ReefMonkies.com

4 Simple Tips to Make Habits Stick

1) Start Small and Simple
The more complicated and difficult a habit is, the less likely you are to do it. Instead, build up to your goal with smaller and simpler tasks and habits.

2) Don’t Do Too Much at Once
We get impatient with our goals. But it’s better to be doing some of them than it is to be doing none of them.
Just do it, Even if it isn’t Perfect

3) Many of us procrastinate because we’re perfectionists. But to do something well, you must build up to that point- and that means doing something sloppily until you get it right.

4) At least start
It’s better to do 5 minutes of a task and then not complete it than it is to not try it at all. If you do 5 minutes today, then it’ll be easier to do 10 minutes tomorrow, and so on.

Read the full article and more here: https://reefmonkies.com/project/4-simple-tips-to-make-habits-stick/

Much of the stress and mental fog that many of us experience is linked to lower energy levels. But there are ways to not only boost energy, but your mood as well- one of the best being exercise!

When you exercise your body releases endorphins. Endorphins boost your energy, as well as decrease pain, and increase pleasure. Exertion of any kind also causes your body to produce more mitochondria, which are also known as “the powerhouse of the cell”.

Cardio specifically improves cardiovascular health, which helps our bodies use energy more efficiently. Cardio can also help manage blood sugar fluctuations and maintain healthy blood sugar levels. This is extremely important, as fluctuating and unhealthy blood sugar levels are often the reason people feel moodiness, bouts of depression, and a poorer ability to concentrate.

There are even more ways than this that exercise can make you happier and more energetic: improved sleep quality, feelings of accomplishment, and so much more. A tip to start out: don’t overdo it. Even just 10 to 15 minutes a day for the first week is a great start. If you do this, you’ll have no excuse not to exercise!

Check out the expanded article here to learn about this topic more in-depth: https://reefmonkies.com/project/how-exercise-boosts-your-energy-and-mood/

Quit Multitasking

Multitasking isn’t the positive that many people might tell you it is. In truth, your brain can only deeply focus on one task at a time- so when you multitask you’re just quickly switching between different tasks.
Whenever you switch to a task, your brain takes time to calibrate and build up focus on this task, so doing this over and over means you have to restart these processes many times. This time builds up. And your goal should be to deeply focus on your task for as much of the duration of time you’re working on that task as possible- which becomes very difficult when you’re multitasking.

It’s possible to get really good at multitasking. But no matter how good you get at it, it’ll rarely be better than just simply learning to focus on one task at a time. So do yourself a favor and cut down on multitasking. Not only will you finish your tasks faster, but also increase the quality of your work!

https://reefmonkies.com/project/quit-multitasking/

Do Your Most Dreaded Tasks First!

The worst part of any unlikable task isn’t usually the task itself, but rather the wait time before that task. Not only does this mean that the longer you wait, the worse it’ll get, but it also means that anything you do or want to do during this wait time will become much harder than it needs to be. This is why one of the biggest boosts to your productivity you could ever give yourself is to make it a habit to do your most dreaded tasks first. You’ll also be in a better mood for more of the day, and find relaxation and work time far more enjoyable. Taking that first step can be tough, but trust me, it’ll make everything else easier.

https://reefmonkies.com/project/do-your-most-dreaded-tasks-first/

Improve Focus by Removing Distractions!

Being able to put all your focus on the task at hand makes a huge difference in the quality and duration of your work, which is why you should remove as many distractions as possible. While you work, try turning off certain notifications and making it harder for you to access distracting apps- especially social media, games, and email. You should also make your workspace clean and as free as possible from unnecessary items. Finding a way to make it so that you won’t be disturbed by people while you work is also very important. Lastly, having to get up to grab things like work tools will break your focus, so try preparing everything you’ll need beforehand. All of these things can be super easy to do, but make a huge difference!

https://reefmonkies.com/project/remove-distractions/

Hack Your Brain Into Building Better Habits!

Ever wondered how social media companies hack your brain into becoming addicted to their content? It lies in a simple concept called PICNUF, which you can use to hack your own mind into building better habits! PICNUF is an acronym for the basic traits that you could focus on that either make it easier or harder to change a habit.

The “PIC” part is what encourages habit change:

P: Positive (focusing on the positive)
I: Immediate (the result happens immediately)
C: Certain (it’s certain that the result will happen)

The “NUF” part is what discourages habit change:

N: Negative (focusing on the negative)
U: Uncurtain (it’s uncertain whether the result will actually happen)
F: Future Consequences (the result lies in the future)

People face problems in stopping negative habits because they try to focus on the “NUF” part of that habit. Instead of doing that, you should replace that bad habit with a positive one that fulfills the “PIC” part.

Find more useful life tips to boost productivity at our blog: https://reefmonkies.com/blog/

https://reefmonkies.com/project/hack-your-brain-into-building-better-habits/

Learn to Use Stoicism to Control Your Emotions

Stoicism is a minimalism of the mind. Practicing stoicism sheds light on the emotional energy we spend on things that are irrelevant, such as controlling other people and how they think about us, the attempt to pursue things that will in the long run never fulfill us, and the pursuit of things that hinder the achievement of our full potential. By separating what is worthwhile to focus on and what is not, we can better focus our emotions on virtues and goals that give us peace of mind, fulfillment, and grace under pressure.

The stoics were a group of people that lived throughout the ancient Roman and Greek world- you’ve likely heard the names of some of its most well-known members: Epictetus, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius. Consider reading up on some of their ideas! You’ll learn more about how to direct your energy towards things that will make a real difference in your life!

https://reefmonkies.com/project/use-stoicism-to-control-your-emotions/

Exercise: Define what you can and cannot control

Many of our day-to-day problems arise from the attempt to control things that are out of our control. Try defining what you can and can’t control to better focus your energy on things that will truly make a difference.

Exercise: draw a big circle on a sheet of paper and separate the circle into two parts with a straight line. On one side of the circle, make a list of things you can control, and on the other make a list of things you cannot. For each controllable item, write an action you can take to excel in it. For each uncontrollable item, write a coping mechanism that will help you put it aside for good. This may seem overly simple, but trust me, it’ll help!

We worry about and try to change things external to us like time and chance events- even other people. But at the end of the day, the only thing we can truly control is ourselves and our actions. Learn to focus your energy into your realm of control, and to become great at being the person you are, rather than wasting your energy on things you cannot control.

https://reefmonkies.com/project/define-what-you-can-and-cannot-control/

Quick Tip: Building a Strong Foundation to avoid Stress

In our modern world, work can get complicated. That’s why setting a couple of days aside to put your affairs in order may be the boost you need to your productivity. What you need to do is fix your foundation: clean your home, organize your files and emails, and reset your body with some healthy meals and exercise- focus on re-centering yourself and your surroundings.

Many busy people don’t do this because of the anxiety of wanted to keep moving. The problem is that if you’re all over the place, it can be easy to lose touch with reality. Even if you think you don’t have the time, it’ll be worth it- you’ll have better peace of mind, a better grasp of your situation, and it’ll make you much more efficient in the long term.

When you’re stressed, it’s like being in a dark room with danger lurking in every corner. But once you shine a bit of light, your monsters evaporate and give way to a clear view of your surroundings, and your stress will subside.

https://reefmonkies.com/project/building-a-strong-foundation-to-avoid-stress/

Code/Programming: What is Typescript?

TypeScript is a programming language developed and maintained by Microsoft. It’s an open-source language that builds on JavaScript, one of the world's most used tools. It simplifies JavaScript code, making it easier to read and debug. It also utilizes static typing. Statically typed language is a programming language characteristic in which variable types are explicitly declared and thus are determined at compile time. This lets the compiler decide whether a given variable can perform the actions requested from it or not. Static typing associates types with variables, not with values. See the following example:

In Javascript I have to declare a variable (line 1) and then assign it a value (line 2)
Var price;
Price = 1;

In a dynamic language you can just use line 1:
Price = 1;

Interested in learning typeScript? Get it here:
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/printed-books/typescript-in-50-lessons/

https://reefmonkies.com/project/typescript/

Webdesign Showcase: The use of colors to give a website a modern and active look

Attract attention with a website that says everything about you! Your design says a lot about your business: your willingness to break through, your energy level, your flexibility, and your willingness to go where no one has gone before. Refresh Amsterdam is the perfect showcase for a website that is designed to represent its best work. It starts with the URL- notice how it’s different? Then the title: Refresh Amsterdam. Art is all about breaking new frontiers, it’s about the embodiment of what’s new, what’s fresh, new thoughts, new ideas.
See for yourself, at https://refresh.amsterdam/.

https://reefmonkies.com/project/refresh-amsterdam-design/

Freebies: Free Wallpaper Series from Smashing Magazine

If you’re like us, a new and fresh website design fills you with positive energy and gets you going. So check out the Smashing Magazine Wallpaper Series! They are free to download! If you’re an aspiring web Designer, Smashing Magazine is the foremost Web Design Authority on this planet.

Check out their wallpapers at https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2021/03/desktop-wallpaper-calendars-april-2021/.

https://reefmonkies.com/project/smashing-magazine-wallpaper/

Web Design Showcase: Fulcrum’s Rock MVP Website Design is full of color, creativity, and energy

This app development website brings creativity to a whole new level! It takes the viewer on a journey that hereby answers all the questions you have about creating an application. We love it!

https://fulcrum.rocks

Webdesign Showcase: Transfix Your Viewer in the Design of Your Website

Talk about unique! This website utilizes animation and a striking artistic style without becoming a jumbled mess. Despite the fact that items are constantly moving on the page, the well-picked fonts and colors do not confuse the viewer and instead pulls them in.

The human eye is drawn to movement, which is why it might be a good idea to incorporate movement into your website to draw people in and keep them from getting bored. But it’s not just as easy as that- the difficult part of this is that there’s a fine line between movement that draws people in and movement that instead confuses the viewer and distracts them from the message you’re trying to get across. But this website is a great example of how to do this right!

Check out this amazing website at: https://climate.greenpeace.ru/

https://reefmonkies.com/project/greenpeace-russia-showcase/

Webdesign Showcase: Effective Side Scroll for a Product Display

How do you balance having a website that is simple enough to get the main point across, while still looking professional and stylish? Whatever it is, this website does this perfectly! The home page is composed mostly of images, of which you don’t even see the title or direction until you hover over them. Yet it keeps a modern and sleek design that draws the viewer in and encourages them to interact with the site.

Home – Eduardo del Fraile
https://www.eduardodelfraile.com/

Webdesign Showcase: Tell a Story Through Your Website

This site is offbeat from the norm with only one page and the sole purpose of telling a story. Refresh your viewer by showing them something they rarely see on the web!

You can see this beautiful website here, at http://www.sbs.com.au/hiroshima/.

Webdesign Showcase: Design Minimalism with Co-opBranding.com

Showcased here is the use of primary colors, simple typeface, and empty space to create an impactful statement. We love this:
http://www.co-opbranding.com/

https://reefmonkies.com/project/co-op-branding-showcase/

Webdesign Showcase: The Narrative as your Website

This website opts for a format that tells a story rather than the more bland information sources that many sites tend to be. Humans are emotional creatures- learn how to create a website that people can relate to and feel for, and find yourself more successful for it!

Check out this beautiful website here: https://atglaciersend.com/

https://reefmonkies.com/project/at-glaciers-end-showcase/

Use Simple Animations to Set Your Website Apart

Check out this awesome javascript library tool that allows you to create a website that attracts the viewer’s eye through the use of simple animations. Animations are a great way to bring your website to life and become memorable to the viewer!

Check it out here: https://scrollrevealjs.org/.

https://reefmonkies.com/project/scrollrevealjs-showcase/

Webdesign Showcase: Minimalism at its finest, simple But Highly Effective

Check out this simple but extremely effective website! Its use of white space and classy pictures create a modern and quality look so as to keep from distracting the viewer or causing confusion from the purpose of the site. Find it here: https://simonjames.co.nz/.

https://reefmonkies.com/project/simon-james-minimalism-showcase/

Check it out: Build your own Discord Server Bot

Discord Fans out there: check this Discord Bot Creation Tutorial. It teaches you to create your own Discord Server and guides you step by step through the creation of a Bot.

Here’s the Summary from Smashing Magazine:
An introduction to building a Discord bot using the Discord.js module. The bot will share random jokes, assign or revoke user roles, and post tweets of a specific account to a Discord channel.

Interested? Get it here:
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2021/02/building-discord-bot-discordjs/

https://reefmonkies.com/project/discord-bot/

Web Design Showcase: What’s being done in France when it comes to design?

Let’s face it, generally the further away we are from cultural hubs, the more drab and stagnating design gets. Where competition is fierce, design takes on a brand new level of exploring new frontiers and trying what’s not been done before. Check out this site in Tarbes, France: Colour, video, and a bit of shock effect! That way you’re not bored by the first sight of a landing page. It says a lot about what your business is about: it’s young, innovative, different, important, and it gets things done.

OOkami: https://www.ookamistudio.com/

https://reefmonkies.com/project/ookami-studio-design/

Web Design Showcase: Netrix Digital’s Designs to Inspire

We love the fresh designs from Netrix Digital. Note the use of animation, side scroll, notebook, and scribble art. This is new, modern, and awesome!
Check it out: https://netrixdigital.com/projects

https://reefmonkies.com/project/netrix-digital-web-design-showcase/

What is GDPR? (Why websites are asking me if I consent to cookies)

GDPR is the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, a law that protects internet users. It covers the following points:
The Seven Principles
Lawfulness, fairness, and transparency
Purpose limitation
Data minimization
Accuracy
Storage limitation
Integrity and confidentiality (security)
Accountability

A lot of personal data is transferred when you link to a site, much of which is used, stored, and often sold to third parties. Noticed the cookie permissions pop-ups when you go to some websites? While they can be annoying, Cookie consent is nonetheless a cornerstone of compliance for websites and an integral part of the GDPR mandate. The GDPR sets rules to protect your data.

Is it applicable in the US? Any site connecting to European sites and doing business in the European Union has to follow the GDPR laws. Many countries have adopted the law, so for you to do business with them, you must be compliant. Similar to the GDPR, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) is one of the most comprehensive data privacy regulations in the US. It is considered the US counterpart of the GDPR.

What do cookies do? Cookies were designed to remember information (such as items added in the shopping cart in an online store), or to record the user's browsing activity (such as clicking buttons, logging in, or recording which pages were visited in the past). They can also be used to remember pieces of information that the user previously entered into form fields, such as names, addresses, passwords, and payment card numbers.

https://reefmonkies.com/project/gdpr/

Rebranding Showcase: Modernizing your Brand with New Holland Brewing

An established midwestern company modernized its brand by changing its typeface and opting for striking vibrant colors over its previous more washed-out ones. See for yourself how much of a difference it’s made!

Check out their website at Home | New Holland Brewing - Brewery and Distillery in Holland, MI.
https://www.newhollandbrew.com/

https://reefmonkies.com/project/branding-new-holland-brewing/

Web Design Showcase: The Wonderful World of Wes Anderson

We are Wes Anderson movies fans, and we love his Website! It’s creative, out of the ordinary, and fits the whimsical enchanted world that Anderson creates throughout all of his works. The website and illustrations used in it were created by Max Dalton. Check out his portfolio and biography: http://www.max-dalton.com/about.php. You can check out Wes Anderson’s website at https://wesandersoncollection.abrams.link/.

https://reefmonkies.com/project/wes-anderson-website/

What are HTTP and HTTPS?

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is a protocol or set of rules, over which data is sent between your browser and the website that you are connected to. Hypertext is the text that is interpreted by your browser. A browser deciphers the code and renders the page the way it was programmed to look.

Then what’s HTTPS? HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS), is the secure version of HTTP. With HTTPS, all communications between your browser and the website are encrypted. What does encryption mean? Encryption is the process of taking plain text, like a text message or email and scrambling it into an unreadable format.

https://reefmonkies.com/project/http-https/

Webdesign Showcase: Create a Striking Artistic Theme to Represent Your Brand

This modern and sleek website design perfectly captures the new era of socializing in the modern world, and the build of the site sets a theme of atmospheric futurism for the brand.

Check out their website at https://hanaiworld.com/

https://reefmonkies.com/project/hanai-world-art/

Photography Showcase: Blowing stereotypes in Portrait Photography: Rawpixel.com

Web designers rely heavily on external sources for graphics design and photography to illustrate our sites. However, for a long time, the photography available on online photo stock sites was mostly only representing a small demographic of people. This demographic was of those who fit into the overly idealized western standard of beauty. Even in body poses and facial expressions, there was a stark lack of diversity and reflection of our real-life populations. Residing in the Pacific, it used to be a struggle to have our sites represent our diverse and multi-racial environment. Then Rawpixel came along, blowing stereotypes to smithereens! Their photography shows the beauty of people of all colors, forms, and ages. Rawpixel diverges from mainstream beauty ideals to show us real people, contrary to the superficial. We love Rawpixel.com, and we think you will too!

https://reefmonkies.com/project/rawpixel-com/