10 New Year's Resolutions for Developers and Designers
Uh oh, it's that time of the year again - time to make life-changing decisions that we will never put into practice. JK! During the holidays, we had a chance to think more about professional New Year's Resolutions and what we can do better. Our approach consists of making small improvements that will, all together, make a huge step forward. Now, we are sharing with you 10 New Year's Resolutions For Developers and Designers, 5 for developers and 5 for designers.
Our basic New Year's resolutions
Before we start with the serious business, we have to name 2 of our decisions that can but don't have to be business-related. These two resolutions are:
- recognizing when it's time to take a break and
- smiling more.
Knowing your body will help you not burn in the working environment. If you feel that there is nothing that can motivate you, that leaving your cozy bed in the morning is torturing and everything looks blue, you need a break.
On the other hand, we can't help but notice that smiling is contagious. To us, there is nothing better than sharing stories and smiling during the lunch break.
New Year's resolutions for developers
Learning a new language or a framework
By now, you already know we work with Ruby on Rails, Node.js, React.js, and a little bit of Vue.js. However, no matter the technology, a good developer should always try to learn something new. Being on top of the game is a must.
Strive for perfection
Yes, just like you do in everyday life. This means getting better and being the best at what you do. Working with Ruby on Rails? Be the best Ruby on Rails programmer there is!
Existing in the community
In the previous text, we wrote about how we contribute to different types of communities. Meetups, networking, open-source projects. There is always a way to help yourself and others.
And, remember, GitHub is not the only place you can make a difference.
Managing the most valuable resource
Do you know what the most important resource is? Time. Do you ever feel that your 6-hour productive work led you to nowhere? You did so much that they but considering the project, it doesn't seem enough.
Don't beat yourself up, just learn how to manage the time.
Taking care of yourself
Cutting down coffee intake or (in our case sugar intake) is not an easy job. As you have probably seen on our Facebook page, we try to keep it healthy all the time - eating organic and fresh food. However, we have to admit our spine does sometimes look like a sinusoid, despite the fact we have ergonomically good chairs.
That is why we paid attention to:
- our monitor being in the vision line,
- sitting properly,
- wearing headphones for noise cancelling.
New Year's resolutions for designers
Learning something new and sharing knowledge
Just like in the case of developers, designers, and everybody else, for that matter, should learn something new. Everyday. Designing is a creative job that has guidelines and testing the guidelines is always the fun thing to do. :)
Updating portfolio
TBH, no one likes to update their portfolio. It can be boring and time-consuming. However, we are sure you have done some pretty great designs. Why not show them off?
Doing something just for you
Designers often find themselves running around in the circle - designing becomes a routine, an everyday thing you are good at. If you ever feel that way, do something for yourself. Design what you like, not what someone told you to do.
On the other hand, be sure to challenge yourself. Picking up a pencil doesn't make you a caveman. It makes you go back to the basics.
Different approach to creativity
As we previously mentioned, designing is creative work. Finding inspiration and being creative is not easy all the time. We suggest you put down the smartphone, buy a plant, take the dog out in a different dog park, go to an art show, and meet new people. Everything can trigger creativity, you just have to recognize it being triggered.
Helping others
Helping others = Designing a logo, a print on T-shirts or something similar without expecting something in return.
Get involved in these types of projects and make a difference in the world. You'll see - you'll get more than enough in return (even if it isn't money).
In the end...
... we all make our New Year's Resolutions. Some of them we keep, some of them we don't. We suggest you make a list of achievable goals and keep your chin up.
Good luck and Happy New Year from Kolosek team!
Creating
software solutions
that work
