person has to make along your ticket escalation process, the slower and more cumbersome it is. That’s why you need to look for opportunities to automate parts of this process, including ticket routing. Most software platforms used for ticket escalation have built-in automations that allow tickets to get automatically sent to the right department when specific fields are changed. Look into using these to save time on every escalation. Otherwise, you’ll lose time, money, and other resources to manually escalating every ticket. Monitor metrics and find ways to optimize The ticket escalation metrics listed above aren’t just nice-to-haves; they can completely transform your process. When you start measuring them, you’ll get alarm bells ringing when certain elements of your process aren’t working properly. Then, you can make these specific metrics a focus of any improvements you want to make, spot-fixing issues in your process. Explore AI tools AI tools, from AI chatbots in customer success to AI copilots when resolving escalated tickets, can accelerate and streamline your ticket escalation process. Exploring these tools means comparing them against one another, identifying pain points you need to resolve, and running pilot projects to test them out. AI agents are especially powerful tools for ticket escalation, since they can move your workflow forward independently. Prioritize context Escalated tickets live and die depending on the context frontline agents provide. That doesn’t mean that whoever’s receiving that ticket needs to know absolutely everything that happened, but frontline agents should be able to share all the context that’s needed. The best way to do that? Clearly document context that’s essential and context that can be left out. Consider software integration The right software integration brings together your support ticket system and the platforms other departments actually handle escalated tickets in. It automatically creates work items in each system to match tickets as they’re escalated, meaning both frontline agents and the agents handling escalated tickets can work from the platform they know best without losing any context. Cross-tool visibility is essential for ticket escalation, whether that’s in customer support or IT. That’s the piece that’s most important, and it should guide you towards picking the right integration. Not losing context. And there’s only one integration solution suited to this essential workflow. Unito is a two-way sync solution for platforms like Jira, ServiceNow, Smartsheet, Asana, and more. It automatically creates work items to match original tickets as you escalate them, updating fields in both as you work. Need to ask a frontline agent for more context? Just add a comment in your tool and it’s replicated in the other. Adding context from a customer call? Add it to a custom field and it’s carried over automatically. With its no-code interface, deep integrations, and fully customizable flows, Unito has everything you need to fully integrate your ticket escalation workflow—without the months-long deployment of other platforms. Want to see what Unito can do? Meet with Unito product experts who'll show the impact of the right integration on your ticket escalation workflow. Talk with sales View the full article

On episode 334 of PPC Live The Podcast, I speak to Sophie Fell Head of Paid Media at Liberty Marketing Group about a real PPC mistake involving location targeting. The conversation focuses on how small oversights can have big consequences—and how to recover from them professionally. The PPC F-Up: worldwide location targeting Sophie accidentally launched a campaign with worldwide location targeting enabled instead of restricting it to the client’s service area. In just a couple of days, the campaign generated around 1,500 leads that looked impressive on paper but were unusable because they came from outside the target locations. When great results are a warning sign The unusually strong performance initially looked like a win, but it became a red flag. When Sophie reviewed the campaign more closely, she discovered the location setting issue. This highlights an important PPC lesson: results that look too good should always be investigated, not celebrated blindly. Handling the client conversation The client spotted the issue around the same time Sophie did, while she was already preparing to flag it. The situation was handled with honesty—acknowledging the mistake, explaining what happened, and fixing it immediately. Transparency helped preserve trust, even though the client was understandably unhappy. Why the mistake happened This wasn’t a lack of knowledge—it came down to moving too quickly and relying on assumed checks rather than confirmed ones. Like many experienced practitioners, Sophie thought the setting had already been reviewed. The experience reinforced how dangerous platform defaults can be. The long-term outcome Once corrected, the campaign went on to perform exceptionally well. The client hit their targets six weeks early and exceeded revenue expectations by £3.5 million. The initial mistake didn’t define the outcome—how it was handled did. What Sophie does differently now Sophie now checks campaign settings multiple times, both before and after launch. She reviews settings whenever performance spikes or dips and never reports results without rechecking fundamentals. The key change is recognising that post-launch reviews often reveal what pre-launch checks miss. Advice for when you’ve made a PPC mistake Sophie’s guidance is simple: pause, investigate, and be honest. Check metrics and settings immediately, take responsibility, explain what went wrong, and clearly outline how you’ll prevent it from happening again. Mistakes become serious problems only when they’re mishandled. Common PPC mistakes still seen today Sophie regularly audits accounts that haven’t been updated for years, rely heavily on brand campaigns, or misuse automation like Performance Max. She also sees poor alignment between keywords, ads, and landing pages—fundamentals that still matter, even in AI-driven campaigns. Why talking about mistakes matters Many PPC professionals assume industry leaders no longer make mistakes. Sophie challenges that idea. Everyone is still learning, regardless of experience level. Sharing failures helps juniors feel safer, encourages better leadership, and keeps the industry moving forward. Creating a healthy PPC team culture A strong team culture allows for testing, learning, and accountability without fear. Sophie emphasises clear testing frameworks, capped budgets, and open conversations. Teams that claim to be mistake-free rarely innovate. Final takeaway: Always check your settings Platforms change, defaults evolve, and assumptions fail. Whether performance is soaring or struggling, always verify that campaigns are doing what you think they’re doing. You can’t over-check your settings—but you can definitely under-check them. View the full article

This comment section is open for any non-work-related discussion you’d like to have with other readers, by popular demand. Here are the rules for the weekend posts. The post weekend open thread – December 13-14, 2025 appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

Bardonecchia in Italy retains spot as Europe’s best-value resort for individual adult skiersView the full article

Some unexpected good news from the FDA: bemotrizinol, a sunscreen ingredient that has been used in Europe and Asia for decades, is finally being added to the allowable ingredients list for products sold in the U.S. Bemotrizinol is the active ingredient in sunscreens like Bioré Watery Essence, which has a cult following for being unlike anything we can get in the U.S. I’ve tried Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence (that’s the full name of the product) in its original Japanese formulation. This sunscreen is a cult favorite on skincare and Asian beauty forums because of its non-greasy feel, and because it protects against both UVA and UVB rays without leaving a white cast. I got mine from a friend who had either picked it up while traveling or possibly ordered from overseas; you can’t buy it in U.S.-based stores. I’ll explain why this is below, but first: it truly is nothing like anything we have locally. Even our most “non-greasy” sunscreens tend to feel a little goopy or sticky. This one really feels like nothing after you rub it in. I instantly understood why it’s so sought-after. Remembering that experience, I’m looking forward to what we might see in American sunscreens once manufacturers are allowed to include this ingredient. What’s so special about bemotrizinol?Bemotrizinol has a lot of things going for it. One is that it “plays well with other sunscreen ingredients,” as one dermatologist told Women’s Health. You can make lighter, nicer-feeling sunscreens with it, hence the popularity of the Bioré formulation I tried. To see what I mean, check out this video where a dermatologist shows off the differences between Bioré's Japanese formulation and the version it sells in the U.S. The ingredients are different, and the texture just isn't the same. It’s also more effective at broad-spectrum protection. With our current sunscreen formulations, all active ingredients protect against UVB rays (the rays that cause sunburn) but only a few can also provide protection against UVA rays (which contribute to wrinkling and aging of skin). UVB is considered to be the bigger risk for skin cancer, but both probably contribute to cancer risk. Right now, most broad-spectrum U.S. sunscreens use mineral components like zinc oxide. Mineral sunscreens work pretty well, but can leave a white cast on your skin when applied as thickly as you’re supposed to. Bemotrizinol is a chemical UV filter, so it doesn’t leave that white cast. But it protects well against UVA rays in addition to UVB, and it’s more photostable than a lot of our existing chemical sunscreen ingredients so it can last longer on the skin. In other words, it’s a chemical sunscreen, but combines some of the best features of both chemical and mineral sunscreens. It’s also considered to be one of the safest sunscreens. All sunscreens on the market are much safer than going without sunscreen, but all of our chemical sunscreen ingredients are currently undergoing a safety evaluation because regulators determined they are probably fine but need more research to know for sure. Currently only our two mineral sunscreen ingredients (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide) are considered GRAS, or generally recognized as safe and effective. Bemotrizinol will be the third. If you're looking at ingredient lists on Asian or European sunscreens, be aware that it goes by several names. Tinosorb S is bemotrizinol; so is bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine. Why it’s taken so longAsk anyone in the skincare world what they think about U.S. sunscreens, and for decades now you’d get complaints that we’re missing out on the best sunscreens that the rest of the world uses. (Our last new sunscreen ingredient was approved in 1996.) In most countries, sunscreens are regulated as cosmetics, but in the U.S. they are regulated as drugs. That means the U.S. requires more rigorous testing and approval. The CARES act, passed in 2020 for pandemic relief, provided a way for over-the-counter drugs to be sold without going through the complete approval process, so long as the FDA was satisfied they were safe and effective. Bemotrizinol met the criteria, thanks in large part to the fact that it’s been used safely since 2000 in Europe, Asia, and Australia. The FDA’s rule on bemotrizinol still needs to be finalized, but it seems likely we’ll see new sunscreens on shelves before the end of 2026. View the full article

Once again, there is a new feature available on Google's NotebookLM, the AI tool that functions like a personal assistant and only references material you provide for it. This one is a slide deck generator, which can be useful if you need to make a presentation in a hurry, but I've been using it a little differently to help myself retain new information. Generating a slide deck in NotebookLMFirst, you should know how to generate a deck. In case you're unfamiliar with NotebookLM, it's basically just like ChatGPT, but instead of pulling answers from the big, wide Internet, it only relies on PDFs, links, videos, and text you input as resources. This makes it the perfect tool for working on a specific project or studying for a class, since you don't run the risk of inadvertently getting misled by some random, unrelated source. You can use the chat bot feature the way you would ChatGPT, asking questions and getting summaries of your materials. You can also automatically generate flashcards, videos, infographics, mind maps, fake podcasts, and much more. To generate slides, it's the same process you'd follow to make those: In the left-side panel, select all of the sources you want the tool to pull from. In the right-side panel, select Slide Deck from the menu. After a few minutes, you'll get slides you can download as a PDF, the same as you would if you were downloading a PowerPoint, and you can upload those to Google Slides or PowerPoint to create a simple presentation. Why I like NotebookLM's slide deck featureI've mentioned before that while I love NotebookLM and use it every day for both work and personal pursuits, I can't stand its app. It just doesn't work nearly as well as the browser version, which is a shame because the browser version works so well. I pretty much ignore the app and don't use NotebookLM on mobile or, when I do, I use my mobile browser to access it, which we all know is an annoying workaround that never quite translates right on the smaller screen. Credit: Google/Lindsey Ellefson With the slide PDF, however, I get a ready-made study guide complete with visuals, which I can send to myself via iMessage and study on the go. When I generate my own study materials without NotebookLM, I almost always do it in Google Slides, then download the full PDF and review the slides like a giant study guide, so this new feature is taking a bunch of the work out of doing that for me. View the full article

Google continues evolution beyond text-first interactions with upgrades to Search Live Gemini model, possibly complicating SEO. The post Google Updates Search Live With Gemini Model Upgrade appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Whether you're a teacher, a parent, or just someone with a big family, you know how difficult it can be to keep a room full of kids quiet for any amount of time. One trick I've used is offering to time how long kids can stay quiet. For reasons I don't understand, kids love it when something is being timed. But that only work a few times at the most, so it's good to have as many other tricks on hand as possible. That's why I was fascinated to learn there are multiple websites that use the microphone on your laptop to motivate kids to be quiet. Some put children's curiosity to work, having animated characters show up if the group is quiet for long enough. Others combine animation with good old-fashioned timers. Here are a few you can check out—all of them are completely free and don't require anything more than your browser. Silent Forest: Animals emerge if the room is quiet Credit: Justin Pot Silent Forest shows a simple animated forest with a volume indicator. Stay silent for a bit and a cat shows up. A bit longer and a bear shows up. Who else might join? There's only one way to find out. Make too much noise, though, and you'll scare the animals, meaning you have to start over if you ever want to see everyone. The idea is that the kids will be curious to see which animals will show up next and keep quiet—and, ideally, pressure each other into staying quiet. Bouncy Balls: Noise will disrupt the balls Credit: Justin Pot Bouncy Balls fills your screen with balls—options include colored balls, emojis, numbered balls, eyeballs, and even bubbles. The balls are constantly vibrating, threatening to explode with a bit of noise—which they do. There's a risk of this backfiring—it's sincerely very fun to see the balls bounce—which you can mitigate by enabling a shushing or beeping sound after any violation. Classroom Zen: Don't interrupt Ruby or Milo Credit: Justin Pot Classroom Zen offers a few different tools for keeping the room quiet. Two feature Ruby, a cartoon who is meditating in either the mountains or the desert. If the room gets too loud, her eyes will start opening—keep going and she'll ask the room to be quiet. Another features Milo, a three-eyed monster who is trying to sleep. The secret sauce here, though, is the timer at the top of the screen. This means you can tell the kids they need to be quiet for a certain amount of time and have a timer to enforce that. View the full article

Subscribe to Work LifeGet stories like this in your inbox Subscribe This is the season for drafting goals and dusting off New Year’s resolutions. Maybe you’ve got a big, audacious dream you want to achieve in 2026, but you’re a bit scared of the growth and work it will take to get there. That’s understandable enough. But the good news is, you’d be following a path that many others have trodden before you. So, how do the most successful people think about growth? How do they overcome fear? How do they deal with mistakes along the way? We collected a list of quotes about growth to help you understand and navigate it all – and keep you inspired along the way. Growth quotes about putting in the work Related Article 95 motivational teamwork quotes you’ll actually like By Natalie Mendes In Inside Atlassian “Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle” – Napoleon Hill, American self-help author “Give yourself something to work toward – constantly.” – Mary Kay Ash, American businesswoman and founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc. “Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together.” – James Cash Penney, American businessman and founder of JCPenney “All growth depends upon activity.” – Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of the United States “If you can’t be consistent, then you can’t be anything.” – Tony Gaskins, motivational speaker “Growth is painful. Change is painful. But, nothing is as painful as staying stuck where you do not belong.” – N. R. Narayana Murthy, Indian businessman “The investor of today does not profit from yesterday’s growth.” – Warren Buffett, American investor and philanthropist “Discipline, consistency, and patience. If you lack these, you won’t grow.” – James Clear, American author “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” ― George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” ― Paulo Coelho, Brazilian novelist “Everybody wants to be somebody; nobody wants to grow.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer “To be successful at anything, the truth is you don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people aren’t. Consistent, determined, and willing to work for it.” – Tom Brady, American football player “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” – Jim Rohn, American entrepreneur and author “Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.” – Booker T. Washington, American educator and author “Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.” – Andy Rooney, American journalist “Nothing will work unless you do.” – Maya Angelou, American author and poet “Careers, like rockets, don’t always take off on time. The trick is to always keep the engine running.” – Gary Sinise, American actor “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.” – Booker T. Washington, American educator and author “The elevator to success is out of order. You’ll have to use the stairs…one step at a time.” ― Joe Girard, American motivational speaker “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” – Frederick Douglass, American abolitionist “Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it.” – Stephen Hawking, English scientist “It takes twenty years to make an overnight success.” – Eddie Cantor, American singer and actor “Don’t bother just to be better than others. Try to be better than yourself.” – William Faulkner, American writer “Change is never easy, but always possible.” – Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States “Luck is predictable; the harder you work, the luckier you get.” – Brian Tracy, Canadian-American motivational speaker Growth quotes about learning “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” – Maya Angelou, American author and poet “A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it is not open.” – Frank Zappa, American composer “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” – Benjamin Franklin, founding father of the United States “Learning never exhausts the mind.” – Leonardo da Vinci, Italian polymath “Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.” – Albert Einstein, German physicist “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” – Walt Disney, American entrepreneur and founder of Walt Disney Company “Your best teacher is the person offering you your greatest challenge.” – Cheryl Richardson, American author and speaker “Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.” – Vince Lombardi, American football coach “Growth is the only evidence of life.” – John Henry Newman, English theologian “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” – Bill Gates, American entrepreneur and founder of Microsoft “A feeling of continuous growth is a wonderful source of motivation and self confidence.” – Brian Tracy, Canadian-American motivational speaker “You won’t learn if you think you already know everything.” – Robert Kiyosaki, American author “I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.” – Pablo Picasso, Spanish painter “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin, founding father of the United States “I am still learning.” – Michelangelo, Italian artist “Life is growth. If we stop growing, technically and spiritually, we are as good as dead.” – Morihei Ueshiba, Japanese martial artist Growth quotes about overcoming fear Related Article 54 inspirational quotes that will give you an edge By Jamey Austin In Teamwork “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar, American author and motivational speaker “One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.” – Abraham Maslow, American psychologist “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” – Viktor E. Frankl, Austrian psychotherapist “Thinking will not overcome fear, but action will.” – W. Clement Stone, American businessman “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” – Napoleon Hill, American self-help author “The only time you run out of chances is when you stop taking them.” – Alexander Pope, English poet “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.” – John F. Kennedy, 35th president of the United States “Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up.” – Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States “Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.” – Chinese Proverb “You will either step forward into growth or you will step back into safety.” – Abraham Maslow, American psychologist “When you look fear in the face, you are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’” – Eleanor Roosevelt, first lady of the United States “​​One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.” – Henry Ford, American industrialist “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” – Francis of Assisi, Italian mystic “Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” – John D. Rockefeller, American businessman “Life opens up opportunities to you, and you either take them or you stay afraid of taking them.” – Jim Carrey, American actor and comedian “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” – Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States “Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right.” ― Henry Ford, American industrialist “Always do what you are afraid to do.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson, American author Growth quotes about failure and humility Related Article 75 inspirational leadership quotes you haven’t heard yet By Jamey Austin In Teamwork “Growth begins when we begin to accept our own weakness.” – Jean Vanier, Canadian theologian “All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward.” – Ellen Glasgow, American novelist “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” – Thomas A. Edison, American inventor “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” ― Winston S. Churchill, British statesman “A failure is like fertilizer; it stinks to be sure, but it makes things grow faster in the future.” – Denis Waitley, American motivational speaker “Life is a long lesson in humility.” – James M. Barrie, Scottish novelist “The only sure way to avoid making mistakes is to have no new ideas.” – Albert Einstein, German physicist “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” – Henry Ford, American industrialist “Growth is an erratic forward movement: two steps forward, one step back. Remember that and be very gentle with yourself.” – Julia Cameron, American author “When life takes the wind out of your sails, it is to test you at the oars.” – Robert Breault, American artist “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy.” – Norman Vincent Peale, American author “Ultimately there is no such thing as failure. There are lessons learned in different ways.” – Twyla Tharp, American dancer “None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody – a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League crony or a few nuns – bent down and helped us pick up our boots.” – Thurgood Marshall, American civil rights lawyer “I like criticism. It makes you strong.” – LeBron James, American athlete “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas A. Edison, American inventor “Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.” – Oscar Wilde, Irish author “I’m always asked, ‘What’s the secret to success?’ But there are no secrets. Be humble. Be hungry. And always be the hardest worker in the room.” – Dwayne Johnson, American actor Subscribe to Work LifeGet stories like this in your inbox Subscribe The post 76 quotes about growth to inspire your next big leap appeared first on Work Life by Atlassian. View the full article

Subscribe to Work LifeGet stories like this in your inbox Subscribe This is the season for drafting goals and dusting off New Year’s resolutions. Maybe you’ve got a big, audacious dream you want to achieve in 2026, but you’re a bit scared of the growth and work it will take to get there. That’s understandable enough. But the good news is, you’d be following a path that many others have trodden before you. So, how do the most successful people think about growth? How do they overcome fear? How do they deal with mistakes along the way? We collected a list of quotes about growth to help you understand and navigate it all – and keep you inspired along the way. Growth quotes about putting in the work Related Article 95 motivational teamwork quotes you’ll actually like By Natalie Mendes In Inside Atlassian “Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle” – Napoleon Hill, American self-help author “Give yourself something to work toward – constantly.” – Mary Kay Ash, American businesswoman and founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc. “Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together.” – James Cash Penney, American businessman and founder of JCPenney “All growth depends upon activity.” – Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of the United States “If you can’t be consistent, then you can’t be anything.” – Tony Gaskins, motivational speaker “Growth is painful. Change is painful. But, nothing is as painful as staying stuck where you do not belong.” – N. R. Narayana Murthy, Indian businessman “The investor of today does not profit from yesterday’s growth.” – Warren Buffett, American investor and philanthropist “Discipline, consistency, and patience. If you lack these, you won’t grow.” – James Clear, American author “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” ― George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” ― Paulo Coelho, Brazilian novelist “Everybody wants to be somebody; nobody wants to grow.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer “To be successful at anything, the truth is you don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people aren’t. Consistent, determined, and willing to work for it.” – Tom Brady, American football player “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” – Jim Rohn, American entrepreneur and author “Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.” – Booker T. Washington, American educator and author “Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.” – Andy Rooney, American journalist “Nothing will work unless you do.” – Maya Angelou, American author and poet “Careers, like rockets, don’t always take off on time. The trick is to always keep the engine running.” – Gary Sinise, American actor “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.” – Booker T. Washington, American educator and author “The elevator to success is out of order. You’ll have to use the stairs…one step at a time.” ― Joe Girard, American motivational speaker “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” – Frederick Douglass, American abolitionist “Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it.” – Stephen Hawking, English scientist “It takes twenty years to make an overnight success.” – Eddie Cantor, American singer and actor “Don’t bother just to be better than others. Try to be better than yourself.” – William Faulkner, American writer “Change is never easy, but always possible.” – Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States “Luck is predictable; the harder you work, the luckier you get.” – Brian Tracy, Canadian-American motivational speaker Growth quotes about learning “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” – Maya Angelou, American author and poet “A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it is not open.” – Frank Zappa, American composer “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” – Benjamin Franklin, founding father of the United States “Learning never exhausts the mind.” – Leonardo da Vinci, Italian polymath “Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.” – Albert Einstein, German physicist “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” – Walt Disney, American entrepreneur and founder of Walt Disney Company “Your best teacher is the person offering you your greatest challenge.” – Cheryl Richardson, American author and speaker “Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.” – Vince Lombardi, American football coach “Growth is the only evidence of life.” – John Henry Newman, English theologian “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” – Bill Gates, American entrepreneur and founder of Microsoft “A feeling of continuous growth is a wonderful source of motivation and self confidence.” – Brian Tracy, Canadian-American motivational speaker “You won’t learn if you think you already know everything.” – Robert Kiyosaki, American author “I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.” – Pablo Picasso, Spanish painter “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin, founding father of the United States “I am still learning.” – Michelangelo, Italian artist “Life is growth. If we stop growing, technically and spiritually, we are as good as dead.” – Morihei Ueshiba, Japanese martial artist Growth quotes about overcoming fear Related Article 54 inspirational quotes that will give you an edge By Jamey Austin In Teamwork “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar, American author and motivational speaker “One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.” – Abraham Maslow, American psychologist “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” – Viktor E. Frankl, Austrian psychotherapist “Thinking will not overcome fear, but action will.” – W. Clement Stone, American businessman “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” – Napoleon Hill, American self-help author “The only time you run out of chances is when you stop taking them.” – Alexander Pope, English poet “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.” – John F. Kennedy, 35th president of the United States “Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up.” – Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States “Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.” – Chinese Proverb “You will either step forward into growth or you will step back into safety.” – Abraham Maslow, American psychologist “When you look fear in the face, you are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’” – Eleanor Roosevelt, first lady of the United States “​​One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.” – Henry Ford, American industrialist “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” – Francis of Assisi, Italian mystic “Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” – John D. Rockefeller, American businessman “Life opens up opportunities to you, and you either take them or you stay afraid of taking them.” – Jim Carrey, American actor and comedian “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” – Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States “Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right.” ― Henry Ford, American industrialist “Always do what you are afraid to do.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson, American author Growth quotes about failure and humility Related Article 75 inspirational leadership quotes you haven’t heard yet By Jamey Austin In Teamwork “Growth begins when we begin to accept our own weakness.” – Jean Vanier, Canadian theologian “All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward.” – Ellen Glasgow, American novelist “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” – Thomas A. Edison, American inventor “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” ― Winston S. Churchill, British statesman “A failure is like fertilizer; it stinks to be sure, but it makes things grow faster in the future.” – Denis Waitley, American motivational speaker “Life is a long lesson in humility.” – James M. Barrie, Scottish novelist “The only sure way to avoid making mistakes is to have no new ideas.” – Albert Einstein, German physicist “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” – Henry Ford, American industrialist “Growth is an erratic forward movement: two steps forward, one step back. Remember that and be very gentle with yourself.” – Julia Cameron, American author “When life takes the wind out of your sails, it is to test you at the oars.” – Robert Breault, American artist “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy.” – Norman Vincent Peale, American author “Ultimately there is no such thing as failure. There are lessons learned in different ways.” – Twyla Tharp, American dancer “None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody – a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League crony or a few nuns – bent down and helped us pick up our boots.” – Thurgood Marshall, American civil rights lawyer “I like criticism. It makes you strong.” – LeBron James, American athlete “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas A. Edison, American inventor “Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.” – Oscar Wilde, Irish author “I’m always asked, ‘What’s the secret to success?’ But there are no secrets. Be humble. Be hungry. And always be the hardest worker in the room.” – Dwayne Johnson, American actor Subscribe to Work LifeGet stories like this in your inbox Subscribe The post 76 quotes about growth to inspire your next big leap appeared first on Work Life by Atlassian. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Recently, a few spots on the hardwood floors in my house have become mysteriously slippery—so slippery that they're kind of dangerous. I really feel like my feet might go out from under me when I walk there, and there were a few close calls before I started avoiding them (or at least bracing myself to walk over them more carefully). This is no way to live, so I started looking into solutions, starting with the root cause. Why your wood floors are suddenly slipperyTurns out it’s not uncommon for hardwood floors to become spontaneously slippery, and it can happen for a variety of reasons. Wax or polish: If you apply any kind of coating to give your floor extra shine, it can build up over time and turn the floor into an ice rink. Oil and silicone cleaning products: Some cleaning products that promise a shiny finish contain silicone or oil, which can also build up and turn your floors into a slip-n-slide. Dirt and humidity: Dirt, even the stuff you can’t see, can act as a dry lubricant, and high humidity can result in a moisture slick on the surface of the floors. Time: Finally, over time, all those feet walking over the floor can polish the finish, removing the microscopic imperfections that previously gave it some grip. I don’t polish or wax my floors or use oil- or silicone-based cleaners, and I clean pretty regularly, so I discounted the first few causes and assumed that we’ve just polished the seal on our floors with regular foot traffic. This can happen to any sealed wood floor, but there are some pretty straightforward ways to deal with it. Start with a thorough cleaningThe first step I took was a thorough cleaning. I clean my floors regularly, but it’s always possible that something spilled without being noticed—the spots where the slipperiness occurred are in the path from the kitchen to the dining room, and from my tool closet to everywhere else in the house. Cooking oils, WD40—there are a lot of things that could have dripped without being noticed. If you’re not sure about substance buildup on a slippery floor, a thorough cleaning might be the easy solution. Always use a pH-neutral cleaner designed specifically for wood floors—and never use vinegar, even heavily diluted in water. Vinegar can eat away at the finish of your floor; while it might help with the slipperiness, it can also do some permanent damage. I used Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner and cleaned the areas a few times, but my floors remained slippery. Add some rugsA simple solution, especially if you’re dealing with one or two isolated slippery spots, is to just throw down a rug or a runner with a non-slip backing. Your floors will still be slippery, but won’t pose any threat. If the slippery area is quite large (or encompasses your entire floor), this might not work because the rugs might just slide around with nothing to grip onto. But for a small slippery area, it might be a quick, easy solution. Apply a temporary (or permanent) treatmentIf cleaning and covering up your slippery floors won’t work, there are some more involved solutions to try: Anti-slip sprays. There are a variety of temporary anti-slip coating sprays you can apply to your floors, like Rustoleum AntiSlip or Slip Doctors Safety Spray. Although the Rustoleum spray is okay for indoor use and wood, it doesn’t specify hardwood floors, and in a quick test it looked slightly cloudy on a remnant plank I had lying around. The Safety Spray, on the other hand, dried very clear, and reduced the slip factor significantly, so I’d recommend it. It does change the sheen of the floor slightly (noticeable in the right light), but it’s also temporary and will need to be re-applied every year or so. Slip NoMor. This stuff is actually designed for stages and dance floors, but you can use it on any wood floor. I didn’t test this, but the procedure is pretty straightforward: Clean thoroughly first, and dilute it with one part Slip NoMor and 20 parts water. Then mop it on and let dry. The coating will only last a week or so (and you can remove it with hot water at any time), so it’s not a permanent solution unless you’re okay with re-applying every week or so. Coatings. A longer-lasting and more involved solution is to coat your floors with a clear anti-slip product like Floor Grip, Bona Anti-Slip, or Loba 2K Invisible. These are essentially new finish seals on your floors, and all require you to sand the floor before application and allow them to cure for several days. It’s a DIY solution if you’re comfortable doing the prep work, but it’s not a quick fix. Paint. If your wood floors are in good condition, this might not be a great idea—but if your floors are a bit worn down, painting them with an anti-slip additive can be a cheap, easy way to eliminate the problem. As a last resort, refinishIf cleaning and temporary sprays don’t work and you’re considering a coating to fix your slippery floor, you might think about going all-in and having your floors professionally refinished with an anti-slip finish. This will ensure a consistent finish and refresh your floors in the process. It’s the most expensive and disruptive solution, but also the most permanent. Most professional refinishers can suggest an appropriate seal for your floors that will increase traction. View the full article

Failure is an unavoidable part of any project process: it’s the degree of failure that makes the difference. If a task fails, there are ways to reallocate resources and get back on track. But a systemic collapse will derail the whole project. Why Is It Important to Analyze Failed Projects? What good can come from failure? A lot, actually. Sometimes a project reaches too far beyond its means and fails, which is unfortunate but can also serve as a teaching moment. If project managers don’t learn from their mistakes, then they’re not growing professionally and will revisit the same problem in future projects, programs or portfolios. Project managers and organizations can learn as much, if not more, from failed projects as they can from successful ones as long as the project management office makes project documentation, such as a lessons learned document, at the end of a failed project. A post-mortem analysis should be part of any project plan, and especially so when a project crashes and burns. There are valuable lessons in those ashes. /wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Lessons-Learned-Template.png Get your free Lessons Learned Template Use this free Lessons Learned Template for Excel to manage your projects better. Download Excel File 5 Most Common Reasons for Failed Projects Failed projects rarely happen due to a single mistake. Most unsuccessful initiatives share common pitfalls that can be identified and mitigated early. Understanding the main reasons, such as scope creep, resource over-allocation and requirements volatility, helps project managers proactively plan, allocate resources and set realistic expectations to prevent failed projects and achieve business objectives. Scope Creep Scope creep in project management occurs when a project gradually expands beyond its original objectives without formal approval. New tasks, features, or deliverables are added incrementally, often without adjusting timelines, budgets, or resources. This uncontrolled growth is one of the most common causes of failed projects, creating confusion, delays and difficulty measuring progress. It can derail projects by stretching deadlines, inflating budgets and overwhelming teams. When changes accumulate without control, priorities become unclear, deliverables slip and quality suffers. Projects at risk of failure often struggle to meet original goals, making scope creep a leading factor in many failed projects. Resource Overallocation Resource overallocation happens when team members or other resources are assigned more work than they can realistically handle. In project management, this imbalance can involve people, equipment or budgets. Effective allocation is critical, as mismanaged resources can slow progress and increase risks, making overallocation a frequent contributor to failed projects. When multiple projects run simultaneously, overallocated resources lead to delays, mistakes and missed deadlines. Teams stretched too thin cannot maintain quality or efficiency, increasing the risk of failed projects. Burnout, errors and miscommunication further compound these challenges, making proper resource planning essential for project success. Requirements Volatility Requirements volatility refers to frequent or unpredictable changes in a project’s goals, deliverables or scope during execution. Often caused by evolving client needs, market shifts, or incomplete initial requirements, this instability can disrupt planning, resource allocation and team alignment, making it a common cause of failed projects. Constant requirement changes create confusion, delay timelines and inflate costs. Teams may struggle to adapt, leading to rework, missed objectives and compromised quality. Without proper change management, projects experiencing high requirements volatility are at significantly higher risk of failure, making it a major reason for failed projects. Cost Overrun A cost overrun occurs when a project exceeds its planned budget due to underestimation, unexpected expenses, or poor financial tracking. In project management, uncontrolled costs are a leading factor in failed projects. Monitoring budgets, forecasting accurately and accounting for contingencies are essential practices to prevent cost overruns from undermining project success. Cost overruns directly threaten project viability. When expenses exceed budgets, resources may be reallocated, deliverables cut or project scope reduced, leading to compromised quality. Persistent overspending can erode stakeholder confidence and result in project termination. Many failed projects cite cost mismanagement as a primary reason for not meeting objectives or achieving intended value. Project Schedule Slippage Project schedule slippage occurs when planned tasks or milestones fall behind their intended timelines. In project management, delays can be caused by resource conflicts, scope changes or unforeseen risks. If not addressed, schedule slippage can compound, affecting other tasks and making it one of the most common causes of failed projects. When project timelines slip, deliverables may miss deadlines, dependencies are disrupted and costs can escalate. Extended schedules strain resources and create pressure on teams, increasing errors and reducing quality. Persistent schedule delays often result in unmet objectives, stakeholder dissatisfaction and in many cases, failed projects that never deliver the intended outcomes. 20 Top Failed Projects from History Let’s look at the most notorious failed projects, not to gloat, but to see what they can tell us about project management. 1. Sony Betamax The word Betamax has become almost synonymous with failure. But when it was first released, Betamax was supposed to become the leader in the cassette recording industry. Developed by Sony, Betamax was introduced in the mid-1970s but was unable to get traction in the market, where JVC’s VHS technology was king. Surprisingly, Sony continued to produce Betamax all the way into 2016. Long before it discontinued the technology, Betamax was already irrelevant. The Lesson Betamax was an innovative product and it even got to market before VHS. But soon the market had options that were cheaper and better than Betamax, making it a failed project. Sony’s mistake was thinking that the project was complete once the product went to market. Project managers need to always follow up on their work, analyze the data and make an evaluation about what needs to be done to keep the project relevant. /wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Marketing-Plan-Screenshot-450x338.jpgDownload now 2. New Coke Coca-Cola is one of the most iconic brands in the world. It’d take a lot to tarnish that reputation. But that’s just what happened when New Coke was introduced in 1985. People didn’t know why the Coke they loved and drank regularly was being replaced. The company knew why. They were looking to improve quality and make a splash in the marketplace. The fact is, New Coke sunk like a stone. It wasn’t like New Coke was just released without doing market research, though it might seem that way. In fact, the new recipe was tested on 200,000 people, who preferred it to the older version. But after spending $4 million in development and losing another $30 million in backstocked products, the taste for New Coke evaporated as it reduced the available resources for the execution of Coca Cola’s entire project portfolio at the time. Consumers can be very loyal to a product, and once they get into a habit, it can be very difficult to break them off it in favor of something different. The Lesson It’s not that Coca-Cola neglected market research to see if there was a need to develop a new product, but they were blind to their own customers’ motivations. New Coke was a failed project because the researchers needed to do more than a mere taste test. They needed to understand how people would react when the familiar Coke they loved would be discontinued and replaced by a shiny new upstart. Market research must be handled like a science and an art—and worked into the project plan accordingly. One lesson is that project management software decreases the chance of a failed project. ProjectManager is award-winning project management software that allows you to monitor your work in real time to make more insightful decisions that can keep failure at bay. Use our real-time dashboards to track the health of your project, including such important key performance indicators (KPIs) as time, cost and more. There’s no time-consuming setup required as with lightweight software. Our dashboard is ready when you are. Get started with ProjectManager today for free. /wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Light-mode-portfolio-dashboard-CTA-1600x851.pngLearn more 3. Pepsi Crystal In 1992, Pepsi launched Pepsi Crystal. It was a unique soft drink in that there was no color. It was as clear as water. Pepsi hoped to take advantage of the growing trend for purity and health. Pepsi marketed the new drink as pure, caffeine-free and an alternative to the unhealthy traditional colas. At first, sales looked good. The first year saw about $470 million in sales. Consumers were curious to find out if the taste was the same as Pepsi, which it was. Other colorless soft drinks started to introduce themselves to the market, such as 7Up and Sprite. But what Pepsi and the copycats didn’t take into account was how much sight influences flavor. Consumers found the product bland and sales tanked. Pepsi Crystal was mocked on Saturday Night Live and Time Magazine listed it in its top-10 marketing failures of the 20th century. The Lesson Pepsi made the mistake of ignoring all the senses that are involved in the consumption of their product. They should have done more testing. If so, they would have realized the importance of the look of the product. Pepsi Crystal thought that a clear-looking liquid would indicate a healthy one, but what was registered by the majority of users was a bland one. /wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Product-requirements-document-screenshot-450x520.jpgDownload now 4. Concorde The Concorde supersonic jet was a technological marvel, capable of flying faster than the speed of sound, but it struggled commercially. High operating costs, limited passenger capacity, environmental restrictions and safety concerns prevented it from turning a profit. Only 20 aircraft were ever built, and it eventually ceased operation. The Lesson Even groundbreaking innovations can fail if there isn’t a sustainable business model. Projects must balance technical feasibility with market demand, cost structures, and operational realities to avoid becoming failed projects. 5. Ford Edsel Ford released its Edsel model in 1957. Since then, the name has become synonymous with project planning failure. That’s an accomplishment, but not the type that Ford was hoping for. This was supposed to be the car for the middle class and Ford invested $250 million into the Edsel. Ford ended up losing $350 million on the gas-guzzler that the public found an unattractive alternative to other cars on the market. Part of the problem was that the first Edsels had oil leaks, hoods that stuck, trunks that wouldn’t open and more issues that soured consumer confidence in the product. The Ford was a lesson in egos at the company ignoring what the research was telling them. Ford conducted many polls to find out what Americans wanted in a car, including a name. But executives went with Edsel. The design of the car didn’t even consult the polls. The Lesson If you’re going to do polling on what the public wants, it is a poor decision to ignore that data. So much time and effort went into coming up with the name, even hiring modernist poet Marianne Moore (who came up with nothing marketable), that Ford neglected to determine if there was even a market for this new car. To better analyzed your own projects, try our free lessons learned template for Excel. Use it to identify what worked, what didn’t work, various impacts and what you can do better next time. Download yours for free today. /wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Lessons-Learned-Screenshot-600x199.jpgDownload now 6. Airbus A380 Boeing’s Airbus A380 was viewed as a way for the company to outdo the 747. It spent more than $30 billion on product development in the belief that the industry would embrace a bigger plane that could hold more passengers and increase revenue. In fact, the Airbus A380 has sold well short of its predicted 1200 units. The plane was headed for the scrap heap as it faced obstacles such as airports having to build special infrastructure and gates to accommodate that massive plane. Those project costs would be handed back to the airlines. That’s going to sour the deal and it did. Then there were the technical issues. Qantas had to ground its entire A380 fleet after an engine blew up. You’d think that engineers would have thought beyond having more passengers seated on a bigger plane. But they didn’t. The Lesson The biggest lesson is that just because you build it doesn’t mean that anyone is going to want it. There wasn’t the demand Boeing believed there to be. Industries and markets are fickle. Just because airlines say they want something today doesn’t mean they’ll want it tomorrow. Boeing should have hedged its bets. /wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Project-Budget-Screenshot-600x167.jpgDownload now 7. Big Dig (Boston Central Artery/Tunnel Project) The Big Dig aimed to reduce traffic congestion in Boston but became infamous for massive cost overruns, safety issues and delays. Poor planning, political pressure, unforeseen engineering challenges and coordination difficulties with multiple contractors caused costs to skyrocket to over $14 billion. The Lesson Large-scale infrastructure projects need realistic budgets, robust planning and comprehensive risk management. Without these, even necessary public projects can become failed projects that drain resources and damage public trust. 8. Healthcare.gov The launch of Healthcare.gov in 2013 faced severe technical issues, crashing repeatedly under heavy traffic. Poor project coordination, lack of end-to-end testing, and insufficient communication between contractors contributed to a high-profile failure, frustrating millions of users and attracting national scrutiny. The Lesson Thorough testing, phased rollouts and clear stakeholder communication are critical. Even high-profile government initiatives can become failed projects when technical preparedness and execution planning are inadequate. Related: 18 Free Stakeholder Management Templates for Excel & Word 9. World Athletics Championships 2019 Doha is the capital of Qatar and the site of the World Athletics Championships in 2019. The world’s best athletes went there to compete against one another, but the big event turned out to be an even bigger dud. The problem was that the host nation was unable to sell most of the tickets to the event. Some of the greatest athletes in the world were forced to compete in stadiums that were nearly empty. It was a failure and an embarrassment. The Lesson Money is needed to plan for an event, but that investment is no guarantee that people will show up. The mistake was thinking there was a large enough fanbase to sell all the tickets. We keep coming back to this, but it deserves to be mentioned again: research is critical. It wouldn’t have taken much to determine if there were enough interested people to bring a return on the investment. /wp-content/uploads/2021/02/event-plan-template-zoomed-in-600x267.jpgDownload now 10. Garden Bridge Vanity projects tend not to care about success or failure. They’re driven by ego and such was the case with the Garden Bridge. It was the brainchild of Boris Johnson when he was Mayor of London. This construction project cost 53 million pounds, which is a lot of money, especially when considering it was never even built. The idea of a bridge made of gardens for city dwellers to enjoy is fine, but the over-optimistic fundraising targets and the ballooning costs led to its spectacular failure. The Lesson Projects must be realistic. It’s good to remember SMART goals, which is an acronym for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. If the project followed those constraints it might have been built or passed on before all that money was spent. /wp-content/uploads/2023/08/smart-goals-template-image-450x452.jpgDownload now 11. Apple Lisa Before Apple became synonymous with the personal computer (and long before popular products such as the iPhone), it released Lisa. It costs $10,000 with a processor of 5 MHz and 1 MB of RAM. The first model sold only 10,000 units. Lisa was fated to fail because it was really a prototype. It was marketed as a game-changer in 1983 from its popular, but command-line-based Apple II. The price is certainly one reason why this was not a realistic personal computer, but there were technical issues. It had an operating system that could run multiple programs but was too powerful for its processor. Lisa ran sluggishly. The Lesson The truth is Lisa was less a failure than an expensive lesson. Lisa led to the Macintosh, which was basically a less expensive and more effective version of Lisa. The lesson here is that one can learn from failure if it doesn’t bankrupt the company, that is. 12. Boeing 737 MAX The Boeing 737 MAX was designed to be a competitive, fuel-efficient aircraft, but software flaws led to two fatal crashes and a worldwide grounding. Investigations revealed inadequate pilot training, miscommunication within teams and insufficient testing of automated systems. The Lesson Safety-critical projects require rigorous validation, transparent communication and strict adherence to regulatory standards. Cutting corners or rushing development can transform ambitious projects into failed projects with devastating consequences. 13. Dyson Electric Car After four years and millions of dollars, James Dyson canceled his electric car project. It took that long to realize it wasn’t commercially viable. There is certainly a growing market for electric cars as the industry is motivated by consumers and government regulations to move from fossil fuels to more energy-efficient and sustainable alternatives. There’s a boom in the production of electric cars, from major manufacturers such as Chrysler and Ford to startups such as Tesla. But sometimes the time isn’t right and no matter how good the idea is, it’s just not meant to be. The Lesson Timing is everything. But it’s also important to note how difficult it is to penetrate a market with established players. It takes a lot of capital and manufacturing expertise to start a car company and be competitive. Related: 10 Free Manufacturing Excel Templates 14. Stretch Project The Stretch project was initiated in 1956 by a group of computer scientists at IBM who wanted to build the world’s fastest supercomputer. The result of this five-year project was the IBM 7030, also known as Stretch. It was the company’s first transistorized supercomputer. Though Stretch could handle a half-million instructions per second and was the fastest computer in the world up to 1964, the project was deemed a failure. Why? The project’s goal was to create a computer 100 times faster than what it was built to replace. Stretch was only about 30-40 times faster. The planned budget was $13.5 million, but the price dropped to $7.8 million; so the computer was at least completed below cost. Only nine supercomputers were built. The Lesson While the project was a failure in that it never achieved the goal it set, there was much IBM could salvage from the project. Stretch introduced pipelining, memory protection, memory interleaving and other technologies that helped with the development of future computers. Creative work is rooted in failure specifically because of the serendipitous discovery that occurs. This was a creative project, which might not have met its paper objective, but created a slew of useful technologies. So, aim for your goal, and who knows what good things you’ll discover along the way. 15. Denver International Airport Automated Baggage System The airport attempted to implement a fully automated baggage system, but technical glitches, unrealistic timelines and poor integration caused widespread delays and partial manual operation for years. Costs ballooned far beyond initial estimates and the project became a cautionary tale. The Lesson Over-automation without proper testing and contingency plans can backfire. Complex projects benefit from phased implementation, realistic scheduling and risk mitigation to avoid failed projects that waste resources. 16. FBI Virtual Case File (VCF) The FBI’s VCF project aimed to modernize its case management system but failed due to vague requirements, frequent scope changes and vendor mismanagement. The software was never fully deployed and the FBI had to start over with a new solution. The Lesson Clear requirements, stakeholder engagement and strong vendor oversight are essential. Even large government projects can turn into failed projects when planning and communication are insufficient. 17. Challenger Space Shuttle The worst failure is one that results in the loss of life. When you’re dealing with highly complex and dangerous projects like NASA, there’s always a tremendous risk that needs to be tracked. On January 28, 1986, that risk became a horrible reality as the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after launch. The cause was a leak in one of the two solid rocket boosters that set off the main liquid fuel tank. The NASA investigation that followed said the failure was due to a faulty designed O-ring seal and the cold weather at launch, which allowed for the leak. But it was not only a technical error that NASA discovered but human error. NASA officials went ahead with the launch even though engineers were concerned about the safety of the project. The engineers noted the risk of the O-ring, but their communications never traveled up to managers who could have delayed the launch to ensure the safety of the mission and its astronauts. The Lesson Managers are only as well-informed as their team. If they’re not opening lines of communication to access the data on the frontlines of a project, mistakes will be made, and in this case, fatal ones. 18. Computerized DMV No one loves the DMV. If they were a brand, their reputation would be more than tarnished, it’d be buried. But everyone who drives a vehicle is going to have some interaction with this government agency. Unfortunately, they didn’t help their case in the 1990s when the states of California and Washington attempted to computerize their Departments of Motor Vehicles. In California, the project began in 1987 as a five-year, $27 million plan to track its 31 million drivers’ licenses and 38 million vehicle registrations. Problems started at the beginning when the state solicited only one bid for the contract, Tandem Computers, locking the state into buying their hardware. Then, to make things worse, tests showed that the new computers were even slower than the ones they were to replace. But the state moved forward with the project until 1994 when it had to admit failure and end the project. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the project cost the state $49 million, and a state audit found that the DMV violated contracting laws and regulations. The Lesson The problem here is a project that isn’t following regulations. All projects must go through a process of due diligence, and legal and regulatory constraints must be part of that process. If the state had done that and the contract bidding process invited more than one firm to the table, then a costly mess could have been avoided, and our wait at the DMV might actually have become shorter. 19. Queensland Health Payroll System The Queensland Health Payroll System was designed to automate payments for thousands of employees but caused widespread errors, overpayments and underpayments. Poor testing, inadequate change management and system complexity led to operational chaos and financial losses. The Lesson Large-scale IT implementations require comprehensive testing, robust change management and careful contingency planning. Neglecting these factors can transform high-stakes projects into failed projects that disrupt essential operations. 20. IBM Watson for Oncology IBM Watson for Oncology aimed to revolutionize cancer treatment using AI, but it failed to consistently deliver actionable results. Incomplete data, unrealistic expectations and over-promising of capabilities led to disappointing outcomes and skepticism from the medical community. The Lesson AI and data-driven projects must balance innovation with practical application. Overpromising capabilities without thorough validation can make even high-profile projects fail, damaging credibility and future adoption. How ProjectManager Prevents Failed Projects ProjectManager keeps your projects from failing with a suite of project management tools that shepherd your project from initiation to a successful close. Plan, schedule and track work, while managing teams, with our online software. Plan Every Last Detail Successful projects begin with a strong plan. But it can be hard to keep all those tasks and due dates working together on a realistic schedule. What if some tasks are dependent? It gets complicated. But ProjectManager has an online Gantt chart that plots your tasks across a project timeline, linking dependencies and breaking projects into digestible milestones. /wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Gantt_Construction_Wide_Zoom-175.jpg Track Progress as It Happens ProjectManager keeps you on track with high-level monitoring via its real-time dashboard and more detailed data with one-click reporting. Now when projects start to veer off-track, you can get them back on course quickly. /wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Reports_Wide_Zoom-150_Project-Status-Report.jpg While we didn’t have an example, there are many projects that fail because they’re not equipped with the right tools for the job. ProjectManager is online project management software that gives project managers and their teams everything they need to plan, monitor and report on their project. Don’t let your next project fail; try ProjectManager with this free 30-day trial. The post 20 Notorious Failed Projects & What We Can Learn from Them appeared first on ProjectManager. View the full article

On Friday, Apple dropped iOS 26.2. Despite being the third update in the iOS 26 era, 26.2 still adds some interesting and useful new features, like alarms for reminders and refinements to the Sleep Score on Apple Watch. Updates aren't all about the features, however. Apple typically includes a number of security patches with its software releases as well, which makes each update important to install. You don't always need to install the latest version of iOS or macOS to benefit from these security patches, either: Apple usually releases important security patches for some older versions of its software. iPhones running iOS 18 can install the same security patches as those running iOS 26, as can Mac users running macOS Sequoia or Sonoma, rather than Tahoe. All that to say, Apple's update today comes with a series of patches you'll want to install on your iPhone—no matter what software version you're currently running. This particular release ships with 25 patches, and while some of them seem only pertinent to software developers, others are plainly serious. iOS 26.2 patches some serious security vulnerabilities Perhaps most importantly from a security perspective, this release includes two patches for potential zero-day vulnerabilities. Zero-day flaws are especially dangerous as they are either publicly disclosed or actively exploited before a developer has a chance to issue a patch—leaving users vulnerable to attack. Both flaws (CVE-2025-43529 and CVE-2025-14174) affect WebKit, Apple's platform for developing Safari and web browsers on iPhone. Before Apple patched these issues, bad actors could present users with malicious web content. Once the user processes it on their iPhone, it could lead to arbitrary code execution, which, essentially, allows the bad actor to run whatever code they want on your iPhone. Apple says it is aware of reports that these two flaws may have been exploited in "an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals" in versions of iOS older than iOS 26. This is not the first time Apple has patched flaws with this warning. Due to the iPhone's popularity, these flaws are valuable to governments and other large-scale actors that target high-profile individuals, like journalists and politicians. Apple will even send these users warnings when their iPhone has been identified in such an attack. While the risk is low that the average iPhone user will be targeted in one of these campaigns, it's not impossible, which means it's important to update as soon as a patch is available. These apply to other Apple devices too, like Macs, so update all devices as soon as possible. While those two flaws are the most important of the bunch to fix, there are others here that you'll want to fix ASAP. One of the first to jump out at me was a "Calling Framework" flaw that allows bad actors to spoof their FaceTime caller ID. With the rise of AI scams, bad actors could create an AI voice that sounds like someone you know, and spoof their contact so it looks like they're calling you over FaceTime audio. This update patches that possibility—at least, as far as spoofing is concerned. Speaking of FaceTime, this update also patches a flaw that sometimes reveals password fields when remotely controlling a device over FaceTime. If you were sharing your screen with someone over a video call, they might be able to see when you typed in your password and use that against you. There's also a patch for an issue that allowed an app to see other apps you had installed on your device—a major privacy and security vulnerability. If you use the Photos' app Hidden feature to hide sensitive pictures you don't want others to see, you'll want to install this update ASAP, too: Previous versions of iOS contained a bug that made it possible to view these hidden photos without authentication. iOS 26.2 security release notesIf you're interested in seeing all of Apple's security patches in this update, the full release notes are as follows: App StoreAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: An app may be able to access sensitive payment tokens Description: A permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions. CVE-2025-46288: floeki, Zhongcheng Li from IES Red Team of ByteDance AppleJPEGAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: Processing a file may lead to memory corruption Description: The issue was addressed with improved bounds checks. CVE-2025-43539: Michael Reeves (@IntegralPilot) Calling FrameworkAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: An attacker may be able to spoof their FaceTime caller ID Description: An inconsistent user interface issue was addressed with improved state management. CVE-2025-46287: an anonymous researcher, Riley Walz curlAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: Multiple issues in curl Description: This is a vulnerability in open source code and Apple Software is among the affected projects. The CVE-ID was assigned by a third party. Learn more about the issue and CVE-ID at cve.org. CVE-2024-7264, CVE-2025-9086 FaceTimeAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: Password fields may be unintentionally revealed when remotely controlling a device over FaceTime Description: This issue was addressed with improved state management. CVE-2025-43542: Yiğit Ocak FoundationAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: An app may be able to inappropriately access files through the spellcheck API Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved checks. CVE-2025-43518: Noah Gregory (wts.dev) FoundationAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: Processing malicious data may lead to unexpected app termination Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved bounds checking. CVE-2025-43532: Andrew Calvano and Lucas Pinheiro of Meta Product Security IconsAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: An app may be able to identify what other apps a user has installed Description: A permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions. CVE-2025-46279: Duy Trần (@khanhduytran0) KernelAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: An app may be able to gain root privileges Description: An integer overflow was addressed by adopting 64-bit timestamps. CVE-2025-46285: Kaitao Xie and Xiaolong Bai of Alibaba Group libarchiveAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: Processing a file may lead to memory corruption Description: This is a vulnerability in open source code and Apple Software is among the affected projects. The CVE-ID was assigned by a third party. Learn more about the issue and CVE-ID at cve.org. CVE-2025-5918 MediaExperienceAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: An app may be able to access user-sensitive data Description: A logging issue was addressed with improved data redaction. CVE-2025-43475: Rosyna Keller of Totally Not Malicious Software MessagesAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: An app may be able to access sensitive user data Description: An information disclosure issue was addressed with improved privacy controls. CVE-2025-46276: Rosyna Keller of Totally Not Malicious Software Multi-TouchAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: A malicious HID device may cause an unexpected process crash Description: Multiple memory corruption issues were addressed with improved input validation. CVE-2025-43533: Google Threat Analysis Group PhotosAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: Photos in the Hidden Photos Album may be viewed without authentication Description: A configuration issue was addressed with additional restrictions. CVE-2025-43428: an anonymous researcher, Michael Schmutzer of Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt Screen TimeAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: An app may be able to access a user’s Safari history Description: A logging issue was addressed with improved data redaction. CVE-2025-46277: Kirin (@Pwnrin) Screen TimeAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: An app may be able to access sensitive user data Description: A logging issue was addressed with improved data redaction. CVE-2025-43538: Iván Savransky TelephonyAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: An app may be able to access user-sensitive data Description: This issue was addressed with additional entitlement checks. CVE-2025-46292: Rosyna Keller of Totally Not Malicious Software WebKitAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected Safari crash Description: A type confusion issue was addressed with improved state handling. WebKit Bugzilla: 301257 CVE-2025-43541: Hossein Lotfi (@hosselot) of Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative WebKitAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected process crash Description: A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management. WebKit Bugzilla: 301726 CVE-2025-43536: Nan Wang (@eternalsakura13) WebKitAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected process crash Description: The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. WebKit Bugzilla: 300774 WebKit Bugzilla: 301338 CVE-2025-43535: Google Big Sleep, Nan Wang (@eternalsakura13) WebKitAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected process crash Description: A buffer overflow issue was addressed with improved memory handling. WebKit Bugzilla: 301371 CVE-2025-43501: Hossein Lotfi (@hosselot) of Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative WebKitAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected process crash Description: A race condition was addressed with improved state handling. WebKit Bugzilla: 301940 CVE-2025-43531: Phil Pizlo of Epic Games WebKitAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals on versions of iOS before iOS 26. CVE-2025-14174 was also issued in response to this report. Description: A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management. WebKit Bugzilla: 302502 CVE-2025-43529: Google Threat Analysis Group WebKitAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to memory corruption. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals on versions of iOS before iOS 26. CVE-2025-43529 was also issued in response to this report. Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved validation. WebKit Bugzilla: 303614 CVE-2025-14174: Apple and Google Threat Analysis Group WebKit Web InspectorAvailable for: iPhone 11 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 8th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected process crash Description: A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management. WebKit Bugzilla: 300926 CVE-2025-43511: 이동하 (Lee Dong Ha of BoB 14th) View the full article

On December 31, the Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies will expire. These subsidies are a cornerstone of the open marketplace; they’re what helps keep these plans purchased actually affordable and accessible. Without the subsidies, healthcare premiums are set to skyrocket, the price (on average) doubling for 22 million Americans across the country — many of them freelancers. How did we get here?When Republicans took back all three chambers of government in November 2024, we knew that the future of the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies was at risk. We were right to be concerned, as when President The President signed into law the “One Big, Beautiful Bill”, it did not extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies — amongst many other provisions that endanger the American people. Senate Democrats then attempted to save the subsidies before they expire on December 31 by refusing to sign onto a government funding bill that did not provide for their extension. This brought us the longest government shutdown in history — but eventually, eight senators (seven Democrats and one Independent) voted with Republicans to re-open the government. They agreed to this vote based on a promise from Republican Senate leadership that there would be a separate Senate floor vote on the subsidies in December. Republican House leadership made no such similar promise. And while there are various discharge petitions that would prompt a vote being circulated in the House, none have yet to receive the required 218 votes. What happened in the floor vote?In the Senate floor vote, two different bills were put forth; one by the Democrats in hopes of extending the subsidies for three years, and one from Republicans that lets the subsidies expire and instead funnels that funding into $1,500 per year payments into health savings accounts for those earning 700% below the poverty level. However, this money could not be used to help pay for premiums. The bill also contains restrictions around abortion and gender-affirming care. Neither bill received the 60 votes needed to advance. What now?Many are predicting that as the subsidies are set to expire December 31 and Congress is set to recess for the holidays next week until January 5, that millions of Americans will be forced to pay these exorbitant premiums for their healthcare. This is unacceptable — and we must tell our elected officials as such. We encourage you to contact yours and let them know your vote in the 2026 midterm elections hinges on how they move forward on healthcare. Many are aware that this could cost them re-election. View the full article

On December 31, the Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies will expire. These subsidies are a cornerstone of the open marketplace; they’re what helps keep these plans purchased actually affordable and accessible. Without the subsidies, healthcare premiums are set to skyrocket, the price (on average) doubling for 22 million Americans across the country — many of them freelancers. How did we get here?When Republicans took back all three chambers of government in November 2024, we knew that the future of the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies was at risk. We were right to be concerned, as when President The President signed into law the “One Big, Beautiful Bill”, it did not extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies — amongst many other provisions that endanger the American people. Senate Democrats then attempted to save the subsidies before they expire on December 31 by refusing to sign onto a government funding bill that did not provide for their extension. This brought us the longest government shutdown in history — but eventually, eight senators (seven Democrats and one Independent) voted with Republicans to re-open the government. They agreed to this vote based on a promise from Republican Senate leadership that there would be a separate Senate floor vote on the subsidies in December. Republican House leadership made no such similar promise. And while there are various discharge petitions that would prompt a vote being circulated in the House, none have yet to receive the required 218 votes. What happened in the floor vote?In the Senate floor vote, two different bills were put forth; one by the Democrats in hopes of extending the subsidies for three years, and one from Republicans that lets the subsidies expire and instead funnels that funding into $1,500 per year payments into health savings accounts for those earning 700% below the poverty level. However, this money could not be used to help pay for premiums. The bill also contains restrictions around abortion and gender-affirming care. Neither bill received the 60 votes needed to advance. What now?Many are predicting that as the subsidies are set to expire December 31 and Congress is set to recess for the holidays next week until January 5, that millions of Americans will be forced to pay these exorbitant premiums for their healthcare. This is unacceptable — and we must tell our elected officials as such. We encourage you to contact yours and let them know your vote in the 2026 midterm elections hinges on how they move forward on healthcare. Many are aware that this could cost them re-election. View the full article

As the holiday season approaches, small business owners can find a silver lining in the sharp decline of gas prices, which hit an average of $2.94, the lowest in four years. This recent drop, down 5 cents from last week, could represent significant savings for businesses reliant on transportation, especially as a record number of travelers prepare to hit the roads for the holidays. With the national average gas price falling below $3—a milestone not seen since early December last year—businesses may benefit from lower operational costs. “As more Americans embark on holiday travel, they’ll pay less this season, creating an opportunity for small businesses to capitalize on consumer spending,” remarked an AAA representative. Key Takeaways: Current Gas Prices: The average price is $2.94, down from $3.04 last holiday season. Boasting Consumer Savings: The reduction gives consumers more disposable income, possibly leading to increased spending on local business offerings. Oil Market Movements: As supply extends and production decreases, savvy business owners might want to monitor oil futures for further price adjustments. Recent data from the Energy Information Administration indicated an uptick in gasoline demand, rising from 8.32 million barrels per day to 8.45 million. This increased demand, coupled with a recent decrease in gasoline production to an average of 9.6 million barrels per day, might hint at a tighter supply in the near future. Such fluctuations could ultimately lead to price adjustments, affecting transportation costs for small businesses. Several state markets are seeing more substantial price differences. For instance, gas prices remain highest in places like Hawaii at $4.44 and California at $4.41. Conversely, drivers in states like Oklahoma ($2.36) and Texas ($2.51) enjoy significantly lower rates. Small business owners operating in these regions should be aware of their local pricing landscape, which may affect both fuel expenses and pricing strategies for their services. As businesses across the nation plan for holiday sales, lower fuel costs could translate into increased consumer spending. With consumers more likely to travel, this wave of mobility provides an opportunity for local businesses to attract new customers. Organic advertising methods, such as promoting special holiday offers or events, could entice extra foot traffic. However, while lower gas prices can boost revenues, challenges persist. For example, the crude oil market remains volatile. WTI crude closed recently at $58.46 per barrel, and U.S. crude oil inventories are 4% below the historical average for this period. These indicators suggest that fluctuations in gas prices may not be over, forcing businesses to ride the waves of potential cost increases in the future. Business owners with fleets or those who rely on transportation might consider strategic planning to mitigate future costs. Such planning could include diversifying transportation methods or investing in fuel-efficient technologies or alternative transportation types like electric vehicles (EVs). The national average for charging EVs stands at 38 cents per kilowatt-hour, offering another avenue for businesses focused on sustainability. Ultimately, as gas prices decrease, small business owners can leverage the opportunity for increased consumer engagement while remaining vigilant about the fluctuating oil market and its implications for long-term operational costs. For current gas prices and insights about local markets, business owners can utilize tools like the AAA TripTik Travel planner, available at AAA TripTik. For further details on the updated gas price situation, you can refer to the original press release from AAA Gas Prices at AAA Gas Prices. Image via AAA This article, "Gas Prices Dip 5 Cents as Drivers Enjoy Lowest Holiday Rates in 4 Years" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

As the holiday season approaches, small business owners can find a silver lining in the sharp decline of gas prices, which hit an average of $2.94, the lowest in four years. This recent drop, down 5 cents from last week, could represent significant savings for businesses reliant on transportation, especially as a record number of travelers prepare to hit the roads for the holidays. With the national average gas price falling below $3—a milestone not seen since early December last year—businesses may benefit from lower operational costs. “As more Americans embark on holiday travel, they’ll pay less this season, creating an opportunity for small businesses to capitalize on consumer spending,” remarked an AAA representative. Key Takeaways: Current Gas Prices: The average price is $2.94, down from $3.04 last holiday season. Boasting Consumer Savings: The reduction gives consumers more disposable income, possibly leading to increased spending on local business offerings. Oil Market Movements: As supply extends and production decreases, savvy business owners might want to monitor oil futures for further price adjustments. Recent data from the Energy Information Administration indicated an uptick in gasoline demand, rising from 8.32 million barrels per day to 8.45 million. This increased demand, coupled with a recent decrease in gasoline production to an average of 9.6 million barrels per day, might hint at a tighter supply in the near future. Such fluctuations could ultimately lead to price adjustments, affecting transportation costs for small businesses. Several state markets are seeing more substantial price differences. For instance, gas prices remain highest in places like Hawaii at $4.44 and California at $4.41. Conversely, drivers in states like Oklahoma ($2.36) and Texas ($2.51) enjoy significantly lower rates. Small business owners operating in these regions should be aware of their local pricing landscape, which may affect both fuel expenses and pricing strategies for their services. As businesses across the nation plan for holiday sales, lower fuel costs could translate into increased consumer spending. With consumers more likely to travel, this wave of mobility provides an opportunity for local businesses to attract new customers. Organic advertising methods, such as promoting special holiday offers or events, could entice extra foot traffic. However, while lower gas prices can boost revenues, challenges persist. For example, the crude oil market remains volatile. WTI crude closed recently at $58.46 per barrel, and U.S. crude oil inventories are 4% below the historical average for this period. These indicators suggest that fluctuations in gas prices may not be over, forcing businesses to ride the waves of potential cost increases in the future. Business owners with fleets or those who rely on transportation might consider strategic planning to mitigate future costs. Such planning could include diversifying transportation methods or investing in fuel-efficient technologies or alternative transportation types like electric vehicles (EVs). The national average for charging EVs stands at 38 cents per kilowatt-hour, offering another avenue for businesses focused on sustainability. Ultimately, as gas prices decrease, small business owners can leverage the opportunity for increased consumer engagement while remaining vigilant about the fluctuating oil market and its implications for long-term operational costs. For current gas prices and insights about local markets, business owners can utilize tools like the AAA TripTik Travel planner, available at AAA TripTik. For further details on the updated gas price situation, you can refer to the original press release from AAA Gas Prices at AAA Gas Prices. Image via AAA This article, "Gas Prices Dip 5 Cents as Drivers Enjoy Lowest Holiday Rates in 4 Years" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article