To help these designers cope with their career decisions, there has been much literal support through books, websites, and blogs, and even debates on issues like whether to be a freelancer, start with a smaller organization or a bigger enterprise, and where and how to start professional networking.

However, one aspect of professional indecisiveness which has been observed in many fresh designers, has not been discussed frequently: whether to be a jack of all trades and be a generalist designer with multiple skill sets, or to be a master of one specific field in a design career.

We will spin our article around this very topic and discuss its different aspects in detail.

The Root of the Argument

Designing nowadays is an extremely voluminous concept with hundreds of branches and sub-branches springing up from its core. When asking about your profession, even the most irrelevant minds would ask, “What kind of designer are you?” rather than being content with “I’m a designer.”

There are two kinds of trends seen in a designer’s professional life cycle. Some designers learn a specific skill and once their learning reaches a saturated level, they develop a curiosity to learn its associated skills as well.

On the other hand, some designers learn a number of design skills at the start of their career. As they move up the professional ladder, they tend to pare down the extra skills and focus on one specific skill for the rest of their professional life.

But what about newbie designers? There is bound to be some confusion as to which professional approach to opt for. Here is some food for thought.

The Benefits of Being a Generalist

When you are a “Jack of All Trades”, you are:

1. Highly Sellable

The biggest advantage of having multiple skill sets is that it makes your profile highly sellable in the market. When you enter the market with a diverse set of skills, there are chances that your different skills attract clients both individually and collectively, landing a good number of projects on your desk.

Moreover, there are a number of clients who prefer to have a ‘one-window solution’. Therefore, rather than getting only a part of a project, you may get the entire project based on your diversified skills, which will probably bring in bigger profit margins.

2. A Professional Chameleon

A chameleon has a natural mechanism of changing the color of its skin to blend in with its surroundings in order to deal with a situation. ‘Jack of all’ designers have the ability to be a professional chameleon and modify their profile to suit the needs of the project being offered. Having multiple skills enables them to play any card from their deck of skills and win a project.

3. More Productive

Being highly productive is the biggest concern of a designer from any field or sub-field. For designers, productivity not only means financial gains but is a matter of mental and moral satisfaction.

In the case of a design generalist, productivity almost never ends. Their multiple skills keep a steady flow of projects coming in, and they stay busy for most of their career.

What Could Go Wrong?

Being multi-skilled has its downsides, which include:

1. Too Much to Handle

As mentioned before, although professionals get projects in bulk, everyone has a maximum workload that they can handle. These designers will reach their full work capacity at a very early stage. This situation sometimes results in serious work burnout, leading to a chain of non-productive days.

2. No Exclusive Projects

Exclusive projects are every designer’s dream. These projects relate to a specific field of design, require much focus, are generally paid higher than usual projects, and are gems for a successful design portfolio. However, clients usually do not opt for a generalist designer mainly because they already have multiple projects and might not be able to focus and work exclusively on their project.

3. Weak Project Management

Project management is one of the few add-ons required for a smooth flow of design business. Although project management is itself a skill (good to learn for both types of designers being discussed in this article), a ‘jack of all trades’ type of designer, mostly due to the pile of tasks on their plate, often falls short in this respect.

Such designers amass design projects (with a variance in the scope of work) and usually end up messing everything up, ultimately eating into their own profit by spending money on outsourcing.

The Benefits of Being a Specialist

Now, let’s take a look at the advantages of being a specialist designer.

1. Depth of Experience

In any field of work, experience is the biggest feather in the cap of a professional. As a matter of fact, professional life is one of the few places where ‘being old’ is a compliment.

In the professional life of a specialist designer, working in the same field for years, experience becomes their greatest asset. When a client is reviewing profiles and portfolios of designers for a project, the ones with more experience readily catch their eye.

Moreover, when a designer works in the same field for a long time, they become fluent in it, making new tasks less challenging.

2. Streamlined Approach

Being a specialized designer helps in developing a streamlined approach in the workflow. As a specialist designer works on projects with the same or similar scope, new tasks easily get adjusted in their workflow, enabling them to stay focused without losing productivity.

3. Charge Higher

Whenever you add the title ‘specialist’ to your professional profile, it immediately makes a positive impact on others and adds significant value. This is the same case with a ‘master of one’ designer.

When you offer your services to a client by stating that you are a ‘specialist’ in a certain field, it automatically gives you a reason to charge higher than a generalist designer. Most clients do not argue on this and consider it justified to pay you handsomely for your expertise.

Master of One – Cons

Now, don’t get too carried away with being a ‘master of one’ because there are some disadvantages associated with it as well.

1. Lack of Alternatives

The most basic disadvantage of being a specialist is that you do not have a lot to offer your client.

For instance, if a client works with a web designer and they develop a very good professional chemistry, once the web designing task ends, the client might ask if you can provide further services like web development or CMS. If you cannot offer these additional skills, you end up disappointing the client.

Therefore, being a specialist designer may result in a relatively shorter business relationship with your clients.

2. Much Outsourcing

Designers who work in a single field of design sometimes get projects that require skills beyond their own. In such situations, these designers have to outsource part of their projects.

Although outsourcing facilitates them and fills in the aspects they lack, the profits get divided, sometimes quite unevenly. Additionally, with outsourcing, you lose control of the overall quality of the project, which affects your market reputation.

3. Lower Chances of Business Expansion

In the design business, like all other fields, business expansion is the ultimate goal. Particularly from the perspective of a freelancer, there is always a stage when they want to increase the circumference of their business to keep up with competitors.

However, with a specialized approach towards a design career, this may seem difficult.

For instance, if a person with multiple skills considers business expansion, they will most probably rely on their own skills to offer a variety of services to clients. On the contrary, when a specialist designer plans for business expansion, they would not be able to do it without external help.

Conclusion

I have tried my best to provide a balanced perspective on the choice between being a specialist or generalist from the perspective of a designer. This may give you some points to consider when deciding which approach suits you best.

Nevertheless, I also understand that every person has their own situation and circumstances that will influence their career approach preference.

The post Jack of All Trades vs Master of One for Designers appeared first on Hongkiat.

While a significant part of the responsibility also lies on individual employees to integrate well with their colleagues, these efforts often don’t compare to how effectively a boss can manage differences among the workforce.

One such difference is the generation gap — here’s an earlier post I wrote on the various ways Generation X and Millennials behave in the workplace. Now, let’s explore how to turn this dynamic to your advantage.

Steer Away from Stereotypes

Generalizing the members of a group for the sake of understanding is fine, but when these generalizations become ingrained, stereotypes form. The idea that Generation X dislikes technology and avoids using it while Millennials are gadget enthusiasts are examples of common stereotypes about these two generations, and neither is entirely accurate.

In my view, a boss must first overcome any preconceived notions about these generational groups to become a better manager. Instead of assigning certain traits to an entire generation, try to get to know each person individually.

Once you clear your own mind of prejudices and stereotypes, it becomes easier to promote the concept of generational neutrality to your staff. The boss’s role here is to encourage collaborative diversity and steer employees away from tags and labels.

Assign Mutually Interesting Tasks

There’s a famous saying: “You only truly know someone once you live with them or work with them.”

While expecting your employees to do the former is neither practical nor appropriate, you can make them work together.

Instead of sending dry office memos and emails urging collaboration, a better approach is to assign tasks that interest both generations.

For instance, for a project that involves desk research and fieldwork, you can form a team of Xers and Millennials. This isn’t about stereotyping, but rather recognizing that Generation X might prefer research tasks, while Millennials might enjoy fieldwork and some fresh air.

Create Learning Opportunities

An essential aspect of intergenerational harmony in the workplace is to create opportunities for employees to learn from each other.

From my personal experience, when someone teaches me something, it naturally fosters a sense of respect for that person. This can also create a feeling of indebtedness, often leading to a desire to reciprocate the favor.

In this way, cross-generational mentoring can open numerous doors of collaboration for these two generations.

For tasks involving the latest technology, you can suggest a Generation X employee seek help from a tech-savvy Generation Y colleague. Similarly, for a project assigned to a Millennial that requires basic institutional knowledge, propose asking for assistance from an experienced Generation X employee.

Customized Management Style

As I mentioned in a previous article, Generations X and Y grew up experiencing significantly different events that have shaped their professional values and perception of work.

Since their values differ and their professional DNAs don’t match, why should the management style used on them be the same?

For a more productive workforce, a boss should tailor their management style to each group’s values and characteristics, and to further narrow it down, to each individual employee.

For instance, Xers and Millennials prefer to communicate differently, so offering a variety of communication tools, from face-to-face meetings to emails, telephones, and even instant messaging, can be beneficial. In terms of working style, you can even allow employees to choose the method that suits them, provided it doesn’t affect their productivity.

Set a Personal Example

In addition to using personalized management styles, as the employer, you need to set a personal example. This is crucial because your behavior and conduct around the workplace are reflected in your employees.

If you want your employees to be free from prejudice and work smoothly together, you must first overcome your own biases.

In a place where people of different ages, qualifications, and backgrounds work together, conflicts can arise. Be aware of these conflicts, but don’t take them on by yourself. The market is a jungle where only the strongest survive, and your team can only be as strong as you are.

Wrapping it Up

Diversity in the workplace means you have a full deck of cards to play with in the business game. However, it also often means complexity and friction among employees.

In the workplace, the saying “age is just a number” holds true, as it’s not about age differences but differences in the core values of each generation.

You will find people with poor work ethics in every generation, just as you’ll find both young and old employees who are outstanding workers.

As the boss and leader of the organization, successful collaboration between Gen-X and Millennials is in your hands. Every employee brings something to the table, even Gen-Z, who are entering the market soon, if not already.

However, it is your task to make use of these talents the right way and to motivate your employees to build functional workplace relationships for the collective success of the organization.

The post Working Across Generations: Gen-X and Millennials appeared first on Hongkiat.

When people started settling in cities and villages, a person’s job defined his status in the society. Surnames like Miller, Smith and Schneider were derived from occupations i.e. Miller (people who worked in mills), Smith (iron workers) and Schneider (dressmaker or tailor). Even today, the influence of job in our life sustains its behemoth significance.

In the professional world there might be some people who are good at their jobs and are fully satisfied with what they do. However, most job holders these days are discontent with some elements of their job.

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Proficiency vs. Passion

Here’s an example: a friend of mine suffers from a unique case of job discontentment.

Although she is quite proficient in her work as an iOS developer and is being handsomely remunerated for it, her heart is stuck in pursuing a career in art and graphic design. If she were to leave that well-established career, many would deem her action as utter foolishness.

Still there are some who might tell her to "follow her heart". Hence this article is a kind of "thinking out loud’ post for those who find themselves in the dilemma of choosing a job they are good at versus a job that they actually want to do.

Going with a Job You Are Good At

1. Skill Level

Pros – Being good at a job is synonymous with having a higher skill level in it.

Being the master of the art makes you an important part of the whole mechanics of your organization. Based on your skills, you are able to take up new challenges, work out solutions, and produce profitable results, all of which make your superiors nothing but happy.

Cons – From hardcore skills like engineering and designing to more embedded skills like business development and public relations, every craft has a saturation point.

No matter how proficient you are at doing something, there comes a time when you simply grow out of it. After reaching this level, you just keep reproducing work on already existing skill templates with very little room for learning anything further.

2. Financial Gains

Pros – Who doesn’t like money? When you are good at something and find the right place to put it to use, money comes running after you like crazy.

The story becomes especially interesting when you get paid for something you could easily do in your sleep, i.e., based on your skills you do not have to work too hard to reach your goal.

Cons – In almost every career there is a limit on the amount of income you can earn on each level. There are certain careers in which, no matter how high your expertise is, there is not much chance of increased financial gains once you reach the maximum income threshold.

Of course, you can take up after-office freelance work, but it will only leave you exhausted. Moreover, no matter how good you are in your body of work, being paid well for it depends a lot on your luck, apart from your talents. For everyone who is making a good living doing something they are good at, there are countless other equally talented people who are not able to do so just because they didn’t get a good chance to.

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3. Career Longevity

Pros – Being adept in a specific field can certainly vouch for the longevity of your career in it.

The better you are in a certain job, the longer you will stay in it, and the longer you stay in a certain career, the greater will your credibility and reputation be. Furthermore, if you are good in your job and you make your superiors realize it, your vulnerability towards a layoff consequently decreases.

Cons – When you are proficient in a job, you tend to stay in it for a long time.

But career longevity can sometimes cause monotony and boredom, especially when it spreads over decades in a row. After all, the days of retiring from a company that you joined fresh out of college are long gone.

Going with a Job You Want to Do

1. Professional Gratification

Pros – There is no match for professional gratification, and what better way to achieve it than doing what you really want to do. Your interest in a job directly spells your devotion and dedication towards it.

Even if you have to compromise a bit over certain other factors, the mere feeling of satisfaction makes up for most of the missing elements. However, in a scenario when you are not able to do the job of your passion, you may keep coming to the office each day, but gradually your energy keeps dropping and your frustration level keeps on rising.

Cons – Professional gratification is a key factor in the success of your career; however, when you are responsible for the upbringing of your family or any other obligations, then moving to a whole new career just because you seek self-contentment could leave you nothing but heartbroken as well as financially broke.

Another downside can be that sometimes being too passionate about work can negatively impact your work-life balance, affecting your health, personal life, and family.

Read Also:  The Truth About Passion And How It Affects You

2. Refreshing New Start

Pros – Regardless of how excelled you have become in your job, when you go for the career of your dreams, the new start be like a fresh breeze in your professional life. The new start can revitalize your enthusiasm and can give you fresh-out-of-college energy towards work.

Cons – A job is no joke. Right from the beginning of your life in the professional field, one focuses all his or her energy on getting settled in the field and getting to the top of their game.

If the new start pushes you from the corner office, which you have earned with your dedication and hard work, to a newbie’s cubicle, then the decision of pursuing a new career should be properly calculated before you take the next step.

Read Also:  14 Must-know Career Transition Tips for Designers

3. Increased Motivation

Pros – Working in your favorite field makes you more motivated towards your job.

No matter how late you start in a field, the sheer joy of handling certain tasks and the desire to complete tasks with passion, quickly takes you to the next level. This factor plays a key role in getting you to the top of the ladder in a job that you are fond of and consequently shows more motivation in it.

Cons – To get motivated is easy, but staying motivated is where the problem starts. One can easily say catchy phrases like, “fulfil your dreams” and “be your own master”, but to actually commit yourself to doing something every day might be more arduous than you think.

When you take what you love to do and make it into something you depend upon for survival for yourself and your family, the motivation can disappear quickly. Not to forget, turning your passion into a profession means you have clients, bosses, deadlines, and obligations, which automatically takes all the fun out of it.

Read Also:  How to Stay Motivated as a Freelancer (When Energy is Low)

Conclusion

Some people have a lifelong dream of doing something or having a certain career. However, the unforgiving waves of circumstances can make you make decisions that you might not deem as the right one.

So, is it alright to continue down the path life has taken you, especially when you have so well-established yourself in it, or should you go back and try to have a second go at your childhood dreams? The answer to this question highly depends on your own priorities.

My iOS developer friend has decided to continue her career in development while developing her graphic design interest by learning front-end interface design for iOS apps. The idea is to facilitate a smooth transition into a new career. Maybe, with a little strategy and calculation (and of course, some luck), you too can manage to achieve a bit of both, instead of all of each.

Read Also:  Jack of All Trades vs Master of One for Designers

The post Choosing Between “What You Do Best” vs. “What You Like Best” appeared first on Hongkiat.

An effective email marketing campaign is crucial for enhancing the visibility and recognition of your business’s products and services. This direct marketing approach yields immediate responses upon reaching your targeted audience.

Understanding the Value

In an era of intense business competition, organizations employ only the most impactful promotional strategies, and email marketing is at the forefront. Its adaptability makes it a standout choice in our rapidly changing business environment.

Email marketing’s cost-effectiveness is a significant draw, offering an affordable solution that integrates seamlessly with existing marketing frameworks at any scale, including international operations.

This form of online marketing enhances efficiency, condenses communication to be brief and direct, and allows for real-time engagement with clients and customers.

Advantages of Email Marketing

Email marketing, when done correctly, complements other marketing efforts and offers numerous benefits, including:

Cost Efficiency

Email marketing eclipses traditional marketing channels in cost efficiency. While print ads and physical marketing materials come with hefty expenses, email marketing offers a dynamic and budget-friendly alternative that’s easy to update and execute.

Worldwide Reach

The global nature of the internet means email marketing can reach people anywhere, anytime, without geographical barriers. It’s an invaluable tool for a worldwide marketing strategy.

Personalization and Segmentation

Email marketing allows for a personalized touch, helping to foster a deeper connection with recipients. It also enables segmentation, allowing marketers to tailor messages to specific groups for a more targeted approach.

By segmenting audiences, your marketing messages can be more personalized and relevant, increasing engagement and effectiveness.

Measurable Outcomes

Email marketing’s success can be measured and analyzed through various tools, providing insights into click-through rates, conversion rates, and how visitors navigate your site. This data is crucial for assessing the effectiveness of campaigns and making informed adjustments.

Rapid Response

Compared to traditional marketing, email marketing generates quicker responses, often within a day or three, with the highest engagement typically seen on the first day, offering a stark contrast to the slower pace of direct mail responses.

User-Friendly

Both sending and receiving emails are straightforward, making email marketing a user-friendly option that doesn’t require extensive resources or technical know-how to implement.

6 Strategies for Effective Email Marketing

To ensure your email marketing campaign hits the mark, it’s essential to employ strategic practices. Below are six tips to enhance the effectiveness of your email marketing efforts.

1. Set Clear Campaign Goals

Defining the objectives and targets of your campaign is crucial before launch. This foresight ensures you maximize the campaign’s impact.

Typical goals for email marketing include bolstering customer loyalty and eliciting a direct response. Plan accordingly to align your strategy with these objectives for better outcomes.

2. Commit to Ethical Practices

Avoiding the pitfalls of spam filters is crucial for email marketing success. As spamming became prevalent, email providers implemented filters, creating challenges for marketers.

Addressing this, savvy marketers emphasize ‘permission-based’ strategies to maintain customer trust and loyalty. Gaining consent isn’t just ethical; it’s effective.

Entice customers with valuable offers like discounts, exclusive content, or newsletters in exchange for their permission. Remember, the allure of ‘free’ can be powerful. Utilize it to build relationships and then introduce your products or services. This approach not only curbs spamming concerns but also fosters lasting customer loyalty.

3. Embrace the Opt-In Method

Incorporating an opt-in feature is a fundamental and ethical approach to executing email marketing. Opt-in forms are not only best practices for ethical conduct but also enhance campaign effectiveness.

Many organizations opt for ‘double opt-in’ procedures, where after an initial subscription, a confirmation email is sent to verify the subscriber’s intent. This method significantly reduces spam complaints and builds a foundation of trust and respect with recipients.

4. Craft Your Message Carefully

Crafting your email is a crucial step. Keep these pointers in mind for an impactful message:

• Ensure the subject line is attention-grabbing and clear.
• Keep content clear and concise, adhering to the ‘inverted pyramid model’—most critical information first.
• Understand that web readers skim content, so get to the point quickly and maintain relevance.
• Remember to include essential elements like the ‘to’ and ‘from’ lines, offer details, and a clear call to action.
• Conclude with a signature that includes your contact information, company details, and an opt-out link.

5. Test Your Message

Testing different elements of your email ensures effectiveness. Experiment with fonts, imagery, and layouts to find what garners the best click-through rates. Use this data to refine your approach for maximum engagement and results.

6. Cultivate and Maintain Your Email List

A well-maintained email list is vital to campaign success. Regularly update and segment your list to ensure messages are targeted and relevant. Periodically remove unengaged subscribers to keep your list fresh and responsive. Remember, a quality list is more valuable than a lengthy one.

Wrapping Up

Email marketing stands as a mature, widely adopted method for business engagement and promotion. Its cost-effectiveness, ease of implementation, and significant impact make it a staple in the marketer’s toolkit.

Far from supplanting other marketing methods, email marketing serves to enhance and complement them effectively. A strategic, well-executed email campaign can expand your customer base and deepen existing customer loyalty.

Regular, valuable communication from your brand reinforces its value, especially when customers benefit from your advice. While inherently low-risk and potentially high-reward, the true success of email marketing lies in strategic planning and adept execution, leading to higher success rates for your business.

The post Email Marketing: Tips to Do it Well appeared first on Hongkiat.

The second way is when designers need to chat about work stuff, like projects and contracts. This is ‘professional communication‘. It’s straightforward, a bit more complicated, and usually involves talking or writing directly.

I’ve seen designers from all over really focus on making their design communication better. They work hard to make sure they can speak ‘design’ really well through their work.

But, when it comes to the work chats, even the super talented designers can get tongue-tied. No matter what kind of designs you make, you can’t ignore how key it is to talk effectively in business.

This is especially true for freelance designers. If you work for yourself, you’re the one who has to talk to customers, suppliers, and other designers.

So, for all my designer friends who find chatting about work tough, here are some handy Communication Tips for Designers to help you get better at it.

1. Choosing the Right Medium is Key

When we communicate, how we do it is super important. Designers these days do it across various medium, from emails, social media like Facebook and X, to phone calls, and even text messages!

To keep things clear, pick the way that works best for you and stick with it. This means not jumping around between different ways all the time.

Also, try to keep your personal contact stuff separate from work stuff.

For example, if email is your go-to way to communicate for work, make a different email just for that. It helps everyone know the best way to get hold of you, and it keeps your chats tidy.

2. Establish a Communication Pattern

Just like you need a routine to get things done, you need one for talking effectively, too. Set up a plan for how you’ll communicate and tell the people you’re chatting with about it right from the start.

Your communication plan might cover things like how you’ll greet the person, how quickly you’ll reply, how quickly they should reply, and what to do if you need to use another way to talk. Letting people know your plan ahead of time helps avoid any mix-ups.

3. Keep a Written Record

Showing you’re a pro means writing things down. For designers juggling many clients and tasks, taking notes keeps chats clear and organized. Write down things like contact info, meeting details, what money is owed, and feedback from clients.

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If you’re emailing a lot, a good tip is to keep all your chats in one email chain. That way, if there’s ever a problem, you’ve got all the details in one place.

Stick to one email chain for each topic or project. It makes it super easy to review what you and your client have talked about.

4. Be Polite in Your Communication

Good manners are super important when you’re talking to someone. This is true no matter how you’re chatting – speaking, writing, or emailing. Designers, especially, need to be polite when talking business.

Sure, clients can sometimes be a handful and not so nice. But keeping cool and polite is part of talking effectively.

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Since I’ve been talking a lot about emails, remember to follow Netiquettes – the do’s and don’ts of email. Simple words like “Please” and “Thank You” might not seem like much, but they mean a lot and make you look good.

Before you send an email, take a moment to make sure it’s well-written. Double-check it and even switch around the parts to make it clearer.

5. Steer Clear of Too Much Design Lingo

Designers, when deep in work, might start to speak in their own language filled with technical terms. That’s fine when talking to other design experts, but with clients, try to keep it simple. Remember, not everyone understands design talk, so explain things in a way that anyone can grasp.

And if you really need to use some design-speak, just add a quick explanation in brackets. It helps everyone follow along.

Wrapping It Up

Many creative types find talking about their work in a professional way a bit tricky, and that includes designers. But it’s not as tough as it might seem. Just by paying a little more attention to how you explain things, any designer can become great at chatting about their work. This leads to better relationships and even better projects.

Happy communicating!

The post 5 Tips for Better Communication for Designers appeared first on Hongkiat.

I have recently used Wondershare Anireel – an animation tool – to create animated videos. In this post, I am going to talk about the tool’s features and how these attributes can help you create interesting animations.

Download Wondershare Anireel

What Does Wondershare Anireel Do?

Wondershare Anireel, created by Wondershare, is an intuitive tool for creating 2D animated videos. It offers an array of features for creating tutorials, explainer videos, storyboards, e-learning material, or marketing videos through interesting animations.

The interface and functioning of the tool are pretty easy that even a complete novice in animation design was able to get around its different functionalities. Plus, for beginners, it’s a good idea to start with the many pre-made templates on different themes instead of creating something from scratch.

About Wondeshare

Founded in 2003, Wondeshare is one of the global leader in software development. With more than six offices and 1200 employees globally, they are the company behind many useful apps for the creative community, including Filmora, UniCoverter, Recoverit, PDFelement, Famisafe, and many others.

Wondershare Anireel’s Features

While using Wondershare Anireel, I discovered some interesting features. Well, you can find such features scattered across similar tools as well, but you’ll get all of these features bundled in this one tool. Here’s an outlook of these features:

1. Animation Editor

Wondershare Anireel has all the basic editing features of an animation editor, plus a whole bunch of other features for advanced editing.

You get a clean interface with canvas, tools bar, and timeline view. To begin with the editing, drag and drop a background of your choice to the canvas and start adding the elements.

You can add characters, props, text, or audio/ music and edit them directly on the canvas (visual editing) with real-time preview. You can zoom, rotate, flip, change colors, or animate any element that you add to the canvas.

You can also edit the clips, music, or text on the timeline to create and amend the flow of your animation scenes.

2. Character Builder

While using the tool, if you can not find the ideal character, you can use the Character Builder tool that lets you customize different aspects of your character, like facial features, clothing, accessories, etc.

3. Text-to-Speech

Wondershare Anireel’s Text-to-Speech feature eliminates hiring pricy voice-over artists or studio space for your animation videos. It offers more than 200,000 characters with different accents and voices to add to your videos.

On the tool’s homepage, select Text-to-Speech, add your dialogues or narration in the text box, select a voice of your liking, adjust the Speed and Pitch of the voice and add it to your timeline to sync it with your scenes.

4. Lip-sync

Once you add the Text-to-Speech voice to your animation video, the next step is to make it more realistic through an AI-powered Lip-sync feature. It enables you to match your character’s mouth movement with the voiceover. Select the character and the audio to sync, and select the Lip-sync option from the right-hand toolbar.

If the same character has multiple dialogues or voice clips to be synced, just click on the “+” sight to select each from the dropdown menu.

5. Video Templates

If you’re new to animation creation or out of ideas on starting one, you can use pre-made animation templates.

Wondershare Anireel offers around 70 different types of templates to choose from. You can select the type of animation you want to create – explainer video, presentation, social media post, or GIF – and then choose the template that suits your needs.

These templates are made on different commonly-used themes such as company (for different types of businesses), product launch (products, services, apps), sales and marketing, etc. The selected template can be added to the canvas with just one click.

6. Script-to-Animation

If you’re not good at writing scripts or dialogues for your animated video, then the Script-to-Animation tool might come in handy for you.

With this feature, you get pre-made high-converting marketing scripts that you don’t have to write from scratch.

Select any of the tool’s options, and click on it. You’ll get a fully animated video with a real voice-over. You can modify and rewrite the script if you’re not happy with the pre-made one.

Apart from the script, you can also modify other elements of the animation as well, like Character Settings, Gender, Profession, or even the Video Topic Element.

You can also change the language that our character speaks (a range of different languages supported like English, Russian, Arabic, etc.), your character’s voice, and background music from the Audio Settings.

Wondershare Anireel Supported Formats

Anireel supports various video, audio, and image formats. Here’s a list of the supported formats:

• Video: .mp4, .3gp, .asf, .mov, .m4v, .mpg, .wemb, .mpeg, .ogv, and .gif
• Audio: .aif, .m4a, .mp3, .ogg, and .wma
• Image: .jpg, and .png

Wondershare Anireel Pricing

Wondershare Anireel is a free trial with limited features like a limited number of exports/month, and a watermark on created videos. Paid plans start from US$10/month. For businesses and teams, you can request a custom quote from the sales team.

Here’s an overall look at the free and paid plans.

Conclusion

Animated videos can greatly impact the audience, be it for teaching or marketing purposes. But you don’t need to be an expert animation artist to create animated videos.

The aforementioned features of Wondershare Anireel vouch that anyone with a creative imagination can easily create animated videos.

Download Wondershare Anireel

The post Wondershare Anireel Review appeared first on Hongkiat.

In this post we have listed some of the best personal safety Android apps for women. From SOS alert and emergency contacts to location sharing and community advise, these apps offer different features to give women the security they need. So, take a look at the list to see which one suits you best.

Noonlight

Noonlight is a unique app that lets you deal with potential threats as well as actual threats. It works in two ways – firstly, you can use it when you’re not sure whether to call 911 or not. Secondly, you can use it when you’re actually in trouble and want the help from authorities.

Just press and hold the button on your Android phone when you’re in an uneasy situation and release it only when you feel real trouble. When you’re actually in danger just press the button and the local police will be notified of your location. You can also call or text to seek help.

SHEROES

SHEROES is an app exclusively for women. Women can use is to socialize, find jobs, seek women health advise, get health and beauty tips, and of course, use it for safety and reporting.

You can discuss about your personal and family issues in the app community and report domestic abuse from husbands or boyfriends. In short, you can seek expert advise in any field related to women.

SOS Alert

SOS Alert is an emergency Android app that enables you to reach out to your emergency contacts when you’re facing a dangerous situation and informs them about your location.

It has a very simple interface so anyone can easily use it and serves no ads. You can send a help signal to your emergency contacts with just one tap or even send pre-stored SOS messages.

Microsoft Family Safety

This is a digital and physical safety app that works for the whole family. Microsoft Family Safety App allows you to monitor your child’s online activities and set parental controls to keep your children safe from the threats of the digital world.

You can also track your family, location to always know where they are going and also get insights on your family’s driving. The location sharing works even without internet connection.

Personal Safety

A safety app fro Pixel phones, Personal Safety enables you to stay connected with your emergency contacts and first responders. With it you can share your real-time location and set a time in your phone after which the emergency sharing automatically starts.

Guardians

With the Guardian app you can invite your friends and family to be your guardians so they can be notified in case you face an emergency. The GPS location that you share could be seen by only your guardians.

You can also set ‘forever sharing’ so your guardians will always know where you are. They can also be notified about your phone’s battery life, network strength and other information vital for your safety.

Women Safety

As the name says, Women Safety app informs your loved ones in case you are in a troubling situation. The app is easy and fast and can send en email to your emergency contacts with your location and 2 pictures and/or a video or audio message.

You can tap green, orange, and red buttons to inform your emergency contacts about whether you’re safe, in a cautious situation, or in some real danger respectively.

Sekura

With a simple and vivid interface, Sekura is a women’s safety app against street harassment and unsafe situations. It features four buttons – to fake an incoming call, to ring a siren, to send a message with your location, and to call an emergency number.

UrSafe

A hands-free personal safety Android app, UrSafe is integrated with 911 so you can alert the authorities in an unsafe situation. It is a voice-activated security app in which you can set safe words that trigger various responses. You can use Ursafe in 200+ countries.

WanderSafe Safety App

WanderSafe is an ideal app for traveling. It offers location-based maps that allow you to explore the neighborhood while advising and alerting you if you’re entering an unsafe area.

The app is equipped with SOS button that alerts three emergency contacts as well as a personal assistant that helps you though trusted data sources so you can explore the outdoors with confidence.

My Safetipin

My Safetipin is a tool to make your city safer for yourself as well as for other citizens. With the help of different parameters, you can do an audit of any place in the city in terms of safety, people, public transport, feeling, and other aspects.

Additionally, you get points for evaluating different aspects of the city and become an active member of the safety community. You can also invite your loved ones to track and get to know about the safest routes around the city.

Sister

Sister is an interesting safety app that is made by women for women for their safety and well being. You can select some contacts and allow them to track your location, activate alarm in dangerous situation, and register visual and audio evidence.

SOS button

An extremely simple app, Panic Button alerts your emergency contacts by sending your location or customized message. You can choose up to 10 trusted contacts, make an emergency call, send panic SMS, and send alerts through whistle and clap.

SoSecure

SoSecure gives you the confidence of safety and security. It features a virtual ADT assistant by your side all the time. It gives you roadside assistance, crash detection, and voice-activated emergency call among many other features.

The post Best 10 Personal Safety Apps For Women [Android] appeared first on Hongkiat.

And in this heap of unwanted papers, you find that one important letter which you had been waiting for, for quite a long time.

How frustrating!

Well, I had a similar experience the other day, but with my virtual mail. I have been using Google Mail since time immemorial. It has always given me a comfortable mailing experience.

However, lately I got too comfortable, rather lazy towards my incoming emails. And so it happened that some of my very important emails got buried under a heap of less important emails.

I decided to take the leap of courage and manage my inbox to ‘Zero Inbox’ level, once and for all.

In this article I am going to share some useful tips I’ve uncovered, and other good-to-know additions about how to maintain your Gmail inbox without having to use additional software or plugins.

What is ‘Zero Inbox’?

For a regular email user who sends and receives dozens (even hundreds) of emails every day, ‘zero inbox’ may sound as mythical and unreal as a unicorn or Santa Claus, or a unicorn-riding Santa Claus.

However, to be more precise ‘zero inbox’ is not about having no emails, it is rather about maintaining your inbox to a level that every type of email has its place and doesn’t clutter out the main Inbox.

Like millions of other Gmail users, I used to think that it’s absolutely natural for an email to be received and kept in the Inbox. On the other hand, productivity experts say that the inbox should be used for the most important emails. All other types of less important emails should go to specifically assign folders.

Origins

The term ‘zero inbox’ was initially coined by productivity preacher Merlin Mann, who runs a famous productivity blog 43 Folders. In the year 2007 at the Google Tech Talk, Mann gave an hour-long video presentation on Inbox Zero.

His basic idea is to manage your inbox through a self-motivated email filtering routine without having to use any additional plugins or software.

Although Mann’s idea gave basis of email maintenance, however, some other experts have built upon this concept and given even more helpful tips for achieving ‘zero inbox’.

Useful Tips for Achieving ‘Zero Inbox’

Time never stops, and it is the same with incoming emails. This is something I have learned through time and experience – turning a blind eye towards incoming emails will not solve the problem, but will rather keep gnawing at you.

Therefore in order to get rid of the distraction caused by piling up emails, one should work towards, or at least try to achieve ‘zero inbox’. It is totally understandable that taking time out for something (apparently) as trivial as an email inbox may sound absurd, but following the below-mentioned tips will give you some easy ways to do it well.

1. Dare to Delete

In order to manage your inbox you need to be mature in your decisions and be wise enough to delete the emails you don’t want. Most people approach emails like their wardrobe in which they keep some outdated clothes in a hope that their fashion may revive someday. For them, it is better to be safe than to be broke from buying new attire when you have some that still can work in your closet.

Similarly people tend to keep absolutely useless emails with a thought that they might want to go back to them one day. For such people, I would suggest that although it is good to keep a record of important emails, however, deciding what is unimportant and then deleting it is the very first thing to do.

2. OOR – Out of Office Response

The worst thing about going on a vacation is to come back and find hundreds of pending emails in your inbox. To avoid these people do all sorts of things including, a regular check on emails throughout the vacation.

What they probably don’t know is that there is a special Out of Office Response (OOR) feature in almost all email service providers including Gmail.

All they have to do is to write a generic email saying that you are on vacation and will respond to all emails once you are back, and then set an auto-response to all the incoming emails. This way when you come back, there will be less of a mess to deal with in your inbox.

3. Weekly Operation Cleanup

If you are too busy throughout the week to respond and filter the emails are they are received, take a few hours out once every week to cleanse your inbox and get it down to zero.

You don’t need to set a time and take a quiet room to do so. You can do your inbox cleanup while commuting on a train or bus when you are just sitting and waiting for someone, or even while standing in a queue for coffee. If you have time to game or chat with a friend, you also have time to clear some emails.

4. Filters and Labels

Gmail has this special feature for filters and labels that gives you the best solution for organizing your incoming emails. You can create different filters for different types of emails on the basis of senders, subject, or even keywords. You can also customize the Filters with additional instructions like ‘Skip the Inbox’ or ‘Delete’ when received.

This way you can archive your emails under different Labels where they are saved for record-keeping. This feature is like moving something into a filing cabinet for safekeeping, rather than putting it in the trash bin.

You can also categorize the Labels according to their nature like To Read, To Do or To Respond, etc. It will make it easier for you to prioritize your email responses.

5. Unsubscribe the Unwanted, Mute Notifications

E-newsletters are also one of the most clutter-causing things that could pile up in your Inbox and cause your important emails to get ignored. You can use managers like Unroll.me or if you don’t want to receive any e-newsletters or promotional material by a company, service, or social media website then unsubscribe from it.

Every newsletter or brochure etc. has an ‘unsubscribe’ option at the bottom of the email, and all you have to do is to click it to be rid of it.

Similarly, all social media websites like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or StumbleUpon etc have ‘Change Email Setting’ option or the ‘Mute’ feature at the bottom that can give you a one-click solution to manage the email pile-up caused by their email notifications.

Conclusion

No matter which walks of life we belong to, emails have become an important part of our daily communication. However, with this blessing comes to some complications as well, and one of these is a flooded inbox. This may seem quite a trivial issue, however, looking at hundreds of unread emails causes frustration and distraction that affects your daily productivity.

Different people have different approaches, therefore there are no set patterns to manage your inbox, and neither is achieving ‘zero inbox’ a one-time thing. It is totally up to you to make an effort every now and then and maintain a well-managed inbox.

The post How to Achieve "Zero Inbox" Without Tools appeared first on Hongkiat.

I took the cake with a heavy heart but on the way I kept thinking that if only the bakery had devised a particular pattern to collect information from the customers, it would not have been difficult to give customers like me what we wanted.

The bakery incident bears a striking similarity with a typical scenario at an advertising agency or a design studio, when a creative brief is collected from a client.

To my surprise, I could suddenly relate myself to the client who fails to receive his desired results from the advertising agency, and that prompted me to write this article on how to collect a comprehensive creative brief from your client.

A creative brief is an integral part of the client servicing process that may lead to the success or failure of the project produced. A creative brief is a descriptive document that contains information about the client, and which explains your client’s requirements for the project.

From individual professional designers to most advanced advertising agencies and design houses, everyone strives to collect a comprehensively written creative brief.

It helps them eliminate any ambiguities in the design process so that it may not end up as a ‘Chinese whispers’ game.

(Image Source: Tom Fishburne)

In order to collect a comprehensive creative brief from your client, I suggest you develop a document with the following details in it.

Info about the Client Company

First things first, the most basic information required from a client is about his company. You need to ask the client several questions including the company’s products/services, vision and mission, historical background, achievements and successful campaigns etc.

This should also include information about the advertising agencies and design studios which they have worked for or with, previously and what they expect from your services. This is relevant for new clients. If you are working with an existing client, then this information is not much required.

Info about the Related Project

The second thing to include in your creative brief is the information about the project. These projects may range from a product/service launch or re-launch, general advertising, an image building campaign or simply a Corporate Social Responsibility project.

No matter what type of campaign it is, the more you know about it, the better your result will be. In order to go further with this point, here are some sub-points you should include in the brief about the related project:

Target Market

Without a target, it’s no use how good a throw you can make – your throw will be aimless. It is the same with a design campaign, where if you don’t know about your target market, your message will wander around and trail off aimlessly.

Therefore, asking the client about the target market of the project is important so that you may design your communication with a focused mind.

Deliverables

Knowing about the deliverables can save you a lot of time and resources. Ask your client about the required medium of the campaign i.e. BTL (Below The Line), print medium or virtual medium campaign.

Also ask about the elements of campaign, for instance; flyers, brochures, leaflets, in-store branding web banner or print advertisement? This will help you to focus on the required deliverables only.

Note: Do not forget to ask your client about the sizes and dimensions of the required marketing material. 

Related Information Material

You cannot expect your designers (or yourself) to work on a project by taking oral notes only. In order to produce better results, you need to ask about all the related information material of the project.

This can be the information gathered from company’s internal research department (or from an outsourced research organization), already existing brochures or booklets (in case of a project re-launch) or sometimes just the company’s website.

Whatever the source of information is, try to squeeze as much information out of your client as possible.

Expected Goals and Gains

You will only be able to design the best results when you would know what the client wants to get out of it. Asking the client about the expected goals and gains will streamline your concepts and communication strategy.

Also, in order to be on the safe side, ask your client to be very specific about the goals i.e. saying “increase sales” doesn’t mean anything, instead “Increase sales by 30%” is a measurable and thus achievable goal.

Budget Allocation

Ask your client about his budget regarding this project’s campaign. This will ease your work and give you (or your designers) a perimeter to work within.

If you overlook the budget, what may happen is that you had designed a campaign that is too expensive to run, and you have to go back to modifying the design, or start from scratch because you breached the budget.

Project Deadline

The last thing, yet perhaps most crucial thing to ask the client, is the expected deadline of project delivery. A specific timeframe is always good for efficient progress of the work in hand.

Ask the client to not only specify the final deadline of project execution but to break down the time span into smaller milestones and give deadlines for those milestones as well e.g. deadline to deliver the first draft etc. This will enable a smooth flow of the project at both ends.

Other Details

Main details aside, here are some other details you should include in the creative brief:

1. Info of Contact Person

No matter how comprehensive the information you gather for your creative brief, there will always be some blanks you need to fill in later. Always ask for a contact person from the client’s end. Preferably this person should be someone who can bridge the gap between the client and you.

2. Decision Hierarchy

Although this is not directly relevant to your performance, you can ask the client who you are to present your work to (both initially and finally) and who is going to make the decision about your work.

Once you know the persons, it may help you in preparing the designs according to the personal preferences of the decision makers.

The Wrap Up

No matter if you are running a one-man show or are part of a giant pool of professionals, you need a well-documented creative brief to initiate a project. Creative briefs not only save you a lot of time and resources, but it’s document you can fall back on when the client starts changing his or her mind about how the project should move.

A creative brief is your first link with a new project, therefore the stronger this link is, the more successful its execution will be.

However, your creative brief can only be strong enough when it is detailed and comprehensive. Always remember that a client knows every bit about his project. Your job to enter and pick his brain for what can be used in the final design. Only then will you be able to perform at your most optimum.

The post Mastering Creative Briefs: Tips for Freelancers appeared first on Hongkiat.

So I decided that while my secretary is away, I’ll take this as an opportunity to try out multitasking, you know, to brush up my productivity skills. The very next day, I started implementing multitasking in my regular professional life. My day buzzed with phone calls, scheduling, and rescheduling, meetings, and coffee-making, all on top of my routine tasks.

It was not long before I started to feel that this new routine is seriously impacting my productivity. What I am about to share with you in this piece of writing is the essence of my multitasking experience.

Loss of Focus

In the two weeks, there have been times when I had a really brilliant idea for campaign design, but I was distracted to do another task, after which, I couldn’t recall what the idea was. I’ve heard of scientific facts about how the human mind works best when it is focused on a single train of thoughts. And I was actually experiencing one myself.

When we try to focus on multiple unrelated tasks or thoughts simultaneously (like regular multitasking), it becomes difficult to regain focus and remember where we left off in each of those tasks.

There are often projects or jobs that need your special focus and concentration — more than the regular ones — but when you are needed elsewhere, your mind subconsciously shifts your focus onto other tasks. And you end up frustrated, like me.

Low Grade Efficiency

It is a common misconception that multitasking increases your efficiency. In fact, you tend to just skim through the tasks to get more done. This will slow down your productivity level, especially with tasks that require brainstorming and a proper thought process.

Frequent multitasking affects your efficiency, like shutting down and restarting the CPU affects the efficiency of your computer and the work it is doing.

If you muster up your focus for one task and do it with all your mind and heart, no matter how small or insignificant the task is, it can prove to be more productive to yourself and your employer/client. Having your focus scattered across too many things may lead you to mess up real important things like deadlines, important meetings, and scheduled tasks.

Brain Drain

Brainstorming, analytical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity are associated with every professional’s life. These terms are also especially important for writers, designers, and other creative professionals.

However, multitasking has often proved to be just the right poison for these brain-involving activities.

Professionals, who flip between jobs and tasks more frequently, experience a brain drain in terms of the analytical and creative thinking process. Moreover, in a human mind, creative thoughts, ideas, and solutions have a very short shelf-life, and they have a good tendency to vanish as quickly just as how they pop up in your mind unannounced.

Once two or more thoughts leave your mind without being pondered upon, your mind becomes more prone to a creative block or brain drain for a long time.

The Time-Saving Paradox

Many professionals are of the view that doing a number of concurrent tasks saves you a lot of time and thus makes you ‘efficient’. Well, there is another side of the story which many of us tend to overlook, as in overlooking human errors.

It is a matter of common sense that when you are working on multiple tasks, and one task becomes the cause of distraction for the other, there is a higher chance of you messing up, and both tasks (or more) are affected. The thing with mistakes is that it needs rectifying. And fixing a mistake takes time.

So basically, you are saving up on your time (by multitasking) to fix the problems created (while multitasking).

Anxiety and Stress

Another area you won’t expect to be affected by multitasking is your physical and mental health (cue anxiety and stress). Multitasking and frequent interruptions caused by it are sources of stress that can have a notable impact on your mind and body. It is a common fact that whenever demands exceed abilities, stress is bound to follow.

Over time, the stress of multitasking may even become dangerous when fatigue and mental fogginess becomes more prominent, and both productivity and passion for work decline. In the kind of work culture we have developed in today’s world, multitasking seems inevitable, even viewed as an advantage when it comes to job-seeking.

However, according to repeated research and my own personal experience, multitasking is not only absurd, but it is also counterproductive as well.

Conclusion

By writing this article, I am not at all suggesting that multitasking is not possible for the human mind. I would rather say that although we can always add one more ball to our juggling act, every time you multitask, you have less attention for creative thought and memories.

No matter how demanding your job is, do not let multitasking take a heavy toll on your work, or on you.

The post 5 Reasons You Should Say NO to Multitasking appeared first on Hongkiat.

When talking about content curation tools, from all those available in the market, the most popular and feature-filled tools are Feedly and Inoreader.

Feedly Vs. Inoreader

Feedly‘s motto is – More signal, less noise – and this is exactly what it does. It is a unique content aggregator that filters out all the unrelated content and creates a news feed based on the topics and trends that you’re actually interested in.

Similarly, Inoreader upholds – Take back control of your news feed – and there isn’t more truth in that. It gives you a platform where you can get all kinds of news and updates on the topics that interest you and the content comes to you the minute it’s available.

However, the dilemma I faced (like most of you would be facing now), was which one should I go with? Well, to help you out, I explored both tools and their respective features and in this post, I am going to share my experience and observations with you so you can make an informed decision.

To help you get a better understanding of Feedly vs. Inoreader, I have arranged their features into different categories and I’ll be giving a comparative picture of the two tools within the categories.

These categories include:

• User interface,
• Login options,
• Readability,
• Supported platforms,
• Sharing,
• Similar features and exclusive features of both,
• and pricing.

Let’s get started.

1. User Interface

User interface has much significance for every website and app, however, for content curation tools, having a neat and straightforward interface is of utmost importance. Following is a comparison of the UI of both tools.

Feedly

Feedly features a very clean and minimal interface with many customization options. You can change the theme from light to dark, change the font, text size, and alter the display density, etc. There’s a collapsible navigation bar on the side showing your feeds, search button, a user guide, and your account info.

There are also different options to change the layout of the feed, the arrangement of how they appear (latest or oldest), and you can check or uncheck if you want to see the unread articles only or the muted ones (or both).

Inoreader

Talking about Inoreader’s interface, I wouldn’t call it clean. It is, however, comfortable and offers a dashboard from which you can access your feed, settings, customer support, user guide, and a small app market to get browser extensions and other products from the developer.

When it comes to customizing the UI, Inoreader offers different languages, customization of the sidebar, tab title, article listing, and four different color themes to choose from.

Additionally, there are different ways you can customize the feed page through the ‘reading view’ that opens up a long menu of display options and you can also sort your articles as starred or older than a specified date.

2. Login Options

For a good user experience, most apps give multiple login/ sign up options to new users. Here’s a comparison of the login options that each tool offers.

Feedly

For the new users, Feedly offers a number of different login or signup options including Google, Facebook, Twitter, Apple ID, Windows ID, Evernote, or logging in through your company’s account. If you’re concerned about your privacy, you can sign up by creating an account on the app itself.

Inoreader

Inoreader, on the other hand, runs a bit low on the login options. You can only log in or sign up through your Facebook or Google account or create an account on the app.

3. Readability

Readability has a vital role in an efficient content curation app that enables users to easily go through the content they’re interested it and share it on different platforms. Below you’ll find a comparison between the two tools from the readability aspect.

Feedly

Feedly’s reading experience upholds the same minimalism that’s the app’s hallmark. You can swipe left or right to move to the next of the previous article, share and save the content through different apps, mark content for ‘read later’ or unread, and… yea that’s pretty much it.

There isn’t any option to open the whole article for reading within the app and there aren’t any reading modes or text customization options available as well.

Inoreader

As for Inoreader’s reading experience, I think the idea behind it is to make it quite thorough. The articles open up with a black background giving a distraction-free reading. You can also load the full content within the app, change the font, text size, and spacing, etc.

Additionally, there’s a whole gamut of social sharing options as well as saving articles as PDF, for printing, and even sending to another device.

One interesting feature you’ll find in the tool is that when you open an article, besides the name of the source or website, there’s a drop-down menu where you can see ‘feed properties’. It shows you different stats of the source like the number of subscribers, posts this week, updates interval, and the total number of articles, and what you’ve read so far. This is what I meant by being thorough!

4. Supported Platforms

It is imperative for a usability app to be available on multiple platforms. In the following, you can know about the OSs and browser extensions that are supported by the two apps.

Feedly

Feedly app is available for iOS (iPhone and iPad), Android (mobile and tablets), and the Web. As for browser extensions, the app offers Google Chrome extension and a Firefox add-on called Feedly Mini that allows you to email, tweet, or share your pages to Facebook or save them to Evernote or read-later.

Inoreader

Inoreader, on the other hand, gives a bit more variety offering apps for iOS, Android, Windows phone, and the Web. Also, the app’s extensions are available for three browsers – Firefox, Google Chrome, or Microsoft Edge. With these extensions, you can see your unread articles, preview your updated feeds and subscribe to an opened tab etc.

5. Sharing

Most of the time, we want to share the curated content with friends and followers. Here’s a comparative picture of content sharing options available in each of the two apps.

Feedly

To share your feeds with your friends or followers, Feedly allows you to share via Facebook, Twitter, or through email in the free version. Though there are many other sharing options too like LinkedIn, Buffer, Hootsuite, WordPress, Pocket, Evernote, OneNote, and Instapaper, etc. However, all these are available for the premium versions of the app.

Inoreader

Inoreader offers almost the same options for sharing, however, with only a few exceptions, all of them are available in the free version. These include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook Messenger, Google, Baidu, Pinterest, Hootsuite, Evernote, Pocket, Digg, and Reddit, etc. Only YouTube and Readwise are offered to premium users.

6. Similar Features

There are some features that both Feedly and Inoreader provide. For instance, both apps offer their API access for integration in utility and productivity tools. Similarly, both tools allow you to use keyboard shortcuts (you can find the list of these shortcuts in each tool’s user guide) to add productivity to your app usage.

And lastly, both Feedly and Inoreader show ads within the articles and on their dashboard/ home page. So no escaping the ads no matter which of the two you use.

7. Exclusive Features

Most of the features that you’ll find in Feedly and Inoreader are similar to eacho ther. There are, however, some features that are exclusive to each app that make the apps stand out from each other and the rest of the lot. Let’s talk about these exclusive features of each app.

Feedly

Feedly’s most interesting feature that’s exclusive to the tool is the AI assistant. As you keep using the app, Leo, the AI bot, learns about your content preferences along the way and uses this knowledge to filter out the noise or unrelated content from your feed.

You can also train Leo by guiding it about the topics that you’re most or least interested in. This way, you get the most relevant content customized to your liking and preferences.

Inoreader

On the other hand, the unique feature of Inoreader is the Rules. Rules are kinds of filters that you can set for any of your subscriptions by highlighting triggers, conditions, and actions to automate your content consumption.

With Rules, you can filter the incoming articles on the basis of keywords, URL, author name, and even article attachment. Rules can also be used to automate actions like tag, star, or mark an article as unread making it an ideal feature for power users.

8. Pricing

Lastly, I’m going to talk about money matters.

Feedly

Feedly’s pricing ranges from a free plan to three paid subscription plans – Pro, Pro+, and Enterprise – and the most basic one costs $6 per month, but there isn’t an option to pay monthly, so you’ll need to shelve $72 upfront.

As for the free plan, Feedly hasn’t been quite generous. The free app is available on mobile and the web and allows you to follow up to 100 sources and organize them into 3 feeds. Also, most of the sharing and integration features like custom sharing or sharing via LinkedIn, Buffer, IFTTT, Zapier, and Hootsuite, etc. are not available in the free version.

Above all, the one feature that makes Feedly stand out – the AI assistant – is also, unfortunately, not for free users. In fact, it is not even included in their basic plan. So, if you want to use Leo the AI bot, you need to subscribe to the Pro+ plan.

Inoreader

Now, let’s talk about Inoreader’s pricing. Inoreader offers 3 plans – Free, Supporter, Pro, and Custom with the basic paid plan starting from $1.67 per month and the advanced one at $5.83 per month.

Feature-wise, Inoreader’s Pro plan is comparable to Feedly’s Pro+ plan.

Feedly’s Pro+ plan will cost you $144/year (after a $99 special price for the first year), while you will need to shelve $69.99 for a year of Inoreader’s Pro plan.

The free plan allows you to have 150 subscriptions, create unlimited feeds, and search within subscriptions. Most of the sharing options like Pocket, Evernote, OneNote, Google Drive, Dropbox are also available for free users. Additionally, features like dashboard customization, Google keyword alerts, and podcast player are also provided to free users.

TLRL

For those who are too lazy to go through the aforementioned detailed comparison of the two tools, here’s a side-by-side comparison.

Conclusion

In the aforementioned article, I have listed all the features of both Feedly and Inoreader in great detail giving each feature a side-by-side comparison for your better understanding. So what is my conclusion on the basis of my observation? Well, *drum rolls* here’s what I have to say.

Feedly wins at some features like giving users a clean and clutter-free UI and more login options. However, Inoreader leads from the aspect of readability, customization, sharing options, and offering all this and much more in its free plan.

Also, Feedly is obviously more expensive – even its basic plan is more costly than Inoreader’s Pro plan. And, as I’ve mentioned before, Feedly’s free plan is just barebones.

So, if you can afford it, then I think having an AI assistant to declutter your feeds and who learns about your preferences along the way is kinda interesting. But if you don’t want to spend anything and want a reasonably feature-rich content curator, then Inoreader is the one for you.

I hope you liked this comparison. Let me know your own experience and observations or if this writing was any help.

The post Feedly Vs. Inoreader: The Best Content Curation Tool appeared first on Hongkiat.

Video repairing tools enable anyone to fix corrupted video files without needing any video editing software or requiring any prior knowledge on the subject.

In this post, I am going to share with you some of the most common video file errors and why they happen in the first place and then I’ll show you how to fix such errors using Wondershare Repairit.

Without further ado, let’s get started.

Five common video file errors

A video file can encounter any kind of error, however, for this post, I am going to highlight some of the most common ones that people often face.

1. WMV Error

WMV is a commonly-used video compression format that allows you to export large videos in smaller sizes without compromising their quality. But there are times when you play a WMV file and it turns out to be corrupted.

For instance, you encounter “file could not be played” notification, frozen frame, distorted sound or no sound at all, or the video simply crashes as soon as you play it.

There can be many reasons for a WMV file to show these errors. The most frequent ones include; a corrupted storage device, malware in the system, abrupt system shutdown during the video’s download or transfer process, the media player is not compatible, or if the video file is not converted properly.

2. Code 0xc00d36c4 Error

Sometimes when you’re trying to play a video file from an external device, like a USB drive or DVD, you get a “Can’t play. Code 0xc00d36c4 error” message. This problem usually arises when there is a system conflict between connected external media and your own computer.

A lot of Windows users (especially the ones using Windows 10) face the Code 0xc00d36c4 error but don’t really know why such a problem has occurred. Well, among many reasons for the Code 0xc00d36c4 error, the most common ones can be; a wrong codec, an inaccurate file extension, or the video file format is simply unsupported by the media player that you’re using to play the video.

Moreover, there may be an issue with the USB drive or DVD – perhaps a virus or malware – to be causing a problem in the proper functioning of your video file.

3. Black Screen Error

This may have happened to you once in a while that you try to play a video but it shows a completely black screen, even though you could hear the audio perfectly. This is called the black screen error of video files and causes much frustration when it occurs.

As for the reasons why you may come across the black screen error, there can be a malware or bad sector in the storage device, the video file was edited using an unauthorized editing tool, header corruption, converting the video to a wrong or unsupported file format, or the video was recorded when the memory card was already full.

4. MKV Video File Error

MKV is a multimedia container format that incorporates audio, video, and subtitles into a single file, even if these elements are using different types of encoding. Though MKV files are pretty dependable, still they can encounter an error sometimes and would not play properly.

As for the question of why an MKV file can run into an error, there can be many reasons such as; a malware in the storage device or server that affects the file, conversion to an incompatible format, the file wasn’t properly transferred or downloaded, or if the system suddenly turns off while converting or transferring the MKV file.

5. MP4 Not Playing

Being lightweight and supported by many video players, MP4 is one of the most widely used video file formats. However, MP4 files are very much prone to getting corrupted or damaged. So when you run an MP4 file and it shows some kind of error (glitched video or no sound in the video etc.) it would be good to know what may have possibly caused this error.

MP4 file errors arise usually during the process of recording, file transfer, or encoding. For instance, the camera abruptly loses power or shuts down during video recording, the video is not properly exported after editing, the system powers off during the export process, or there are bad sectors in the storage device (internal or external – USB or DVD) where the file is stored.

Fixing these errors (With Wondershare Repairit)

It is needless to say how annoying it feels when you face a video file error, especially when you’re in the middle of a time-sensitive project. So, to fix each of the video errors mentioned above, you can either do it the hard way by getting into the complex technicalities or to save time, you can go for a video repair tool like Wondershare Repairit.

Wondershare Repairit allows you to fix your corrupted videos facing different errors. It is a reliable solution repairs your videos in a few steps, so both professional and amateur videographers can use it.

The Repairit tool is available both as a desktop app and an online one, however, the two platforms offer somewhat different features.

In the following, I am going to list all the salient features of each, so you can decide which one would suit you best.

Repairit Online

Repairit Online enables you to fix your corrupted videos right through the the website. Here are some features of the tool that you can look forward to:

• Absolutely free.
• Offers a 4-step repair process without affecting the quality of your video.
• Fixes a wide variety of video errors.
• Fix 10 video files per day with upto 200 MB file size.
• Supports three different formats – MP4, MOV, and 3GP.
• Preview a 30-second video segment of the repaired video before saving.
• No sign-up required.
• The repaired video will be saved without any logo or watermark.
• Ensures user privacy and data protection.

Repairit For Desktop

For those who want a quick video repairing solution right in their computer so they can access it anytime and anywhere without needing to be online, the Repairit desktop app would be a good solution.

Following is a list of feature for this app:

• Available for Windows and MacOS.
• Offers a neat and simple interface with a 4-step repair process.
• Fix Full HD and 4K videos without any compromise on the quality.
• Supports a number of file formats including MOV, MP4, M4V, MKV, MTS, 3GP, AVI and FLV etc.
• Advanced video repair feature allow you to add a sample file to repair severely damaged video files.
• Get a full preview of the repaired video before saving.
• There’s no file size limit.
• Allows you to batch fix multiple videos all at once.
• Get a free trial for 7 days to see if it fits your needs. Afterwards you can choose from either monthly, annually, or lifetime packages costing $39.95, $49.95, $69.95 respectively.

How to fix video files errors

Now that you know about the different features each tool offers, I am going to guide you through the step-by-step process of repairing your corrupted videos using Wondershare Repairit.

Please note that either you’re fixing one of the aforementioned video errors or any other problem in your video, the process will remain the same for all error types.

Via Repairit Online

If you want to use the Repairit Online tool for fixing your damaged videos just take the following steps:

1. Upload the corrupted video by clicking the plus (+) sign.



2. Once the uploading is finished, the tool will start the repairing process.



3. After a few seconds your video will be repaired and you’ll be able to see a 30-second preview of the repaired video along with other information about the video file.



4. Click “Save Video” and you’ll be able to save the fixed video file anywhere you want.

Via Repairit For Desktop

Repairit For Desktop offers somewhat different features and interface, however the fixing process is as simple as the online app’s. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the Repairit Desktop app and upload any number of damaged video files by clicking the “Add” button. You can also drag and drop your files in this window.



2. Once the videos are uploaded, click the “Repair” button on the bottom right.



3. Through a progress bar you’ll see how your videos are fixed one after the other within a few seconds.



4. Once it is done, you’ll see the repaired video(s) with the “Preview” or “Save” button beside each of them from where you can take the required action.

Final Thoughts

No matter which video file format you’re using, they are always at the risk of getting corrupted. To fix the video errors, some people might take the old school way of getting down into the technical aspects or going through the process of editing or transfer all over again. Well, there’s nothing wrong with that except that it’ll be a very time-consuming process.

However, if you want to save much of your time and effort, then opt for a video repiring tool like Wondershare Repairit that gets the job done in minimum time and wothout affecting the quality of videos.

Do let us know about your experience with fixing corrupted videos and whether this post was helpful to you in this regard.

The post How to Fix Common Video File Errors with Repairit appeared first on Hongkiat.

This post highlights some of the interesting features, tips and useful tricks that you can do in the Movavi video editor.

From creating time-lapse videos and YouTube intros to background sound removal and video stabilization, you’ll be amazed at how much these features can add up to your productivity.

So, let’s take a look at the tips.

1. Removing the trial watermark

When you are editing a video in the trial mode, the video exported will always have Movavi watermark. Hence there’s no way to get rid of the watermark as long as you’re using the trial version.

However, once you purchase the program and activate it, not only that you’ll be able to export all the forthcoming videos without any watermark, but there’s a way to remove the trial watermark from the ones exported during the trial version.

Please remember that for this tip to work you’ll need to have the project file of your video in .MEPX, .MEPB, .MEPS, or .MEP version as the watermark cannot be removed from the video exported. To do this:

1. Go to File > Recent Project and select any of the project files that you previously worked on. You can also look up the project files in your computer’s hard drive.
2. Open the file in the editor and save it again. And this time, it will be saved without the watermark.

2. Add your own watermark/ logo to video

Movavi Video Editor Plus allows you to add your own branding to the edited video either in the form of a logo or as a watermark to keep off any copyright infringement. So, to do that:

1. Go to Edit > Tools > Logo.



2. In the window that opens up, click Add Logo to upload any image that you want to use as your branding and it will appear on the video being edited.



3. You can move and place it anywhere on the video and also set its duration in the timeline (whether you want it to appear throughout the video or on a few frames)

Note: To add the watermark, follow all the aforementioned steps, however, as watermark is opaque, you can click on the image in the timeline and in the Clip Properties that appear, lower the Opacity of the image till you reach the desired result.

3. Create a time-lapse video

Time-lapse videos are creative and an interesting way to demonstrate a lengthy process. You can create cool time-lapse videos with Movavi Video Editor Plus without getting into too many technicalities.

To create a time-lapse effect for your video, you can simply speed up the video.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the clip that you want to convert to a time-lapse video by clicking the Add Files button or through simple drag and drop.
2. Click on the video clip and drag it onto the timeline.
3. Now double-click the clip on the timeline and the window above will show you Clip Properties.



4. Drag the Speed slider from 100% (by default) to the point where you achieve the desired speed of the clip. You can keep testing the speed in the preview window.



5. Spice up your time-lapse video by adding some music. Just import a nice music track to the software, drag it on the timeline and fix its length, start and end point according to your clip.
6. Once you get the desired result, click on the Export button the left. In the resulting window add the particulars like name of the video, format, quality, and where to save.

4. Create a time-lapse with photos

Do you know that you can convert a series of consecutive photos into a time-lapse video as well? There is a cool and super easy way to do it through Movavi Video Editor.

Here’s how:

1. Open the series of photos by clicking on the Add Files button and then drag them to the timeline.
2. Select all the images on the timeline and Clip Properties will appear.



3. In Clip Properties go to Duration and manually change the duration of your frames to 00:00:00.100. This will change the frame rate to 1 frame per second.



4. Preview the result in the preview window and click Export to save your final time-lapse by entering the particulars.

5. Get highest quality of the exported video

There happens at times that the your edited video comes out with a lower quality than the original footage.

The reason for this might be that the original footage has higher resolution than the Full HD (1920×1080) set by the software by default.

To solve this issue you need to change the default resolution of the project and make it the same as that of the original footage.

Here’s how you can do it:

1. First check the resolution of the original footage by right clicking on it in the timeline and in the resulting menu clicking on File Information.



2. Once you know the original resolution, go to the preview window and click on [16:9] to open the drop-down menu.



3. Click on [x:y] to enter custom resolution for your project.



4. Now when you export your final video make sure the resolution is same as the one you entered for the project.

6. Get rid of the black bars on the output video

At times, when you export a video, it turns out to be having black bars or black rectangles on both sides.

This happens when you use videos or different aspect ratio or if the project is set up incorrectly.

However, you can any of the following ways to get rid of these black bars.

I – Using filter to fill in the black space

Movavi Video Editor allows you to add special filter that uses your own video to create a blurred background to cover up empty space. Here’s how you can apply it:

1. On timeline click on the clip with black bars on the sides.



2. Click on the Filters button (magic wand icon) on the left side panel to open the Filters tab.



3. Go to the Adjustment group and scroll down to the Vertical fill filter.



4. Drag the filter down to the clip on the timeline. This will add a blurred background to your video covering up the empty black area.

II – Manually crop out the empty area

If you don’t want to add the filter background to the empty black spaces, then simply crop it out.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Click on the clip with black bars on the timeline.
2. Go to Edit > Tools > Crop and Rotate.



3. This will add a box frame to your clip. Move the frame and resize it to adjust it according to the area you want to keep.



4. Once done, click Apply and the empty black space will be removed in the final version.

7. Enhance the quality of a video

You can use Movavi Video Editor to improve or enhance the quality of a video for instance a CCTV footage, an old video or videos captured in low light etc. To improve your videos, follow the steps below.

1. Import the video to be improved in the video editor by clicking on the Add Files button and then drag the clip to the timeline.
2. Go to Edit > Tools > Color Adjustments. This will open up a window with different adjustment filters that you can apply to your footage.



3. If you’re looking to change certain color settings of the clip manually, then click on Advanced tab to tinker with aspects like Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, etc.

8. Create a dynamic intro for YouTube

It is really important to have an engaging and dynamic intro for your videos on YouTube to give a quick introduction of your channel to the viewer. As a regular video content creator, it is useful to create an intro template that can go with every new video that you make.

To create an into template in Movavi, take the following steps:

1. Go to File > Create New Project.



2. Click on the Titles button on the left and it will open up an array of Intro videos. Drag any of these pre-made intro videos on the timeline for further customization.



3. Drag your preferred title to the timeline double-click on it and a Clip Editing window will open up.



4. Here you can change the graphical elements of the intro (text, font, color) as well as its speed and duration.
5. You can add a customized background to your title, add music, and effects etc.
6. Once done, you can save it as a new preset and access it any time in My titles.

9. Record a video with your webcam

For online tutors and content creators, Movavi Editor offers a useful feature to capture video through your webcam. To do that:

1. Open the video editor and click on the Import tab.
2. Here you’ll see the Record Video button.
3. Once you click on this button, a new record video window will open up. It’ll ask you access permission for your computer’s camera and microphone and once you allow you can click on Start Capture button to initiate the recording.
4. Once you’re done with the recording, click Stop Capture button fill in the particulars in the Capture Settings and save.
5. If you want to edit the recorded video, click Back to editing button and it will open up in the editor window automatically.

10. Save videos for 4K TV

Ultra HD or 4K video have a resolution four times higher than the Full HD videos and therefore, 4K TVs give you a very sharp picture and a great viewing experience. So if you want to convert a 4K video for viewing on a specific 4K TV, then you can easily do that in Movavi video editor.

1. Open any 4K video in the editor.
2. If you want to edit it, go ahead and do the needful and then click Export.
3. In the Save Video to the Computer, click on the Save for TVs (TV icon) button.



4. Here you’ll see a list of major TV manufacturers along with the resolution.
5. Select the one for your particular TV set or the Other 4K TVs option if your TV is not there.



6. Click Start and your 4K video will start exporting.

(Bonus) 11. Stabilize shaky videos

Not everyone is a professional cinematographer. Especially when you capture a video with hand-held device, the result turns out to be shaky.

You can somewhat eliminate the shakiness of your video with the stabilization feature in Movavi video editor. Here’s how to do it:

1. Add the video to the editor through Add Files and drag it to the timeline.
2. Click on More Tools button (four square icon) on the left and select Stabilization.



3. Here click Stabilize and a window will open up with automatic stabilization settings for your video.



4. You can either accept the automatic settings as proposed by the software or make changes to the settings manually.
5. Once you’re satisfied with the results, click Stabilize button at the bottom of this window to complete the process.

(Bonus) 12. Troubleshoot video export issue

It might happen that you try to export a video after editing on the Movavi editor and it either shows an error message or the progress bar simply freezes. This is caused by a problem in your graphics card. To solve this issue:

1. Go to the video editor Settings > Preferences > Acceleration.
2. Here uncheck all accelerations and click OK.
3. Now restart the program, open the project and you will now be able to successfully export your video.

(Bonus) 13. Remove background noise

If you have captured a video in a noisy environment or if the background noise is affecting the quality of your video then you have an option to minimize it in the Movavi editor. For this:

1. Select the audio clip in the timeline and go to More Tools button on the left. It will open up the Audio Editing window.
2. Click on Noise Removal and try different slider values till you achieve desired results.

The post 10 Vital Tips & Tricks to Using Movavi Video Editor appeared first on Hongkiat.

Ekkachai Saelow is one such brilliant photographer who creates miniature wedding photos of couples. This showcase is so interesting that from pre-production to actual photos, you’ll enjoy every aspect of it. Let’s take a look.

#1

Here is a fun-loving couple that the photographer pictured as stuck in a thorny bush. You can see from the behind the scene images that the couple was even asked to give expression as if they’re in real trouble.

#2

This couple’s idea of the begining of love is being hanged by a barbed wire. The couple was first photographed as pulled by their collar and then merged with a simple image of a barbed wire.

#3

This cute couple chose to be shown as sitting on a little branch with the man hanging from it (obviously). You can see in the BTS photo how they actually produced this effect.

#4

This is a funny way to show that you’ll be with each other in thick and thin. Shown as standing in the middle of a roaring river as mini-humans, this photo will surely put a smile on your face.

More:

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This interesting group of people who blow their nose loudly in the class and show their gratitude to the teacher by knocking on the desk when the lecture ends, also possess sharp self-organizing skills embedded in their personalities.

Coming from a ‘go-with-the-flow’ kind of culture, I was initially irked by their disciplined demeanor. But with the passage of time, I saw in them these little things that helped me get my life together, not just during studies but later in personal and professional life as well.

The following is a summary of my observations and experiences regarding self-organization that I learnt from my fellow German students.

Read Also:  15 Examples of Obsessively Organized Photography [Photos]

Never mess with Mr. Uhr

Punctuality is actually one of the most important aspects of self-organization that vouches for a person’s credibility, trustworthiness and his level of commitment towards a task.

Although everything and everyone in Germany observe punctuality, German students follow Mr. Uhr (Mr. Clock) with almost religious fervor. You would not expect them to be late in reaching the class. Even for parties and dinner invitations, they would reach right on time.

Inspired by my German friends, I started taking punctuality quite seriously. Initially, it was hard, but with the passage of time I devised my own method to avoid being late.

For instance, for each appointment I make mini-timelines that don’t just include when to leave the house, but smaller milestones like when should I be dressed already, and by what time should I be finished with breakfast, etc.

This way I am seldom late in reaching somewhere and never have to mess with Mr. Uhr again.

Life has no meaning without a pocket planner

One thing you will find in every German student’s bag is a pocket planner. From classes and sports activities to family gathering and even dates, these small colorful diaries carry all sorts of appointments and upcoming engagements.

They even put in recurring tasks in their pocket planners so one appointment never converges another.

I personally adopted this habit a little differently. As my bag is already pretty stuffed, I don’t opt for a pocket planner but prefer to do all the scheduling through my phone’s calendar.

This small habit has saved me from embarrassment and panic of overlapping appointments so many times, and the blank spaces in the schedule remind me about all the free time I have for myself and my family.

The word ‘laser focus’ was invented for them

We read the word ‘laser focus’ a lot these days, in management articles and motivational speeches etc. But if you want to see an embodiment of this word, then German students are the right specimen. They have a strong tendency to fix their focus on one goal and seldom look sideways.

Today’s world is full of distractions and keeping a sharp focus can get pretty grueling. But through observation, I realized that with certain small practices can help you focus better.

• Set realistic goals for your tasks. If your goals are realistic and achievable, you’ll be more focused towards completing them successfully.
• Putting your mobile phone on silent mode can do wonders with your concentration.
• Take short breaks during a task. You will always come back to work with a fresh mind and a focus reload.
• A simple habit of list-making is a killer focus technique that not only eliminates stress and anxiety, but also gives a boost to your memory.

Recommended Reading: 5 ways to keep yourself focused at work

Coordination is the ‘Hauptsache’

During the student years we often had to do group work with our German counterparts. I didn’t mind it, but the thing that annoyed me to the core were group meetings.

No matter how trivial an assignment is, my German classmates always insisted on frequent group meetings, and after each meeting one of us was required to send ‘minutes of the meeting’ to the rest of the group.

Irritated, I once asked one of my German friends why they hold so many meetings, some of which last no more than five minutes. He replied, "Koordination ist die Hauptsache" (Coordination is the main thing).

His answer made total sense, that it’s not the meetings or emails, the purpose is to keep everyone in the group on the same page.

The lesson I took from it was that apart from group work, coordination also has a big role to play in a person’s self-organization. For instance, I found that when it comes to a task or assignment, staying in communication with your teacher produced better results.

Similarly in the professional life, keeping your boss or manager in the loop of communication on a certain project makes sure that you’re going in the right direction.

To sum up

Who doesn’t like a clutter-free organized life? The problem however comes when people actually try to get their life organized but don’t really know where to start.

I was once like that, lazy and demotivated. But when I started observing my German classmates around me, I realized as how much I was missing.

From this article I certainly don’t mean to suggest that German students are the perfect specimen of super human beings. In fact, some of their attributes are totally bizarre on so many levels.

However, if you see something good in someone, always make it a point to appreciate it and if possible, try to integrate it in your personality.

The things that I have mentioned above are seemingly minor activities, but if taken up seriously, they have the ability to turn the tables in your life. In today’s interesting world there are a hundred tools and tactics to keep yourself organized, however they all require you to first take control of your life.

The post Self-Organization Lessons You Can Learn from German Students appeared first on Hongkiat.