Super8: Eight intriguing articles from January.

Well, 2018 is upon us! Perhaps you hit the ground running with grand resolutions and goals to chase? Perhaps you’ve hit the hay to rest up and recharge for a big year? Either way, I’ve got the perfect fix: a handy blueprint for inspiration and motivation in the form of eight awesome articles.

Whether you’re keen to kick-start your mornings, hone your skills, or heed the advice of some industry leaders, I’ve got you covered with Super8 in January!

1. The 7 steps that will make you happy all day.

• Read the full article here.
• Written by Eric Barker.  
• Contributor: Daniel Banik.  

‘Even the most epic journey starts with a single step’. Similarly, every day starts with a morning, no matter what you’re getting up to. Whether you’re starting an internship or travelling internationally for c-suite meetings, a solid, consistent morning routine will set you up for success.

Whatever’s in your schedule, a bright start can keep you smiling all day. These few simple steps may completely alter your day for the better. It can be as simple as that. Grab your morning coffee, pull up a chair, and take five minutes to learn the seven secret steps to morning happiness.

2. The 30 best pieces of advice for entrepreneurs in 2017.

• Read the full article here.
• Written by First Round.  
• Contributor: Rowan Barnes.

Take stock from last year and check out these tips from some of tech’s top entrepreneurs. Enhance your teams; be more productive; make better decisions; be tenacious; ask better questions; learn how to network more effectively.

From Reddit Co-founder Alexis Ohanian, to Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley and many others, this article offers years of industry know-how in one neatly packaged piece. Add all this advice and more to your arsenal for 2018.

3. What Apple’s new office chairs reveal about work in 2018.

• Read the full article here.
• Written by Cliff Kuang.  
• Contributor: Mark Davis.

So, you’re armed with a variety of techniques and ready to tackle the year. Crack your knuckles and take a seat. Now, stand up and inspect said seat. This piece by Edward Barber suggests it’s worth ensuring you sit in something that enhances the way you ‘feel’ about your work. Office furniture has evolved to reflect generational shifts in culture and attitude, and your chair can impact your perception of your role.

The office has evolved over the decades and its epicentre is no longer the desk or the chair. Today’s workface spend their days collaborating and interacting, and the design of the modern office space reflects this shift. Check out how Apple’s embracing the change and taking a stand in the way we sit.

4. Why is UX copywriting so important in product design.

• Read the full article here.
• Written by inapptics. 
• Contributor: Athalia Foo.  

Looking to nail some new year’s resolutions and achieve success over the coming months? If you said ‘yes’, you may have something in common with great UX copywriting: a keen focus on goal attainment and strategies to push towards an end-game.

Here, simplicity is what you’re after. Brevity, consistency, and clarity. Find out what UX copywriting entails, why it’s powerful, and how it contributes to better design and development.

5. What self-awareness is (and how to cultivate it).

• Read the full article here.
• Written by Dr. Tasha Eurich.  
• Contributor: Freya Fajgman. 

What is self-awareness? It may sound a little new wave, but self-awareness—or the capacity to focus upon and evaluate one’s self—is more than just a buzzword. Research suggests it’s linked to confidence and creativity. It’s proven: when we’re self-aware, we make better decisions, build stronger relationships, and communicate more effectively. We’re also more effective workers, who are more likely to get promoted.

Self-awareness is an easy skill to attain according to Tasha’s research, yet it is a surprisingly rare quality. With so many benefits, perhaps it’s time to turn your focus inwards. Got your attention? Find out how to hone this critical skill.

6. How to rank in 2018: the SEO checklist.

• Read full article here.
• Written by Rand Fishkin.  
• Contributor: Mike McCusker.

SEO can sometimes be a daunting prospect. It’s constantly evolving, the rules can change, and the terminology can be vast and complicated. There’s no doubting it though: understanding SEO principles and ranking factors is a huge advantage, regardless of your role and a great thing to get across if you haven’t yet.

This nine-point checklist is simple and ideal if you are yet to learn the art of SEO. Get your head around Google this year with these key considerations for ranking in 2018.

7. 42 books that will make you a better person (each described in one sentence).

• Read the full article here.
• Written by Ryan Holiday.  
• Contributor: Sarah El-Atm. 

This list contains 42 books. There are 52 weeks in a year. That equates to roughly one book every 1.23 weeks, which is a somewhat intimidating reading schedule. If you’re interested in self-improvement without that kind of time investment, this one article is the perfect read. Get the gist of classic books in bite-size snippets and choose what you dive further into. Explore some of the great influencers in an easy-to-consume format, from Marcus Aurelius to Malcolm X.

8. Time travels.

• Read the full article here.
• Written by Faris Yakob.  
• Contributor: Elliott Grigg.

Hard to believe it’s already January 31^st. But time flies when you’re having fun. Thanks to technology, time not only flies; these days it bends, distorts, expands, and elongates. Teams can work together across multiple time zones, thousands of kilometres apart. Faris Yakob’s fascinating piece explores various technologies that have changed our perception of time and space—from commercial airplanes to the telegraph and Twitter—and looks at our changing responsibilities for the future.

Communication, once bound by the speed or human travel, now bounces shackle free across the planet. We have countless, instant reminders that the days of the isolated local time zones are over. As one side of the planet heads to bed, the other rises for another day. Modern tech connects us all almost instantly, simultaneously confusing and amazing us. “Now is an exciting moment and a slippery idea,” so how are we managing it?