Business-Focused Books
Give your driven friend a workplace classic. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People or the timeless, always relevant career.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by the late Dale Carnegie. Consider a signed or early edition if you can find one (and afford it).
Ergonomic Accessories
Depending on the nature of their job, your friend may spend a lot of time during the day in one positon, maybe sitting at a desk or standing in front of a group. Maintaining that level of focus can be hard on the body.
Help your friend reduce tension and prevent workplace injuries with a fun stress ball, a quirky ergonomically sound mouse pad or supportive, gel-filled pads for wrists, back, or feet.
Holiday Edibles
The old approach to the holidays involves loading up on plastic trinkets and objects that our friends don’t really need and that will inevitably end up clogging landfills.
But that approach is rapidly going out of style, and most of us are turning our attention toward gifts that can’t be categorized as “stuff”. Topping the list: delicious edible treats.
Show your friend that you know them and understand their preferences, and buy or make cakes, breads, cookies, or a nice meal that will make them feel nourished and indulged.
Event Tickets
Driven, hard-working friends sometimes need to be pushed to take some time off. Consider tickets to a show, concert, dance performance, lecture, or sporting event.
Hired Help
Work-centric people also sometimes struggle to balance their work obligations against their other responsibilities.
Your friend may burn the office candle at both ends, but while their doing this, the dog needs walking, the yard needs care, the children need to be entertained, and the house needs to kept clean.
Consider giving the gift of help or paid services from a trusted landscaper, housecleaner, dog walker or babysitter.
Dress to Impress Accessories
Your friend probably wears certain types of clothing to work, and these clothes have probably become an essential part of his or her lifestyle.
You can’t usually buy core clothing for someone else, but you can offer them the types of accessories that you know they’ll wear.
Think in terms of tie tacks, gloves, scarves, wraps, and tasteful pins.
Desk Plants
Studies show that a little life and greenery in the workspace can improve focus and productivity, just as a bit of plant life in a hospital room can actually speed recovery from injury and illness.
Consider giving your friend a small, low-maintenance plant that brightens the room and doesn’t require much care.
Your Time
Depending on the nature of your relationship, your friend or family member may appreciate your time far more than any “stuff”. Again, instead of burdening them (and your credit card, and the planet) with disposable or unnecessary gadgets, mark out some time in your calendar for dinner, lunch, a movie, a night of drinks, or a weekend trip.
Let your hard-working friend know that you care about them. Choose a gift that can make their busy lives easier and a little more fun!
