LiveWorkBalance

Well, we’ve all got about four shopping days left, and if we haven’t yet finished our shopping (or started), we might still be wondering what to get for various people. As I’ve commented before, sometimes the typical gifts might not be right for a variety or reasons, or maybe we just have no idea what they’d like. But in the spirit of promoting balance, here are a few ideas that you might be able to use.

Coupon book

I know, we all made these for Mother’s Day back in grade school, right? Well, with some tweaking, this idea can be a great gift for those working on work-life balance. Make things easy for that special someone by offering free made dinners, extra help around the house/with the kids, pretty much anything in their day that can cause them stress.

Gift cards

You might be thinking, “Gift cards? How do they help balance?” This applies more to people who might be working on trying to improve their financial balance, but doesn’t lessen their importance. I know for me, I personally love getting gift cards to stores I like. This suddenly gives me the freedom to shop at a store I like without feeling guilty, or thinking that the money should be going to something else.

I know some people equate these to giving cash, and feel that’s it’s not personal enough. But the fact that it is given to a specific store means I’m not tempted to use it for things like bills or debt repayment. I literally get to treat myself. Whether I’m suddenly able to get those books I’ve had in my shopping cart at Chapters for weeks, that video game I’ve been eyeing, or head to that restaurant I like, that can be just as good a gift. And for people who you may know their hobbies (reading, video games, watching movies, etc.) but not their entire collection, this shows that you know of their interest and acknowledge it even if you don’t know exactly everything about it.

For some more articles check out this pair of articles from Get Rich Slowly, and this great article from Mighty Bargain Hunter, which fleshes out a few of the arguments I’ve given here.

Productivity Books

Now, this isn’t a gift that’ll work for everyone, but if you’ve got someone in mind that would get some benefit from this (and wouldn’t be offended by you giving them this type of gift) then perhaps there’s a book out there that might be perfect.

Other than my favourite, Getting Things Done by David Allen, there are lots of great options out there. Check out this list and discussion of some of people’s favourite tomes from lifehack.org.

Still stumped?

Okay, so those are some good ideas, but what if you’re still stumped? Well, rather than reinventing the wheel, I’ll point you to two great posts I came across recently, filled with some great ideas for gifts, even on a budget.

First, Leo at zenhabits has posted the Top 25 Life Improving Christmas Gifts for Under $10. While a few of them I’ve already touched upon here, there are some interesting, creative, and fun ideas, all budget friendly.

Second, Lifehack has a great list of gifts for those productivity nuts we all know and love (or are). Ranging from books to office supplies to gadgets, its another great source of gift-giving inspiration.

I hope these have helped, and if you’ve got any other suggestions, please don’t hesitate to chime in in the comments. If you’re still shopping this weekend, best of luck!

Cheers,

Adam

Posted on December 21st, 2007 under General • Tags: books, Family, finance, Holidays, lists, tips. •  Print This Post •  Email This Post • RSS 2.0 feed • Leave a response, or trackback