Okay, so 2008 was kinda bad–like $700 billion bad, and the recession has left you sleepless and counting your coins to see if you could even afford the dollar menu at Mickey D’s let alone a Big Mac Value Meal. Everyone knows the economy is weak, and according to this article by Bloomberg, things seem even bleaker in the upcoming year. More people will be jobless in mid-January than in all the months of ‘08–yes, JOBLESS.

But don’t give up. Like Rush Limbaugh said:

“Being stuck is a position few of us like. We want something new but cannot let go of the old - old ideas, beliefs, habits, even thoughts. We are out of contact with our own genius. Sometimes we know we are stuck; sometimes we don’t. In both cases we have to DO something.”

So don’t fret. Stop panicking. First, turn Rachel Maddow off, then open your windows, smell the fresh smog-filled air of Los Angeles, slap yourself three times (for luck) and start getting supplies.

Here are the top 10 things you need to be productive and stay there in ‘09. It’s not going to be easy, and there will be no promises made, but with these cool devices and tools, there will be no doubt that 2009 will be your year. Whether it’s rising to the top of the corporate ladder and becoming the next mega-mogul, or just finding a job and starting your 401k, here are the things you need to rise to the top. Though most are a little pricey, think of them as products that you’ll invest in for the long run and haul.

1. Alice Wang’s Perfect Sleep

It’s time to rise and shine! The world awaits you, and so do your future employers. Don’t forget your eight hours of sleep. Want to make sure you get all eight for that big Deloitte interview tomorrow? Use the Perfect Sleep alarm clock, which is a “reverse alarm clock” in many sorts. Just set it to how long you want to sleep, and you’ll get it. No more naps on the job, no more missing tomorrow’s interviews. No excuses. With the Perfect Sleep, there’s no excuse in sleeping in. www.alicewang.com

2. Hoshino Bio-degradable USB

Anyone knows that in this fast-paced world of uploading anything to cyberspace anywhere and at any time is vital in the workforce. And any young professional would be caught dead without a USB flash drive. Introducing Hoshino’s bio-degradable drive. It is made of polylactide, a natural corn raw material. This means that when you’ve found the secrets of any company and want to bury your evidence in your USB drive, you can simply throw it in your yard and know that within days, the sunflower that you planted months ago with grow tall and flourish, thanks all in part to your corn-shaped, eco-friendly, very functional drive.

3. V-Moda Earphones

It doesn’t matter if you’re listening to your MP3 player while waiting for the bus or Aunt Susie May’s carpool VW. You need to do it in style. Enter V-Moda’s uber slick and affably chic earphones which are a steal at around $30-$70. These headphones are made of flashy metals and doused with chrome, ensuring that they won’t break anytime soon. Get them now at V-Moda.com

4. To-Go Ware Reusable Bamboo Utensils

It’s lunch-time when you realize that you spent most of your savings purchasing highly importanty productivity tools on this list. “Dagnabit,” you shrill as you bring out once again, your 10/ $1 instant noodles from your lunch pail. But you quickly forgive yourself as you take out your eco-friendly utensils. The To-Go ware Bamboo Utensils not only are environmentally friendly, but are heat, stain, and oil resistent, durable, and lightweight, but they’re endorsed by good ol’ Woody Harrelson. These utensils will go with you anywhere and will last a lifetime. Get them here.

5. Insulating Neoprene Tote

Okay, so after instant noodles, you could only move up in the echelon of lunch foods. Suddenly, you’re making the type of many where you can afford making hot meals for lunch in the morning. Instead of putting them in a plastic or paper bag, use The Container Store’s Insulating Neoprene Tote. It comes in many colors and sizes, and will keep your gourmet pasta you made in the morning nice and hot, or will keep your after-gym protein shake nice and cool. $24.99, www.thecontainerstore.com

6. Samsung Pebble

Fourth-generation giant and dead iPod, meet small little Samsung Pebble. Say goodbye to The Apple Store  where Steve Jobs’s minions will definitely coerce you into buying the iPod Touch you really don’t need, and hello to Best Buy. On sale at the national electronic chain for only $29.99, this will save you hundreds, money you need on important grown-up stuff like Maxim, Corona, and HBO for Entourage. The Pebble is small, functional, and beautiful, near perfection.

7. StartHere Notebooks

With all the writing and note-taking you’ll be doing, it’s going to suck when one of your notebooks ends and another one begins. This is where Starthere comes in. The notebooks are highly functional and simple, allowing the user to “add on” to other notebooks. So where your pictures you drew while in your staff meeting ends, is where your stock quotes and predictions on your new notebook begins. $16.00 at www.starthereny.com

How To Link StartHere Notebooks from StartHere on Vimeo.

8. Shinza Zero-shock Laptop Case

The laptop: the single most precious item you have in your household. It goes with you everywhere. It has all of your information on it. When it dies, you die. So why not protect it thoroughly? Try Shinza’s Zero-Shock laptop case, one that absorps all “shock.” Meaning, even a bowling ball dropped on it won’t harm the computer at all. Moreso, not even your fists of frustration can break through the barriers. So stop, put them down, and go to  www.shinza.com. $29.99

9. Jump Snap

All this work and no play makes Johnny, well, a fat boy. Don’t forget that part of productivity is also to watch your weight and also to stay and be active. So what can you do to economize your time and money? Do what your favorite stars like Hillary Swank does: grab the Jump Snap, a ropeless jump rope that gets your heart rate up in seconds and your belly fat down in weeks. Buy it for $49.95 at www.jumpsnap.com

10. MoMA Cardboard Pen

What do you need more than a single pen? Rounding up the top ten is the good ol’ old fashioned pen, one that will be there for you through thick and thin, from writing in your checkbook to planning out your hectic schedule for the next thirty days. A pen is one of the essential things you’ll need to survive 2009, so use a good one, like New York’s Modern Museum of Art’s, cardboard pen. It’s clicky, it’s inky, and it gets it write.