• Senate Republican leaders want to pass their version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) by the end of the week.
• There are a slew of Republicans, however, who still have serious concerns about the bill.
• GOP leaders can only afford to lose two votes for the TCJA to pass.

The Republican tax plan is in the midst of a critical week in the Senate, but it's unclear if GOP leaders have the votes to pass their ambitious package.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Republican leaders say they want to bring the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) to the Senate floor for a vote by the end of the week. That would keep the TCJA on track to meet President Donald Trump's self-imposed Christmas deadline for final passage.

While leadership may have an ambitious timeline, a sizeable group of GOP senators have expressed concerns about the bill since its release just more than two weeks ago.

Their issues range from the tax legislation's treatment of small businesses, to healthcare, to the federal deficit. Since the bill can only lose two Republican votes for it to pass, the margin for error is incredibly thin.

Below we've collected the eight senators to watch in the next week and why they could spoil Republican leaders' best-laid plans.

Ron Johnson of Wisconsin

Why he could vote no: Johnson was the first public "no" on the TCJA. He has raised concerns about the bill's treatment of smaller pass-through businesses, such as S-corporations and limited liability companies, when compared to large corporations. According to reports, GOP leaders are attempting to tweak the refund to pass-throughs to win over Johnson.

Susan Collins of Maine

Why she could vote no: Collins has bucked GOP leadership repeatedly, most notably over the plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Collins is not a fan of repealing Obamacare's individual mandate in the bill — nor how it would make individual tax cuts temporary. Collins is seen as one of the hardest members to win over. 

Jeff Flake of Arizona

Why he could vote no: Flake has long been critical of Trump and has declined to run for reelection, giving Republican leaders little ammunition to pressure the Arizona senator. Flake raised concerns regarding the potential deficit impact of the bill after it was released and has maintained criticisms since.

• Certain strategies and habits are an enormous waste of time.
• It's a good idea to identify what tactics are actually slowing you down, so you can cut them out of your life.
• From telling people of your plans to neglecting deadlines, here's a roundup of some habits you should drop immediately.

We're all running out of time. There aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done. That's just life.

However, if you feel like your inability to schedule your days is ruining your performance at work, that's probably a bad sign.

It's important to identify and drop harmful time-wasting tendencies before they seriously mess up your career.

Here are 11 wful time management habits that are tricky to quit — but you'll thank yourself once you do:

SEE ALSO: 11 ways unsuccessful people mismanage their time

11. Telling everybody about your goals

Gabbing about your goals is a waste of time.

Plus, Business Insider contributor Daniel Wesley writes that talking about your plans actually makes you less likely to carry them out. He writes that the very act of talking about your goals "tricks the brain" into thinking you've already accomplished your mission. That, in turn, saps your motivation.

Instead of telling everybody what you're about to do, take a cue from Niké and just do it.

10. Forgetting to write things down

You might feel too busy and stressed to have time to keep track of what you've been up to. However, if you're going to manage your time properly, you've got to keep records.

It's a strategy that works pretty well for major players in the business world, including Bill Gates, Sheryl Sandberg, and Richard Branson.

9. Failing to prioritize

You might fall into this trap if you rely too much on to do lists.

Certain tasks are more deserving of your time and attention than others. Unless you're carefully ranking each item on your list, you risk lacking priorities throughout the day. Lack of priorities puts you at risk for cutting through busy work while ignoring truly important projects.

Success.com's Tony Jeary recommends eliminating needless points from your to-do lists and ensuring that you tackle your high-priority tasks at the time of day when you're most energetic.

• Apple launched a new YouTube channel on Tuesday with short videos on iPhone tips and tricks. 
• After years of quietly resisting social media, Apple is now embracing it, especially for customer support. 

Apple quietly launched an official Apple Support YouTube channel on Monday. 

So far, the new online presence for Apple has 10 videos highlighting little tips and tricks for the iPhone. 

The account is official — it's a featured channel linked to Apple's official primary channel, which is often used for ads and keynote videos, and it's got a YouTube verification check. 

Some of the videos highlight features obvious to any longtime Apple user, like how to take a screenshot. But other videos show handy, lesser-known features, like how to access Apple's GIF library through the keyboard.

Apple's been making a lot of these handy videos lately. It released one last month that focused exclusively on the iPhone X and changes to its interface. And last year it launched a Twitter account called "Apple Support" delivering customer service directly on social media.

Check out the videos: 

SEE ALSO: The best hidden features in iOS 11, Apple's major software update for iPhone and iPad

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This year, 600 award-winning Reuters photojournalists worked across the world to document both major historic moments and the human stories that might otherwise have gone unnoticed.

The team won the Pulitzer Prize in the Breaking News Photography category in 2016, and in 2017, their efforts have only continued.

Ahead, take a look at 50 of the most amazing photos captured by Reuters in 2017.

Editor's note: Many of the images in this slideshow depict graphic violence and injury, and many are upsetting. All captions are by Reuters. 

SEE ALSO: Here's what goes on behind the scenes of the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which reportedly costs millions to produce each year

School children attend a yoga session at a camp in Ahmedabad, India, on January 5, 2017.

Kashmiri Muslims raise their arms upon seeing a relic of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani, a Sufi saint, being displayed at his shrine on the occasion of his death anniversary, on a cold winter morning in Srinagar, on January 10, 2017.

A commuter jumps between trains upon arrival at a station, to attend Akheri Munajat, the final supplication during Biswa Ijtema in Tongi, on the outskirts of Dhaka, on January 15, 2017.

The early birds will inherit the earth.

At least that's what a 2009 University of Leipzig study found. The researchers concluded that "morning people were more proactive than evening types."

But being an effective early riser isn't just about waking up before everyone else. It's about putting yourself in a positive mindset and getting important things done before everyone else.

So there's no point in setting your alarm clock at a crazy-early time if you're just going to zone out in front of the television for a bit before slouching off to work.

To start your day right, you've got to get into some good habits.

Following are six morning rituals that may seem hard to adopt but will ultimately reap major rewards, if you stick with them.

SEE ALSO: I tried waking up at 4 a.m. every day like Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi, but I ended up creating a perfect morning routine for myself

DON'T MISS: I followed Benjamin Franklin's daily schedule for a week, and the most rewarding part was also the most difficult

Make a plan the night before

This isn't a morning ritual per se, but it's a habit that's definitely conducive to a productive morning routine. So make sure to set yourself up for a successful morning by creating a game plan the night before.

It's always helpful to have everything you need for the day laid out and ready to go when you wake up. Make sure you're stocked on whatever you need for breakfast. Write out a little schedule on what you need to accomplish the next day.

This all sounds pretty simple, but when you're getting home at night, it's very tempting to just crash on the sofa with a glass of wine and leave all the thinking for tomorrow.

Wake up painfully early

Sorry, night owls. It's time to adapt.

In a poll of 20 executives cited by Laura Vanderkam, a time-management expert and the author of "What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast," 90% said they wake up before 6 a.m. on weekdays. PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, for example, wakes at 4 and is in the office no later than 7. Disney CEO Bob Iger gets up at 4:30 to read. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is up at 5:30 to go jogging.

Yes, this might sound awful, but if you get to sleep earlier, that'll numb the pain of such early wake-ups over time. The bottom line: Productive mornings start with early wake-up calls.

Start the day right with exercise

Yeah, there are super humans among us who crave that pre-sunrise workout (that, or they're just really good liars). Still, for everyone else, waking up at the crack of dawn to sweat and get sore probably doesn't sound ideal.

But the morning is probably the ideal time to exercise. By starting your day with exercise, you'll prevent yourself from putting it off.

Think about it this way: If some of the busiest people in the world can find time to workout, so can you. For example, Vanderkam notes that Xerox CEO Ursula Burns schedules an hourlong personal-training session at 6 a.m. twice a week.

US President Barack Obama starts out each day with strength and cardio training while Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey does three repetitions of a seven-minute workout, Anisa Purbasari reported for Business Insider.

"These are incredibly busy people," says Vanderkam. "If they make time to exercise, it must be important."

Buying for men is difficult. They might not always have a wish list ready, so you're often stuck guessing.

Guess no more. We have a list of gifts that the modern gentleman in your life will love.

From his new favorite sweater to a watch that will last years longer than anything with an Apple logo on it, these are 12 items he didn't even know he wanted.

You can take all the credit. We won't tell.

SEE ALSO: The best watches at every price point

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Wireless speaker

The Zeppelin Wireless speaker is, quite simply, everything one should want in a speaker.

First off, it sounds good — really good, especially for its size. For $699 (less than many more expensive speaker sets) you can fill up a decent-sized room with full, rich sound that certainly doesn't lack in depth.

It's completely wireless via both Bluetooth and Airplay, so you can control it from your phone if you have Apple Music or Spotify. It also includes play buttons on the back, as well as a 3.5-mm aux cord port.

In addition, its sculptural shape looks great on the shelf.

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Wireless ($699)

Club Monaco Wool Topcoat

The job of the chief marketing officer is changing.

Marketing executives play a far more active role in the C-suite and the boardroom today than ever before. They wear business hats, chart out ways to use data and technology at scale, and drive actual, measurable business results.

With marketers' positions within their organizations becoming more important than ever, Business Insider is celebrating the global marketers rising to the occasion with the second installment of our annual ranking of the 50 most innovative CMOs in the world.

Scroll on to see which marketers made the cut.

Methodology

Our selection criteria are by no means scientific. We relied on our reporting and an advisory council. We also solicited nominations from our readers and included some of their picks. We tried to cast our net wider than most other similar lists, acknowledging leaders and companies from Europe, for instance, whose brands have increasingly been encroaching on the US and beyond in recent years.

Our ranking was compiled by Business Insider's advertising reporter Tanya Dua and advertising editor Mike Shields. We also drew on inputs by an advisory council of independent experts: BrandSimple Consulting founder Allen Adamson; Sleuth Brand Consulting founder Shireen Jiwan; Vivaldi Group founder and CEO Erich Joachimsthaler; MediaLink chairman and CEO Michael Kassan, and The Talent Business global CEO Gary Stolkin.

CMOs were ranked based on a number of different attributes, including:

• The Connectors. Marketing executives who have effectively married art, science, and technology in their campaigns.
• The Rebels. Executives who are taking their marketing efforts in a different direction than their peers.
• The Storytellers. Marketing executives who have mastered the art of storytelling across platforms.
• The Breakouts. Executives at the helm of newer brands who have demonstrated how to disrupt traditional companies.

Other factors we took into consideration included the size of the executive's brand and how much the brand footprint has grown over the past year, the extent of their role and responsibilities, their influence in the marketing and advertising industry beyond their own brand, and whether their marketing efforts have driven their company's performance.

50. Julia Goldin, CMO, Lego

The year 2016 was a big one for the Danish toymaker, whose revenues rose by 6% and hit the highest level in its 85-year history. This past year, in comparison, has been a bit of slump with the "Lego Ninjago" movie opening to a lukewarm response. But the brand still makes it to the list for pioneering change and pushing for inclusivity. This month, Lego released its "Women of NASA" toy set modeled after four famous women from the US space agency who are scientists, engineers, astronauts, and entrepreneurs. It took just a few days for the product to rise to the top of Amazon's list of best-selling toys.

49. Mike Linton, CMO, Farmers Insurance

Farmers Insurance has always had a knack for producing quirky ads that highlight all the bizarre situations that people file insurance claims based on. But this year, the company took things a step further under Linton, finding out-of-the-box ways to insert itself into culturally relevant conversations of its consumers. This includes the brand's first-ever 360-degree virtual experience with the Halloween-themed "Stranger Claims" campaign as well as a broader effort to incorporate middle America in its creative and strategy.

48. Andrew Sherrard, Chief Commercial Officer, T-Mobile

T-Mobile may not be the biggest wireless company in the US, but it feels as if its marketing often sets the agenda in the industry. The company has pushed data-free plans back into the conversation, causing rivals to react. And under Sherrard's guidance, T-Mobile has thrown free Netflix into the mix, likely causing many consumers to turn their heads. And during the recent World Series the company rolled out a campaign promising to donate $2 to victims of the recent hurricanes in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico every time they tweeted using the hashtag #HR4HR. No wonder then that Sherrard's title was recently elevated from Chief Marketing Officer to Chief Commercial Officer. 

Business Insider has published its ranking of the most innovative CMOs of 2017.

Here we focus on The Breakouts.

These are the marketing leaders who are helping newer brands make their mark in categories dominated by traditional incumbents. In many cases, the companies are causing big, old-school brands to follow their lead.

Scroll down to see which CMOs made the cut.

Chris Tung, CMO at Alibaba Group

Often referred to as the "Chinese Amazon" or "that thing Yahoo used to own part of," Alibaba Group has been on a mission of late to court the U.S. ad world. Tung seems less focused on getting American consumers familiar with Alibaba as an e-commerce vehicle (though that is growing) and more on getting giant ad agencies using its tools and services. To help Tung helped steer a big pitch at the Cannes ad festival last June where it touted its powerful data pool, reported the Drum. That pitch has some marketers excited, and others nervous. "We need to watch out," said WPP CEO Martin Sorrell, reported Digiday.

Wolfgang Moeller, VP of Global Band Marketing at Jägermeister

Moeller joined Jägermeister in 2011 after holding various leading marketing positions at Red Bull. Today he leads brand strategy, brand identity as well as strategic initiatives for the German liquor brand. Jägermeister remains the No. 1 imported liquor in the U.S., but its reputation precedes it. So it's no surprise that the brand focused its efforts on unveiling a new global strategy and positioning this year in the form of the campaign "Be the Meister." Moeller also led the launch of the brand's first super-premium herbal liquor, the Jägermeister Manifest, and presided over digital initiatives like the Facebook Messenger bot called "Jäm Bot."

Alfonso Gonzalez Loeschen, CMO at Nestle Nespresso

Coffee accounts for almost a fifth of Nestlé revenues, and while the Swiss conglomerate dominates the coffee market globally, the same is not true of the US. Which is why the brand has been betting on a growing demand for "premium" products like the Nespresso coffee system, led by Loeschen. It launched a sustainability-driven global campaign called "The choices we make" that tells real stories from the farmers who produce the brand's coffee. It also expanded its new coffee system called Vertuo globally, after successfully launching it in North America first.

Business Insider has published its ranking of the most innovative CMOs of 2017.

Meet The Connectors: The marketing executives who have mastered how best to use technology, data, and creativity to drive growth not only in marketing, but also heir companies at large.

Scroll down to see which marketers made the cut.

Andrew Sherrard, Chief Commercial Officer at T-Mobile

T-Mobile may not be the biggest wireless company in the US, but it feels like it's marketing often sets the agenda in the industry. The company has pushed data-free plans back into the conversation, causing rivals to react. And under Sherrard's guidance, T-Mobile has thrown free Netflix into the mix, likely causing many consumers to turn their heads. And during the recent World Series the company rolled out a campaign promising to donate $2 to victims of the recent hurricanes in Houston, Puerto Rico and Florida every time they tweeted using the hashtag #HR4HR. No wonder then that Sherrard's title was recently elevated from Chief Marketing Officer to Chief Commercial Officer. 

Alison Lewis, CMO at Johnson & Johnson Consumer

Lewis has served as the global CMO of Johnson & Johnson Consumer since 2013, overseeing marketing for brands including Neutrogena, Johnson's and Listerine. In addition to global marketing, Lewis drives digital and strategic consumer insights, professional marketing and the innovation pipeline. After focusing on uniting the company's global marketing team under one branding framework, Lewis turned her attention to reaching consumers with new  marketing and media approaches this year. She led the development of the first smart, personal baby sleep coaching system through its Johnson's Bedtime Baby Sleep App and also helped extend Zyrtec Allergy to living rooms in the form of an Alexa skill.

Scott Meden, CMO at Nordstrom

Like others, Nordstrom too has struggled to stay afloat in an increasingly competitive retail environment, with its attempt to go private going bust and its stock taking a hit. But despite the roadblocks, Nordstrom has continuously tried to remain on the cutting edge of digital under Meden. It has developed robust e-commerce experiences, seamlessly integrated online and offline channels and provided numerous cross-channel capabilities for in-store shoppers. And it has also risen as a brand unafraid to speak its mind. In March, it dropped Ivanka Trump's line— a move that ultimately won it even more brand love than ever. Another glimmer of hope: the company just recently opened another store in New York City.

 Business Insider has published its ranking of the most innovative CMOs of 2017.

Here we focus on The Storytellers: the marketing executives who have best figured out how to tell stories across multiple media platforms in an era when connecting with consumers is tougher than ever.

Scroll down to see which Storyteller CMOs made the cut.

Julia Goldin, CMO at Lego

2016 was a big year for the Danish toy-maker, whose revenues rose by 6% and hit the highest level in its 85 year-long history. 2017, in comparison, has been a bit of slump with the "Lego Ninjago" movie opening to a lukewarm response. However, the brand still makes it to the list for pioneering change and pushing for inclusivity. This month, Lego released its new "Women of NASA" toy set modeled after four famous women from the U.S. space agency who are scientists, engineers, astronauts, and entrepreneurs. It took just a few days for the product to rise to the top of Amazon's list of best-selling toys.

Mike Linton, CMO at Farmer's Insurance

Farmers Insurance has always had a knack for producing quirky ads that highlight all the bizarre situations that people file insurance claims based on. But this year, the company took things a step further under Linton, finding out-of-the-box ways to insert itself into culturally relevant conversations of its consumers. This includes the brand's first ever 360-degree virtual experience with the the Halloween-themed "Stranger Claims"campaign as well as a broader effort to incorporate middle America in its creative and strategy. 

Leslie Berland, CMO at Twitter

The former American Express executive has a tough assignment. Making Twitter accessible to consumers who still don't quite speak in 280 characters or understand insider lingo like "@ mentions." Despite that ongoing challenge, Twitter has never been more influential. Under Berland's leadership, Twitter has focused on a simple message: it's what's happening in the world.

Business Insider has published its ranking of the 50 most innovative CMOs in 2017.

These are The Rebels: the CMOs who are taking their marketing efforts in a completely different direction than their peers.

Scroll down to see which Rebel CMOs made the cut.

Antonio Lucio, CMO at HP

Lucio has been HP's global chief marketing and communications officer since 2015 and is responsible for branding, global communications, demand generation as well as strategic events. Under Lucio's leadership, HP has sought to reestablish a more emotional connection between the brand and its consumers. But over the past one year, a bigger focus for the brand has been addressing the industry's diversity challenges. After demanding that its agencies move the needle on the number of women in the teams servicing the brand last year, this year, HP turned its attention to minorities.

Kelly Campbell, SVP and CMO at Hulu

Campbell joined the streaming upstart this summer, and saw the rollout of Hulu's  first national ad campaign in five years featuring a celebrity spokesperson this past September. "For the Audience" featured Anna Kendrick and celebrated the service’s new look and feel in four TV commercials aired nationally. The company also scaled new, uncharted heights with teh dark original series "The Handmaid's Tale." Hulu not only swept numerous awards at the Emmy's, but went home with the top honors — the first time that a streaming service took the Best Series award. 

Roger Solé, CMO, Sprint

Solé hit the ground running when he took over as Sprint's CMO, launching the "That Wireless Guy" campaign during the NBA Finals, snatching up Paul Marcarelli, the face of competitor Verizon's ads. But this year Sprint created waves when it followed in the footsteps of brands like Allstate, Stubhub, and Unilever, taking digital ad buying in-house.

• WeWork announced on Tuesday that it bought Meetup, a website for organizing group trips and events. 
• Terms of the deal weren't announced, but Axios said the price was around $200 million.
• Meetup is only one of a slew of new investments and purchases the $20 billion startup has made in recent months. 

WeWork, the startup building a network of coworking offices and apartments, announced on Tuesday that it had bought Meetup, a service that makes it easy for groups to start regular meetings in real life. 

The price for Meetup was around $200 million, Axios reported, although terms of the deal were not announced. Meetup had raised $18 million in venture funding from blue-chip firms including DFJ, Union Square Ventures, and Allen & Co. 

Meetup runs a website that lets people create, organize and join groups around specific interests, usually for the sake of hosting events and inviting people to them. According to WeWork, it has 35 million members in 300,000 groups that host 500,000 events per month. 

WeWork has raised over $8 billion in funding to date, with $4.4 billion booked since July from Softbank and the Softbank Vision Fund, giving the startup a $20 billion valuation and the title of New York City's most valuable startup. 

So what's WeWork to do with that money? Make a lot of acquisitions, apparently. Meetup as a purchase makes a lot of sense for WeWork — lots of Meetups already happen in WeWork locations. 100,000 people have gone to a Meetup meeting at a WeWork this year, the company said.

But some of WeWork's other acquisitions are less obviously applicable to its business. Take a look: 

SEE ALSO: WeWork raised $4.4 billion in 3 months — here's how the co-working giant became the most valuable startup in New York City

Earlier this month, it was revealed that in 2016, WeWork had purchased a large stake in Wavegarden, a maker of wave pools.

Source: Wall Street Journal 

WeWork bought FieldLens, a mobile communications app for construction workers, in June for an undisclosed price.

Source: TechCrunch

In August, WeWork announced that it had acquired Israeli startup Unomy, a popular sales platform. It was shut down on September 20.

Source: TechCrunch

Whether coated with a sugary glaze or filled with fruit preserves, cream, or custard, doughnuts are a beloved snack across the US.

To honor America's favorite pastry, Yelp helped INSIDER narrow down the highest-rated doughnut shop in every state based on customer reviews. Whether you favor plain glazed or gourmet toppings, these shops serve the best of the best.

Keep scrolling to see the best doughnut in every state.

ALABAMA: The Heavenly Donut Co. in Birmingham

"The title itself presents the true beauty of each donut. Every single bite LITERALLY makes you feel like you're in heaven."— Yelp user Kevin N.

Check out its Yelp reviews here

ALASKA: Dino's Donuts in Anchorage

"My assorted dozen donuts were fresh, perfectly glazed, hefty in weight, and delicious!" —  Yelp user Christy S.

Check out its Yelp reviews here

ARIZONA: Donut Parlor in Tempe

 "These are the best donuts I have ever had (specifically the lemon poppy seed, blueberry, and red velvet). Customer service is excellent. I refuse to get donuts anywhere else!!!" —  Yelp user Kylie S.

Check out its Yelp reviews here

New York City has the South Street Seaport. Los Angeles has the Santa Monica Pier. San Francisco has Fisherman's Wharf. Now we can add Washington, D.C.'s The Wharf to the list.

The Wharf is a $2.5 billion 3.2 million square-foot redevelopment of the Southwest Waterfront, once a bustling commercial district that has languished since at least the 1960s. 

The development, which broke ground in 2014, is intended to change that. Filled with shops, restaurants, hotels, and apartment buildings, the development hopes to create a hip neighborhood just 20 minutes walking-distance from the National Mall.

We took a walk through the new development on a recent trip to Washington, D.C. to see what all the fuss is about.

The Wharf is located in Southwest D.C. It's about a 20 minute walk to the National Mall and the Washington Monument. Not bad if you work in downtown D.C.

Phase 1 of the redevelopment opened in October. It includes more than 20 restaurants and bars, tons of shops, multiple condo buildings, and a couple hotels. There's a lot going on.

It's an easy enough place to drive to. The complex has an underground parking garage that can currently fit 1500 cars. Eventually that will expand to 2500.

I took the elevator up through The Channel, one of the neighborhood's four new apartment complexes. The Channel is situated directly above the area's new concert venue.

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

The Insider Pick:

• There are tons of great titles for the Xbox One. Of all the awesome games out there, "Halo: The Master Chief Collection,""Forza Horizon 3,""Gears of War 4,""Ori and the Blind Forest," and "Sunset Overdrive" are some of our favorites.

Microsoft has had a bumpy ride in the gaming industry, but despite some hiccups, the Seattle-based company has successfully managed to carve out a large chunk of the console market. The software developer surprised everybody when it announced its first Xbox in 2001. Its successor, the Xbox 360, boasted a more refined streamlined design and was a very popular and successful machine during its 11-year run before being officially discontinued in 2016.

The recent Xbox One S and the new Xbox One X are now among the best gaming consoles you can buy. The competition between Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo is still fierce, but the Xbox One is inarguably an impressive system with wide appeal. 

With its backward compatibility, which allows owners to play previous-generation Xbox 360 titles and original Xbox games as well, Microsoft’s console has a distinct advantage over the PlayStation, which lacks native backward compatibility in favor of a PS Now subscription service. The Xbox also has tons of great games available for every type of gamer.

Whether you already have an Xbox or are planning to buy one (or if you’re just doing some gift shopping for that gamer in your life), we’ve selected five must-have titles with something for everyone, featuring some familiar faces along with exciting all-new IPs.

Read on in the slides below to find out why we chose "Halo: The Master Chief Collection,""Forza Horizon 3,""Gears of War 4,""Ori and the Blind Forest," and "Sunset Overdrive" as our favorite Xbox games.

The best first-person shooter game

Why you'll love it: Featuring five full games in one package, “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” offers a ton of content and lets you re-live the adventures of Master Chief in all of his gun-toting, grenade-slinging glory.

When someone says, “Xbox,” seasoned gamers immediately think, “Halo!” Bungie’s first-person shooter classic is what put the Xbox on the map, proving that Microsoft’s console could hang with industry veterans Nintendo and Sony. “Halo: Combat Evolved” sold millions of copies worldwide, rightfully garnered universal critical acclaim, and brought hordes of gamers over to the Xbox. Chances are good that if you got one of these consoles in 2001 or 2002, it was to play some Halo.

Halo’s writing, characters, and art direction were fantastic, especially when compared to other first-person shooters at the time. But where Halo really shines is the excellent multiplayer. “Halo: Combat Evolved” was, in short, an arena shooter engineered from the ground-up for console play.

Innovations like utility weapons, a dedicated grenade button, and limiting the player to carrying two guns at a time (all design features built around a controller) made Halo truly unique. Casual and competitive gamers alike flocked to the franchise by the millions.

“Halo 2” was also among the first big games to popularize the new Xbox Live service, revolutionizing the console multiplayer experience. “Halo 3” kept the good times rolling on the Xbox 360, and after two follow-up titles – “Halo 3: ODST” and “Halo Reach” – Bungie decided to hang up its Spartan helmet and move on.

The series was handed off to the newly-formed 343 Industries which made its debut with “Halo 4.” Now, you can re-live the glory days of Master Chief’s one-man war against the Covenant with “The Master Chief Collection,” bringing five complete Halo games to the Xbox One.

This bundle includes the full single-player campaigns from “Halo: Combat Evolved,” “Halo 2,” “Halo 3,” and “Halo 4,” – all the core titles that featured Master Chief before “Halo 5” – and 343 Industries also recently added “Halo 3: ODST” to the mix as free DLC. The first two games also come with their beautifully remastered “Anniversary” editions which feature complete graphical overhauls for newer consoles (although you can play with the old-school graphics if you prefer, and can switch between the two versions any time you like).

A multiplayer suite is also included for competitive matchmaking, but unfortunately, this feature of the game met with a notoriously rocky launch and still suffers from problems. Due to the fact that Microsoft had multiple studios working on this portion of the game, the netcode is still rather buggy and probably won’t ever be completely fixed.

It’s still a blast when it works properly, however, and the five full single-player campaigns give you more than enough content with plenty of replay value to keep you occupied for quite awhile.

“Halo: The Master Chief Collection” is a treasure trove some of the best games ever made, and is easily the number one must-own title for any Xbox One owner’s library.

Pros: Five full single-player campaigns provide a ton of value and plenty of content to keep you busy for a long time, addictive gameplay that lets you relive the glory days of Halo, and beautifully remastered versions of “Halo: Combat Evolved” and “Halo 2”

Cons: A buggy and under-populated matchmaking suite

Buy "Halo: The Master Chief Collection" from Best Buy for $29.99

Buy "Halo: The Master Chief Collection" on Amazon for $30 (currently out of stock)

The best racing game

Why you'll love it: Set in a beautiful and expansive open world based on real-life locations, “Forza Horizon 3” delivers a fantastic mix of high-speed racing and casual exploration along with hundreds of cars to play around with.

Of the “big three” franchises exclusive to the Xbox (the other two being Halo and Gears of War), Forza is easily the most overlooked. The series made its debut on the original Xbox in 2005, and since then, it’s attracted more than 14 million players throughout its 12-year run.

Multiple devs have worked on Forza, with the core “Forza Motorsport” games being mostly developed by Turn 10 Studios and the “Forza Horizon” sub-series by Playground Games. Whereas the “Motorsport” titles focus more on traditional racing action, “Horizon” introduced an open-world angle that lets the player cruise and explore outside the race track.

“Fora Horizon 3” is the ninth overall installment and the third of the Horizon series. It’s also one of the most critically-acclaimed racing games ever made and hands-down one of the best – not to mention the most beautiful– experiences to be had on the Xbox One. Every Forza title features its own unique setting based on real-life locales, and “Horizon 3” drops the player into a sprawling open world inspired by the Australian Outback.

“Freedom” is truly the word of the day with “Forza Horizon 3.” The game world is twice as large as that of “Horizon 2,” and while it’s visually stunning and a joy to explore, a racing game is naturally all about the cars.

Here, you have more than 350 available for you to purchase in-game, and you can customize everything about them. Buy aftermarket parts, tune components to suit your driving style, and tweak the appearance right down to the vanity license plates. You can even customize your driver and make a new radio station using your own music library.

The player is also put in charge of the Horizon Festival this time around, rather than being a mere participant as in earlier Horizon games. All of the high-speed gameplay is there, from standard races to time trials and more, but now you can hire and fire drivers, build racing teams with your friends, set up events, and challenge other players as you unlock new festival locations across the Australian bush. You can explore the entire massive game world right off the bat, and it’s totally up to you how you approach it.

“Forza Horizon 3” is a triumph, and in a sea of racing games and seemingly endless sequels, it manages to master the fundamentals while still maintaining its own freedom-focused design ethos that makes it so special. It’s a must-own for fans of the series (or fans of racing in general, for that matter), but it’s also easy to recommend to any Xbox One owner who is in the mood for a long and beautiful thrill ride.

Pros: A great mix of high-speed racing and casual cruising, hundreds of customizable cars that are a joy to drive, a huge open world to explore, cross-platform play between Xbox One and Windows 10, and gorgeous graphics that show off the power of Microsoft’s console

Cons: Lacks a compelling story (if you need that sort of thing)

Buy "Forza Horizon 3" on Amazon for $51.89

The best action game

Why you'll love it: While it’s not as ground-breaking as its predecessors, “Gears of War 4” still manages to bring all of the crazy, violent, heart-pounding action that we love about the series into the next generation.

If Halo is the straight-A star athlete of the Xbox family, then Gears of War is its crazy, violent, trouble-making, delinquent cousin – and it’s awesome. This third-person shooter series made its explosive debut on the Xbox 360 and became an overnight sensation, quickly cementing its status as the second huge IP exclusive to Microsoft’s consoles.

But Gears of War is hardly stuck in the tall shadow of Master Chief. As great as Halo is, Gears stands apart as an experience all its own. The original trilogy, developed for the Xbox 360, told the story of Marcus Fenix and his battle against the genocidal Locust Horde – a sentient subterranean species bent on the extermination of the entire human race.

The games were wildly popular and set the standard for third-person shooters, with many other works borrowing and expanding upon elements that Gears had all but perfected. And finally, in 2016, “Gears of War 4” brought the series into the next generation on the Xbox One.

Set 25 years after the events of “Gears of War 3,” the fourth core entry puts you in the boots of J.D. Fenix, Marcus’ son. The Locust scourge has been eliminated, but a new threat – a hive-like mutant offshoot of the Horde, known as the “Swarm” – has risen to challenge an exhausted humanity that is still recovering from the devastation of the last war.

The plot, admittedly, isn’t exactly treading new ground here. But let’s face it: You’re probably not playing “Gears of War 4” for a tear-jerking narrative. The meat of this series is the gameplay, and everything we love about the franchise is here (and then some).

The original games were, without a doubt, the best third-person shooters of their generation, and “Gears of War 4” lives up to and even surpasses this pedigree. The combat is fast and fluid, the gameplay is noticeably more refined than its predecessors, and the Swarm requires the use of fresh tactics which is helped along with some new weapons and abilities for you to play with.

The multiplayer modes are also just as addictive, if not even more so than they were before – particularly the revamped “Horde” mode which is a welcome improvement over that of “Gears of War 3.” The visuals are every bit as good as we hoped a next-gen Gears would be as well.

The new dynamic weather effects, implemented to show the ravaged atmosphere of planet Sera, are especially impressive. And while the story might not win a Pulitzer, “Gears of War 4” has it where it counts, proving that this series still offers the most fun you can have with a third-person shooter.

Pros: A fun and refined combat system, classic adrenaline-fueled Gears of War gameplay with interesting new additions, fantastic graphics and world design, and highly addictive multi-player modes

Cons: The story is uninspired compared to previous titles, and the single-player campaign is quite short

Buy "Gears of War 4" on Amazon for $27.95

• 15 Central Park West has been called the most powerful address in the world.
• Important people, from celebrities to Wall Street CEOs, have owned units in the building. 
• Some have since sold their homes for eye-popping amounts.

There are plenty of legendary addresses in New York City, but 15 Central Park West stands out. The ultra-luxury condominium on the corner of West 61st Street and Central Park West has been home to a long list of bankers, celebrities, and assorted bold-faced names, including Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein and Denzel Washington.

Author Michael Gross, who published a history of the condo called "House of Outrageous Fortune" in 2014, calls it the world's most powerful address. Unlike many of New York's history-filled apartment buildings — especially its main rival across the park, 740 Park Avenue — 15 Central Park West is a relative newcomer.

Completed in 2008 by developers Arthur and William Lie Zeckendorf, it offers a ridiculous array of amenities to New York's moneyed elite, including an in-house chef, a lap pool, and a private screening room.

Julie Zeveloff contributed reporting to an earlier version of this article.

SEE ALSO: Meet the richest person in 33 countries around the world

15 Central Park West took three years and about $1 billion to construct, including the cost of the land. It was an immediate success, ringing up $2 billion in sales. Even today, the building continues to break real-estate sales records.

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross 

Robert A.M. Stern, the architect of 15 CPW, was inspired by the great New York apartments of the 1920s, not today's glassy towers. The building has two sections with 201 units in total, as well as a formal driveway.

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

Other amenities include a library, private restaurant, three-lane lap pool, and health club with private massage rooms and yoga area.

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

• Picking the perfect Christmas tree is a little more nuanced than just letting your kid choose their favorite.
• You should measure carefully before buying a tree (both the ceiling and the fir itself).
• The perfect tree will smell strongly of pine, with strong, dark green branches that don't look brittle.

There's no doubt that a Christmas tree is the epicenter of holiday tradition.

If you're planning on going the traditional route and buying a fresh tree this year, don't skimp on quality. After all, nobody wants to buy a tree that turns brown before Santa arrives!

INSIDER spoke with experts from Greenpoint Trees in Brooklyn and SoHo Trees in New York about the secrets to selecting the perfect tree.

We've collected eight tips to consider before making the trek to the Christmas tree lot. 

Skip the department store

"Go to the small mom and pop-type places, not a department store or Home Depot," Stephen Leddick of Greenpoint Trees told INSIDER.

"The department stores are buying larger amounts of trees that require growers to cut them back in the beginning of October, and a week from now they'll be dead. Comparatively, I get my first shipment of trees right before Thanksgiving."

Measure carefully before you pick a tree

"People should measure carefully where the tree will be going before they come to a lot or farm," Leddick said. "They should measure not only the height of their ceiling, but also the width. Remember, a tree grows in stages, and if you have to lob a foot off a tree because you didn't get the right size, it won't look right."

Don't buy a tree too early

"The perfect time to buy a tree is right after Thanksgiving," Scott Lechner of SoHo Trees told INSIDER.

"You don't want to buy a tree too early because the heat in many people's homes will help dry out a tree quickly. A fresh tree that's properly hydrated can stay that way for up to a month."

Productivity hacks are shortcuts, tricks or strategies that help you get more done in the same amount of time.

We all know some of the basic hacks, like drinking coffee in the morning to get a caffeine boost, or planning your day the night before. But there are far more hacks and strategies worth exploring than any one person can imagine.

I always find it helpful to look to the entrepreneurs who have already found success; clearly, they have a strategy that works. That's why I came up with this list of six entrepreneurs who can boast productivity hacks that I think are brilliant.

SEE ALSO: 10 ways to get noticed by execs

1. Elon Musk starts with critical emails.

Elon Musk is the founder and CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Neuralink, all future-focused technology companies. He holds an overall CEO approval rating of 98 percent. How does he manage all those projects on a day to day basis? It all starts at 7 a.m., with a half-hour period of addressing "critical emails."

Musk focuses on signal over noise, filtering out any emails or communications that aren't critical, and instead focusing on catching up only the most important items. That half hour gives him a quick start to the day, and helps him lay out his main priorities for the next several hours.

2. Jeff Bezos uses the 'two-pizza rule.'

Anyone with professional experience has been in a meeting that ended up being a waste of time. Meetings, despite the critical opportunities they afford for communication and collaboration, often turn into chaotic ordeals, sapping time from everyone in the room because they were poorly organized, poorly planned or poorly executed.

One of the biggest reasons for this time loss is the sheer number of people involved: Even 15 minutes of time wasted turns into three hours of time lost when there are 12 people in the room. That's why Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos uses the "two-pizza rule": He never invites more people to a meeting than two pizzas could sufficiently feed. Depending on your employees' appetite, that's a maximum of six to eight people.

3. Dustin Moskowitz keeps one day a week meeting-free.

Dustin Moskowitz, CEO of Asana, tries to keep at least one day of the week completely free and open. Borrowing from an idea he got from Facebook, Asana hosts "no-meeting Wednesdays," a move which keeps all Wednesdays completely free from calendar events.

This eliminates the possibility of bad or time-wasting meetings on at least one day of the week, and ensures that everyone in the company has at least one full workday a week to focus exclusively on heads-down projects.

You may not be able to set aside a full day, depending on your position, but you can at least set aside a few hours a week to remain uninterrupted.

The Victoria's Secret of today is a far cry from the fun, sexy, high-quality brand it was five years ago.

And customers are ditching in droves. Weak sales at L Brands, the parent company, have dragged the stock down 23% in 2017. The shares dropped as much as 45% year-to-date through August 30, hitting their lowest level since 2011, before rebounding slightly heading into the holiday shopping season.

In honor of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show airing on Tuesday night, we went back to the store we visited in New York City to see how the brand is doing now. And what we found surprised us.

SEE ALSO: We went to a Victoria's Secret store in New York City and saw why the brand is struggling

DON'T MISS: Victoria's Secret customers are ditching the brand because they say prices are too high and the brand feels 'fake'

Last March, I visited the Victoria's Secret store in SoHo, one of its largest stores in New York City. I went back on Cyber Monday to see what it looked like now.

I expected the store to be decimated from a full weekend of Black Friday shopping, but it looked like everything was in stock.

Perhaps the orderly appearance was more a reflection of the death of Black Friday, and rise of "Black November," the drawn out season of discounts that retailers are peddling to boost sales these days.

Source: Business Insider

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone, but some great deals are still available.

We've gone through and updated our articles on retailer-specific sales — Amazon, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, Macy's, and Nordstrom— but also collected the best tech bargains still up for grabs, below.

Although most of the doorbuster-style deals have ended, there's still time to save on speakers, smart home gadgets, fitness bands, headphones, and more.

For those looking to shop by price or category, we've also collected the best headphones you can still find on sale and top tech deals under $50. 

If you missed out on shopping this weekend, you can still use our extensive series of holiday gift guides to help you get the perfect present for the person on your list. That said, if you're looking for a last-minute tech deal, you're in the right place.

SEE ALSO: 100 hot tech gifts under $100

Echo Dot

Echo Dot, $29.99 (originally $49.99) [You save $20]

Anova Sous Vide

Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker, $99.99 (originally $149.99) [You save $50]

Sonos Play:1

Sonos Play:1 Compact Wireless Speaker, $149.99 (originally $199.99) [You save $50]