I've been playing with esp8266_01 for sometime now and yes, it has been frustrating when connecting leads to the relevant pins or 'bending' the pins to fit into breadboard. So, in the spirit of adventure and 'can-do', here is my offering for anyone who feels the same and is inclined to etch a board....
I created this board using Diptrace software. I have the gerber files if desired. I designed this board to use Toner transfer method, it works pretty well when printed onto greaseproof paper for transferring.
Result: it does make things much easier for powering and uploading code ( At-software, nodemcu, lua etc)
Hope you like the idea,
Thanks