The Freelancer’s Guide to Success and Happiness

Original Source: https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2018/01/the-freelancers-guide-to-success-and-happiness/

In 2016, 34% of the US workforce worked as freelancers, and by 2020, it’s estimated that number will rise to 43%. Freelance opportunities aren’t going anywhere, and more professionals are swapping in their office key cards for a home office.

While the idea of sitting around in sweatpants or relaxing on a beach while working sounds like perfection, freelancing isn’t always a walk in the park. From juggling business responsibilities and invoices to finding your next gig, freelancing comes with its issues. Despite these challenges, a few tips can help you find success and happiness in your career.

1. Believe in Your Worth

Particularly when you’re new to freelancing, it can be intimidating to set your fee. While some projects or jobs may entail negotiation, it’s best to set your rates and stick to them. Depending on your niche, you may work on an hourly rate or quote per project. Set a rate that’s on trend with your industry rather than settle. While you may find more gigs when charging less than the industry average, you’ll experience more stress trying to juggle enough projects to meet your income goals.

2. Network Even When You’re Not Seeking Work

Networking is the lifeblood of freelancing; it’s necessary to keep your business alive. Even when you have contracts, freelancing jobs can be unpredictable. You may have ten small projects one month and three ongoing projects another month.

Finding yourself low on projects can be stressful to your mental health and your wallet. Keep networking with other professionals, freelancers, and potential employers even with plenty of projects on your plate. This effort makes it easier to find a job when you’re looking for your next gig.

3. Hire an Accountant

If you make a single business investment, hire an accountant. Unlike W-2 employees, who have a portion of taxes paid by their employers, freelancers have to cover all of their own taxes and manage their own expenses.

During tax season, it can be confusing and overwhelming to determine the tax credits for which you qualify and what taxes you owe. Working with an accountant not only makes it easier to track expenses and save on taxes but also gives you clearer insight into how much you’re earning after taxes.

4. Set a Schedule and Stick to It

Working the standard nine-to-five Monday through Friday can feel restrictive, but businesses are onto something when they adhere to a consistent schedule. Whether you prefer to work late at night or early in the morning, set a regular schedule for your work week, including the days and hours you’ll work. Aim to schedule four days of work and one day for handling administrative tasks, such as following up on emails, taking care of bills and invoices, and networking. A regular schedule helps you get into a work mindset each time you start your day.

5. Don’t Skimp on Business Necessities

Working as a freelancer means wearing a business-owner hat too. While it’s tempting to cut back on costs wherever you can, it’s worth investing in the tools you need to do your work efficiently. One service you should never skimp on is a reliable high-speed internet connection for communicating with employers and completing projects. Take the time to find the fastest internet in your area and calculate your bandwidth needs based on the type of work you do. With a fast connection, you can complete your work faster and avoid the frustrations of lag.

6. Don’t Be Afraid to Say “No”

When you determine your income, it’s easy to make the mistake of taking on too much work. If you’re tempted to take on another project for the additional income, consider the cons: additional stress and less time to decompress. Don’t risk your mental health for a bump in pay. Before agreeing to any new project, look to see if it will realistically fit into your schedule. If it won’t, turn it down or explain what deadline would work for you.

Working as a freelancer is an exciting career move, offering independence and opportunities to challenge yourself and enhance your skills. While freelancing isn’t the easiest gig, following these helpful tips can help you find happiness and success in your career.

LAST DAY: The Immense Typography Collection of 120+ Fonts & Logos – only $17!

Source

p img {display:inline-block; margin-right:10px;}
.alignleft {float:left;}
p.showcase {clear:both;}
body#browserfriendly p, body#podcast p, div#emailbody p{margin:0;}

How to Increase Your Productivity as a Freelance Web Designer?

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/1stwebdesigner/~3/MdA45-G7g4w/

Freelancers often find themselves wondering how to be more productive. They look into ways to do more work in the same amount of time or do the same amount of work in less time.

This frustration is often based on an inability to stay focused. Freelancers are not tied to strict schedules, nor do they work under the supervision.

An obvious solution is to become more disciplined. However, this piece of advice is about as useful as being told to “work smarter”. This is unless, of course, you’re given some direction on how to go about it.

The following three productivity techniques can turn things around for you. They’re easy to put into practice, and you can start today!

Productivity Technique #1: With Be Theme’s pre-built websites, you can finish a client’s website in 4 hours

Be Theme’s gallery of pre-built websites is not only impressive; at 300+ and counting, it’s the largest on the market. Not only can you find the right one to work within a matter of minutes, but you can install it with a single click.

You need not worry about writing code or building wireframes either. You just need to pick your pre-built website.

Be Theme’s powerful assortment of pre-built websites will allow you to build a website in 4 hours. How’s that for productivity?

Here’s what other freelancers have to say:

10 Be Theme pre-built designs you could use to build a functioning website in a matter of hours
Be Salmon

The large food presentation images are guaranteed to capture user attention, as is the customer’s testimonials section. Users also appreciate how the interactive menu assists navigation.

BeDetailings2

A bold, professional appearance featuring before and after images is what clients and users want to see in a website representing a niche of this type. The price listing for services encourages users to respond to a call for action.

BeMeeting

Features include a standard menu for events & meetings websites, and an eye-catching countdown clock. A “clean” design like this one, always supports a user’s need for easy navigation.

BeManicure

Luxurious imagery, soft design, and an overall feeling of elegance and professionalism is what can make any website serving this niche successful. The integrated eShop will impress the client, and is a real productivity booster for the designer.

BeDenim

Bold imagery & color combinations are used to attract and engage the audience this website is speaking to. Its intuitive icons that promote easy navigation, and the integrated eShop do the rest.

BeHipHop

A creative website serving a pop culture deserves a hip design like this one. The integrated video and audio player will keep users interested, and the section outlining concert and album release announcements ensures repeat visitors.

BeCafe2

It’s amazing how large images like this one inside the online menu can draw in customers. This pre-built website also features a photo gallery of the business, and an informative “About Us” page.

BeDrawing

This pre-built website’s key features contribute to the success of a creative business’s online presence. They include an impressive gallery, a presentation video, and a simple and clean design.

BeTraining

Important features in a website for this niche include an intuitive menu for an eLearning platform, the ability to easily navigate through an events calendar, and the use of large, attention-getting video thumbnails.

BeClinic2

A sharp, simple design like this one, is always a good design approach for this niche. It is easy to navigate and easy to find and read important information.

Productivity Technique #2: Be more flexible instead of forcing yourself into a strict schedule

Being more disciplined can make you more productive. Yet, taking a “nose-to-the-grindstone” approach can sometimes do more harm than good. Working to a schedule (something not always easy for a freelancer) has its good points, but it’s all too easy to overdo it.

As a freelancer, you can manage to be flexible in your workday activities. Like that, you’ll generally be better off, in terms of productivity.

What does “being flexible” mean?

When you’re working on a task and get stuck; take a break. Go outside for some fresh air; take your dog for a walk; enjoy a cup of coffee with a friend.

Your subconscious mind will continue to work your problem. It does a better job of it without your “conscious” interference. With this approach, you’re much more apt to experience those rewarding “Got it!” moments.

Being flexible can also mean working to a general to-do list, rather than an overly specific one. Make a list of what you want to get done, but not the steps you need to take on how to get things done. People have a greater tendency to get hung up on specific tasks than on more general ones. This can lead to frustration, and an inability to get anything done.

Productivity Technique #3: Calculate how much a lack of productivity can cost you every day

There is no doubt you are familiar with the saying that “time is money”. In fact, you can, without much effort, calculate how much a lack of productivity can cost you every day.

The hard way is to keep track of the time you spend on each of the tasks you work on a day. Doing so can hint at how productive you might be, but doesn’t tell you much about how you could be more productive.

A better approach is to keep track of those periods where you’re not being productive when you should be. For instance, when you find yourself procrastinating or wasting your time. This is what you need to know.

These non-productive periods are habits you’ve acquired that slow down the process. But, you can do something about. These do not include walking your dog or enjoying a cup of coffee, or taking a 15-minute break to clear your mind!

You might be working on an hourly fee basis or a fixed fee basis on an assignment. Either way, you can generally calculate the cost per hour you’re charging. Now, it’s simply a matter of adding up the times you’ve wasted rather than working. That will tell you what procrastinating or being non-productive is costing you!

Write that time down on a sticky note, and periodically update it. Like that, you can see the progress you’re making as you strive to become more productive.

Conclusion

These then, are 3 effective techniques you can use to increase your productivity. They will help you to improve yourself as a freelancing web designer:

Let Be Theme help you create websites in as little as 4 hours (or less)

Do not work to strictly-segmented schedules or detailed to-do lists. Instead, be more flexible in your approach to your work

Calculate how much procrastination is costing you. You’ll quickly become motivated to do something about it

What is the best part of these techniques? They don’t force you into a productivity-boosting stratagem. You are free to choose whichever path suits you or your lifestyle better.


Collective #382

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tympanus/~3/h1ZR9xbsr48/

C382_Be

Our Sponsor
300+ pre-built websites with a 1 click installation

Be Theme has more than 300 pre-built websites. Pick a pre-built website, install it with the most intuitive installer ever and easily edit it.

Explore more

C382_designmockupscode

Turning Design Mockups Into Code With Deep Learning

Emil Wallner shows how Deep Learning can be used to automatically create markup from design mockups.

Read it

C382_addy

JavaScript Start-up Optimization

Addy Osmani writes how to employ a little discipline for your site to load and be interactive quickly on mobile devices.

Check it out

C382_emojis

The Making of Apple’s Emoji: How designing these tiny icons changed my life

Read Angela Guzman’s fascinating story about designing the epic emojis.

Read it

C382_risingstars

2017 JavaScript Rising Stars

See which GitHub projects were the most popular ones by added stars in 2017.

Check it out

C382_faqs

No More FAQs: Create Purposeful Information for a More Effective User Experience

An interesting article on the problematic of FAQs. By Lisa Wright.

Read it

C382_hooks

Hooks Data

With this API you can get updates as webhooks on thousands of topics when something important happens.

Check it out

C382_robust

Robust Client-Side JavaScript

A developer’s guide to robust JavaScript and how to achieve it. By Mathias Schäfer.

Read it

C382_smartphone

Your smartphone is making you stupid, antisocial and unhealthy. So why can’t you put it down?

A very interesting read on how digital distraction is damaging our minds. By Eric Andrew-Gee.

Read it

C382_character

Gentleman Character Generator (AI, PNG, SVG)

A great character generator perfect for profile images made by Kavoon and available on Pixel Buddha.

Get it

C382_headlesswp

Off with their heads. Building a headless WordPress to manage content.

Drew Dahlman shows how to use WordPress as a headless CMS for publishing static JSON.

Read it

C382_fontrapid

FontRapid

An interesting plugin that lets you design and create fonts directly in Sketch.

Check it out

C382_polka

Polka

Polka is an Express.js alternative micro web server that is very fast.

Check it out

C382_sketchicon

Sketch Icons

Import icons into Sketch and automatically apply a color mask with this great plugin. Read more about it in this article.

Check it out

C382_accessibility

Small Tweaks That Can Make a Huge Impact on Your Website’s Accessibility

Andy Bell shares some practical and useful tips for better accessibility.

Read it

C382_handdigital

Free Font: HandDigital

Jason Forrest created this unique looking font.

Get it

C382_mockups

The Mockup Club

A place to find free, high-quality mockups for your projects.

Check it out

C382_12

J.A.R.V.I.S.

J.A.R.V.I.S. (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System) will put all the relevant information you need from your Webpack build in your browser.

Check it out

C382_vrplus

XR.+

Publish and share 3D models in AR and VR for the browser.

Check it out

C382_ssl

Free static websites with SSL for hackers

A tutorial that shows how to set up a free static website with custom domains and SSL. By Rodrigo López Dato.

Read it

C382_cierge

Cierge

Cierge is an open source authentication server (OIDC) that handles user signup, login, profiles, management, and more.

Check it out

C382_skia

Skia Graphics Library

In case you didn’t know about it: Skia is an open source 2D graphics library which provides common APIs that work across a variety of hardware and software platforms.

Check it out

C382_letteranimations

From Our Blog
Decorative Letter Animations

Some decorative shape and letter animations based on the Dribbble shot “Us By Night” by Animography.

Check it out

Collective #382 was written by Pedro Botelho and published on Codrops.

Evil Icons – A Clean SVG Line Icon Pack for Web Developers

Original Source: https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/evil-icons-svg-iconset/

With a name like Evil Icons, you might not be sure what to expect. But, the project is harmless and surprisingly useful! The Evil Icons pack offers an assortment of a few dozen icons in the line icon…

Visit hongkiat.com for full content.

Debugging JavaScript with the Node Debugger

Original Source: https://www.sitepoint.com/debugging-javascript-node-debugger/

It’s a trap! You’ve spent a good amount of time making changes, nothing works. Perusing through the code shows no signs of errors. You go over the logic once, twice or thrice, and run it a few times more. Even unit tests can’t save you now, they too are failing. This feels like staring at an empty void without knowing what to do. You feel alone, in the dark, and starting to get pretty angry.

A natural response is to throw code quality out and litter everything that gets in the way. This means sprinkling a few print lines here and there and hope something works. This is shooting in pitch black and you know there isn’t much hope.

You think the darkness is your ally

Does this sound all too familiar? If you’ve ever written more than a few lines of JavaScript, you may have experienced this darkness. There will come a time when a scary program will leave you in an empty void. At some point, it is not smart to face peril alone with primitive tools and techniques. If you are not careful, you’ll find yourself wasting hours to identify trivial bugs.

The better approach is to equip yourself with good tooling. A good debugger shortens the feedback loop and makes you more effective. The good news is Node has a very good one out of the box. The Node debugger is versatile and works with any chunk of JavaScript.

Below are strategies that have saved me from wasting valuable time in JavaScript.

The Node CLI Debugger

The Node debugger command line is a useful tool. If you are ever in a bind and can’t access a fancy editor, for any reason, this will help. The tooling uses a TCP-based protocol to debug with the debugging client. The command line client accesses the process via a port and gives you a debugging session.

You run the tool with node debug myScript.js, notice the debug flag between the two. Here are a few commands I find you must memorize:

sb(‘myScript.js’, 1) set a breakpoint on first line of your script
c continue the paused process until you hit a breakpoint
repl open the debugger’s Read-Eval-Print-Loop (REPL) for evaluation

Don’t Mind the Entry Point

When you set the initial breakpoint, one tip is that it’s not necessary to set it at the entry point. Say myScript.js, for example, requires myOtherScript.js. The tool lets you set a breakpoint in myOtherScript.js although it is not the entry point.

For example:

// myScript.js
var otherScript = require(‘./myOtherScript’);

var aDuck = otherScript();

Say that other script does:

// myOtherScript.js
module.exports = function myOtherScript() {
var dabbler = {
name: ‘Dabbler’,
attributes: [
{ inSeaWater: false },
{ canDive: false }
]
};

return dabbler;
};

If myScript.js is the entry point, don’t worry. You can still set a breakpoint like this, for example, sb(‘myOtherScript.js’, 10). The debugger does not care that the other module is not the entry point. Ignore the warning, if you see one, as long as the breakpoint is set right. The Node debugger may complain that the module hasn’t loaded yet.

Time for a Demo of Ducks

Time for a demo! Say you want to debug the following program:

function getAllDucks() {
var ducks = { types: [
{
name: ‘Dabbler’,
attributes: [
{ inSeaWater: false },
{ canDive: false }
]
},
{
name: ‘Eider’,
attributes: [
{ inSeaWater: true },
{ canDive: true }
]
} ] };

return ducks;
}

getAllDucks();

Using the CLI tooling, this is how you’d do a debugging session:

> node debug debuggingFun.js
> sb(18)
> c
> repl

Continue reading %Debugging JavaScript with the Node Debugger%

What’s New for Designers, January 2018

Original Source: https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2018/01/whats-new-for-designers-january-2018/

Start 2018 by deleting some of those old tools from your computer that you never use in favor of some fresh, new options. While old favorites can be great for a while, there are so many great new elements out there that can streamline your workflow, or help add more creative spark to projects.

If we’ve missed something that you think should have been on the list, let us know in the comments. And if you know of a new app or resource that should be featured next month, tweet it to @carriecousins to be considered!

Let’s Enhance

Do you ever have an image that is just too small for what you need? Let’s Enhance is here to solve that problem. The free tool allows you to upload an image—just drag and drop—and it will remove JPEG artifacts and upscale by up to four times the original size without losing any quality. (And it actually works!) State of the art neural networks are used to help removed image noise and imagines missing details for images that look totally natural.

Design Principles

The open-source Design Principles project is a collection of resources that are the basis for good projects. According to the curator, “Design Principles help teams with decision making. A few simple principles or constructive questions will guide your team towards making appropriate decisions.” You can browse more than 1,000 principles and examples already in the database or submit your own.

Hexi-Flexi

Hexi-Flexi is an SCSS component built on the CSS grid layout that creates a lattice of hexagons. Without JavaScript, you can customize the number of shapes, cells and rows to fit your design or content. It also supports auto-populating backgrounds.

Snippetnote

Snippetnote is a note-taking app that allows you to copy snippets for later. You can copy private snippets and change the layout as needed. Notes are available offline and in a drag and drop interface that’s easy to use. The interface is streamlined and simple without ads or social prompts.

Manta

Manta is a simple invoice-building app for Mac, with sleek design and customizable templates. Users can drag and drop items in invoice fields, include an SVG logo for better printing, and export invoices to a PDF or email format. (Plus, it’s a totally free-to-use invoice tool if you are looking for a simple product to streamline billing, which can be great for freelancers.)

Sketch Elements

This free iOS user interface elements kit has everything you need for your next app project. The kit includes 35 screen designs, 45 icons and 175 symbols. Plus, every element can be further customized so that your project feels unique. The kit is made for Sketch 48 or later.

Minimalist Icons

Themeisle has a set of free, minimalist vector icons that you can download and use in a number of projects. Each icon comes in a line-drawn, colorless style with a variety of options. The pack includes more than 100 icons.

StatusTicker

Keep up with the status of critical services in one location. Get real-time notifications that you can see on screen or have them emailed or messaged to you. The ticker supports more than 145 services.

Instagram.css

Looking for Instagram-style images for your projects? Instagram.css is a complete set of Instagram filters in pure CSS.

Epic Spinners

These simple CSS-only loading animations are fun and functional. Just grab the code and you are ready to use them.

Buy Me a Coffee

It’s like Kickstarter for creatives. Buy Me a Coffee allows you to showcase work and ask supporters for a small donation to fund the project.

Keepflow

Keepflow is a team-based project management tool for design freelancers and agencies. Currently in pre-launch beta, the software is designed to help you onboard clients and then manage a project – from an information-gathering questionnaire to the final product.

Tutorial: Using SVG to Create a Duotone Effect

CSS-Tricks has an excellent new tutorial that helps you navigate the world of SVG and create a trendy design element at the same time. The tutorial breaks down how to create a duotone effect in both the traditional manner using Adobe Photoshop and with SVG filter effects.

Product Manual

Product Manual is a collection of resources that help you build and understand the process of creating great products. The website is packed with resources by category—you can also add your own—so that every project can start here.

One Year of Design

Pixels collected a pretty cool collection of great website designs from 2017 all in one place. The retrospective is a nice bit of design inspiration.

CopyChar

Need a special character? Rather than digging through typefaces or struggling to remember keyboard shortcuts, use CopyChar to click and add a special character right to your clipboard. Special character options include everything from letters and punctuation to math and numbers to symbols, arrows and emoji.

Dulcelin

Dulcelin is a simple script that’s available free for personal use. It has a nice structure that’s readable and comes with a set of 177 characters.

Kabrio

Kabrio is a fun sans serif with the added bonus of having multiple corner options for typeface styles. The alternate variant features slightly rounded corners, that become even more round in the soft variant. Abarth features cut corner for a more mechanical, cold look. Each variant has seven weights and italics.

Promova

Promova is a blocky sans serif that would make a nice display option for website projects. The typeface includes regular and italic styles with wide character sets. The type family includes upper-and lowercase letters and is highly readable.

Studio Gothic

Studio Gothic is a nice sans serif with a rounded feel. The free version includes Extra Bold Italic and the Alternative Regular variations. The pair have an extensive character set and would work nicely for a variety of project types.

Sunshine Reggae

Sunshine Reggae is a lowercase typeface with a brush-stroke handwriting style. The limited font includes just 26 lowercase characters without any extras or frills, but it can make a fun display option.

50+ Premium WordPress Themes from ThemeFuse – only $49!

Source

p img {display:inline-block; margin-right:10px;}
.alignleft {float:left;}
p.showcase {clear:both;}
body#browserfriendly p, body#podcast p, div#emailbody p{margin:0;}

How to Find the Best Design Niche for Yourself

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Designrfix/~3/X9pbRmIeFVY/find-design-niche

  You’re creative, and you love your tech. You’ve dabbled with a lot of different things, but it’s time to find something you can fully commit to. While a career isn’t quite like a marriage (your career won’t get upset if you want to break up), it always helps to feel like you’ve found “the […]

The post How to Find the Best Design Niche for Yourself appeared first on designrfix.com.

Become your own boss with freelance mastery bundle

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CreativeBloq/~3/av9H–SKguQ/become-your-own-boss-with-freelance-mastery-bundle

Freelancers don't just have to be good at the services they offer, they also need to know how to market themselves. Being your own boss can be a rewarding experience, and now the Professional Freelancing Mastery Bundle can give you the tools you need to make your dream a reality. Get it on sale now for 98% off the retail price.

There is a whole ecosystem of freelancers online who offer up their skills and services to those in need. Finding an audience can be tricky, as can building a reputation in an already crowded field. No matter what you're selling, the Professional Freelancing Mastery Bundle can help you find your audience. 

This bundle is packed with courses that will teach you how to make the most of platforms like Fiverr, UpWork, and more. Plus, it will teach you how to hone your skills to build your own website and find your dream clients.

You can get the Professional Freelancing Mastery Bundle on sale now for 98% off the retail price. That's a huge saving off an essential collection of courses that can help you to go freelance and become your own boss, so grab this deal today.

About Creative Bloq deals

This great deal comes courtesy of the Creative Bloq Deals store – a creative marketplace that's dedicated to ensuring you save money on the items that improve your design life.

We all like a special offer or two, particularly with creative tools and design assets often being eye-wateringly expensive. That's why the Creative Bloq Deals store is committed to bringing you useful deals, freebies and giveaways on design assets (logos, templates, icons, fonts, vectors and more), tutorials, e-learning, inspirational items, hardware and more.

Every day of the working week we feature a new offer, freebie or contest – if you miss one, you can easily find past deals posts on the Deals Staff author page or Offer tag page. Plus, you can get in touch with any feedback at: deals@creativebloq.com.

Related articles:

8 ways to make more money in 20184 ways to cash in as a freelancer9 things nobody tells you about going freelance

Learning Elm From A Drum Sequencer (Part 1)

Original Source: https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2018/01/learning-elm-drum-sequencer-part-1/

If you’re a front-end developer following the evolution of single page applications (SPA), it’s likely you’ve heard of Elm, the functional language that inspired Redux. If you haven’t, it’s a compile-to-JavaScript language comparable with SPA projects like React, Angular, and Vue.
Like those, it manages state changes through its virtual dom aiming to make the code more maintainable and performant. It focuses on developer happiness, high-quality tooling, and simple, repeatable patterns.

10 stress relief gadgets

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CreativeBloq/~3/xTPO3A43o3k/10-stress-relief-gadgets-for-designers

January can be a tough time; all that festive partying, darkened afternoons and chilly weather means that inspiration and motivation can often be more difficult to keep hold of than usual. This tends to lead to stress – and a lot of it – which, in turn, renders you unable to focus.

The best new tech for designers in 2018

But fear not creative folk – here we’ve pulled together some of the finest gadgets that aim to help you get back to your best self. From nature-inspired structures to electronic wizardry, explore the technology that could bring the calm back into your creative process.

01. Fidget Cube

Fidget cube

Playing around with puzzles can often lead to a more efficient work ethic

$9.99/£7.61 from antsy labs

Funded through Kickstarter in 2016, this clever desk toy from designers Matthew and Mark McLachlan will remind you that playing around with puzzles can often lead to a more efficient work ethic. 

Featuring six sides, each features something to fidget with, whether you like to click, flip, glide or roll. There’s even a side inspired by those age-old worry stones that aim to get you breathing and reduce anxiety. 

02. BiOrbAIR terrarium

Round terrarium

A little greenery can go a long way in establishing a calm and relaxing work environment

We all know that a little greenery can go a long way in establishing a calm and relaxing work environment. If you’re unable to stroll around the park on your lunch break or escape to the countryside at the weekend, a terrarium is pretty much the next best thing. 

This one from biOrb is tech-heavy (and has a fairly hefty price tag) but that means it can take care of your plants so you don’t have to. Creating the perfect micro-climate for growing tropical plants, you can sit back and enjoy your personal slice of paradise.

03. Sona

Sona watch and phone

Sona keeps tabs on your heart rate and physical activity to measure your overall stress levels

Wearable technology offers new possibilities when it comes to wellbeing, both mental and physical. The Sona bracelet wants to “train your resilience to stress” and comes with five Resonance breathing meditation sessions for focus and calm. 

It's perfect if you need a quick fix during small, intense bouts of stress-related anxiety. It also keeps tabs on your heart rate and physical activity to measure your overall stress levels.

04. The Pip

The pip, plectrum-shaped device, and a phone

Who knew that your fingertips could lead to a happier and healthier mind?

Who knew that a stress-free life was at your fingertips? It turns out that the pores on your fingertips are extremely sensitive to stress. The Pip is an innovative gadget that reads these signals and turns them into a visualisation that enables you to keep track of your stress levels. 

With a scientific board at the heart of the design, The Pip allows you to be self-aware and, in turn, establish some self-care.

05. Thync

Woman wearing a triangular plastic Thync on her forehead

Thync uses electronic pulses to stimulate the brain

Claiming to be the first wearable technology that “actively elevates your mood and lowers stress,” Thync uses electronic pulses to stimulate the brain. 

If that sounds worrying, it does come with some solid credentials: this stress relief gadget was developed by a team of neuroscientists from MIT, Harvard and Stanford and has been clinically tested over 5000 times. Plus, with such a sleek design, you’ll be combating stress in serious style.

06. Wellbe

Person typing, wearing a smart bracelet

Discover exactly what triggers your stress with Wellbe

Initially funded through IndieGoGo, the WellBe wearable provides insights into what exactly triggers your stress levels to rise. The bracelet monitors your heart rate and uses a sophisticated algorithm to determine your stress and calmness levels based on time, location and people you meet throughout your day. 

Cut back on the negativity in your life.

07. Face Of The Moon stress ball

Face-shaped stress balls being squeezed

The ‘Faces of the Moon’ stress ball expressions change as you squeeze

Stress balls are a go-to toy for desk spaces, and while most of them do the job, this stress relief product from The Museum of Modern Art is truly one-of-a-kind. 

Created by Japanese designer Makiko Yoshida, the ‘Faces of the Moon’ expressions change as you squeeze. Produced using a unique texture, its addictive tendencies will help relieve your anxiety. Who couldn’t love a face like that?

08. Spire

Spire looks like a pebble with a Y-shaped sensor

Spire measures your breathing, notifying you when your it reflects tension

When it comes to managing your stress levels, focusing on your breath is one of the most important exercises around. Spire helps to manage this by measuring your breathing, notifying you when it reflects your tension.

Through its use, you can discover what makes you calm and focused or stressed and agitated, allowing you to be more productive than ever. Designed to clip onto your belt, you can also program your Spire to let you know when you’ve been inactive and it’s time to get walking.

09. Prana

Prana device clipped into a belt

Prana tells you when you need to improve your posture

Bad posture is one of the most common problems for creatives who work at a desk. Thankfully, the team at Prana has created a stress relief wearable that not only tracks your breath but also tells you when you need to improve your posture. 

Designed to rapidly activate your body’s relaxation response through proper diaphragmatic breathing and good posture, Prana could enable you to have a calm working day in no time.

10. Muse

Man wearing a Muse headband

Designed like a headband, Muse uses brain-sensing technology to measure whether your mind is calm or active

You may already be well on your way to stress management through meditation and while this is proven to keep your mind healthy, you may have trouble sticking to a meditative routine or find yourself distracted during the process. 

Designed like a headband, Muse uses brain-sensing technology to measure whether your mind is calm or active, and translates those signals into guiding sounds, so you can stay focused. 

Related articles:

How to avoid creative burnout10 designers' New Year resolutions for 201821 ways to unlock your creative genius