So, it’s almost the end of January, our New Year’s resolutions are starting to wane, Blue Monday has been and gone but by the looks of it, lockdown is here to remain…
Although 2021 may not have necessarily gotten off to the start that we’d all hoped for and we may be a tad weary with it all, it doesn’t have to stay that way!
So, in the midst of these still-challenging times, how can you help your startup team to stay happy? In addition to ensuring that you maintain a positive team culture, and keep your team together especially if most of the team are still working remotely, you should also be proactively encouraging your team to take time for some self-care.
That might mean introducing new habits into their daily routines - from starting the day with a positive affirmation through to ending their working day by writing in a gratitude journal. It’s all about making them aware how these small changes can have such a huge and positive impact on all aspects of their lives and wellbeing.
In a bid to help, we’ve put together a host of apps and tools that can help you to encourage happiness in your startup team and also their current costs...
Motivation and habit apps
1 Second Everyday app
This app lets you build up a video collage of the things that made you happy, the small things that made you smile across the day. It might consist of only second-long snippets, but when they’re all put together, it’s a fantastic way of having your own personal feel-good movie. And you can share them with your friends or family too!
This is a free app although they’ve recently launched a Pro version which costs £45.99/year in the UK. You can also try the Pro version out via the free 7 day trial.
ReWi
The ReWi app helps you to rewire your brain and build healthier habits. You start by answering some basic questions to find out your baseline happiness. You’ll be given a score out of 5, and then how you can set about increasing that score. You can use this app to track activities that impact wellbeing, including sleep, exercise, meditation, goal setting, gratitude, kindness, social connection and savouring.
ReWi is free to download.
Motivation App
Whether you need a little motivational push first thing in the morning or regular boosts throughout the day, the Motivation app can help. It contains heaps of motivational quotes and inspirational sayings on all sorts of themes - from boosting your self-confidence through to philosophy. You simply choose what themes you want to focus on, and how many positive messages you’d like per day.
There is a 3 day free trial or you can pay £19.99 a year. It’s the ideal app to give you pick me ups during the day!
Gratitude apps
Gratitude
The Gratitude app aims to be the antidote to any unhappiness we may be feeling. You can write entries in the Gratitude journal and receive daily positive affirmations and quotes. It also lets you create a vision board to help you visualize your goals and keep focused. It also has a 21 day gratitude challenge to help you cultivate an attitude of gratitude by looking for the good around you and expressing gratitude for it.
The app is free although there is also a Pro plan which costs $4.99 (approx £3.58) a month.
The Secret Super app
The Secret Super app aims to inspire people to think positive thoughts and help them create the life that they want. It has everything from inspirational quotes and daily affirmations, through to a gratitude journal with space for photos.
The app is free.
365 Gratitude Journal
If you’d like to get started on a Gratitude Journal but need a little extra motivation, the 365 Gratitude app’s for you. It sends you a personal gratitude prompt every day to help inspire you to get writing. Its focus is on providing you with prompts that are both thoughtful and thought provoking.
The app is free although there is a GratPlus option with a monthly subscription of $4.99 (approx £3.58/mth GBP).
Taking small actions
Action for Happiness
This free app has a focus on positivity, wellness, kindness and self care to help you create more happiness for both yourself and others. It provides you with daily nudges on small actions that you can take each day to be happier and inspires you to find joy and happiness in the little things. It also includes a monthly Action for Happiness calendar all based on a different theme which gives you ideas, prompts and reminders on how to bring a little more happiness into your life.
It’s a free app.
You: Small actions: big changes
Based on research from a host of authors, scientists and experts in personal development, this app recognises that sometimes it’s the tiny steps that we take that bring lasting change. So, it provides you with knowledge on micro-actions that will take you less than a minute to read about and less than 10 minutes to actually do. From creating a positive mindset to productivity hacks, it’s all about making you happier one tiny step at a time.
It’s a free app.
Happify
The Happify app helps you overcome negative thoughts, build your resilience and ultimately become a happier person. It features heaps of science-based activities and games to help you boost your overall happiness. You can also track your progress, gain insights and see where you are on your happiness journey.
Happify is a free app and there is also a Plus version costing £13.99 a month which provides you with additional activities, games and other content.
Meditation Apps
Insight Timer App
Whether you’re new to meditation or a seasoned practitioner, the Insight Timer app will help you to calm your mind, gain focus and even sleep better. Features include guided meditations for both individuals and teams, music tracks and ambient sounds and talks by leading meditation and mindfulness experts, neuroscientists, psychologists and teachers. Here’s an interesting fact that you can share with your startup team - more meditation is practiced on Insight Timer than anywhere else!
Insight Timer is free to download although you can also avail of additional courses and content via the Premium version which costs around $59.99 (approx £43.03 GBP) a year.
Calm
The Calm app provides guided meditation sessions lasting from just 3 minutes up to 25 minutes. It also features breathing programs and masterclasses to help you focu, relax or sleep. The Daily Calm feature is a short session that you can use to help you ease gently into your day or even unwind before you go to bed. It’s mindfulness and meditation made easy!
The basic Calm app is free but if you’d like additional sessions, exercises and music, you can check out the Premium version costing approx £35.99 a year.
Headspace
Headspace aims to help you learn the skills of meditation and mindfulness in a matter of minutes each day. It features short courses and guided sessions on a whole host of themes, including happiness, resilience and creativity. You can start your day with its video feature, The Wake Up, which features inspiring stories, mindful advice, and animations to make you smile and at the end of the day, use its Sleepcasts feature to help you unwind!
Headspace is free although it also has a Plus version which provides you with additional courses and exercises for approx $12.99 a month (approx £9.33 GBP).
Ten Percent Happier
The Ten Percent Happier app aims to help you “get better at feeling good”. With a range of guided meditations, bite-sized stories and inspirational words of wisdom, it will really help you to build or boost your meditation practice and skills. And there’s an accompanying podcast too!
The app is free although you can also avail of more of the features by becoming a member for approx £5.99 per month.
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If you can encourage your startup team to explore and use some of these innovative apps, we reckon you’ll go a long way towards helping them become happier and more content not only at work but in all aspects of their lives.
Who we are
Offering personalised, consultative service, at TableCrowd Talent we’re a specialist recruitment agency with our finger on the pulse of the startup and scaleup scene. We are committed to matching graduates, professionals and C-level executives to exciting startup and scaleup jobs across London, the UK and Europe.
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