☝️ Consider This: Thoughtful gifts with less thinking


Dusting off some practical and counterintuitive gift-giving (and gift-getting) tips.	View in browser

Thank you for reading issue #17 of Consider This, your every 10-day reminder to not get stuck in the status quo.

This issue...

Put Less Thought Into Gift-Giving

I wish “It’s the thought that counts” were true—especially if worrying counted as thinking.

But no. The thought only counts to you, the gift-giver.

Gift recipients don’t see the thought (or worry) you put into it. They only see the gifts they get.

Less thought may be better. Studies show that gift recipients find the most thoughtful gifts to be the ones they asked for. So ask what they want and give them that.

I discovered this last year while researching the science and best practices of gift-giving.

And this year I'm not overthinking it. I'm dusting off those gift-giving tips and examples and re-wrapping those.

Consider these tips:

Kim opening another amazing gift from me

Kim's a good actor.

How to Give Better Gifts

1. Give problem-solvers.

Happiness comes from removing negatives, so find a problem in your recipient’s life and solve it with your generosity.

Example: Kim hates dealing with technical issues for her dinner party blog, Feed My Friends. I could find an expert nerd online and prepay a certain number of hours of support.

2. Don't give them new problems to deal with.

Don't gift experiences without a date attached, leaving the giftee to have to schedule, call, and book it. Schedule it for them. They can change it if they have to.

Example: I could sneak a peek at Kim's calendar and reserve us two seats at Reverie Social Table, a group dining experience here in Cape Town on a day she's free.

3. Give gifts that keep on giving.

This could be something the giftee can use every day or that captures a memory so they can relive it. This way, the thought actually counts and keeps on counting.

Example: Kim has a coffee/tea cup by her side even more than her phone. So I could research the very best mug, get her that, and take it up another level by engraving something like "Keep it steamy. 27/12/13 - ∞" on it to commemorate the date we met.

More Tips:

Put the "present" in presentation.
Never settle for anything but best-in-class.
Give practical plants, not flashy flowers.
When they have "everything they need," give yourself.

See the full post for more tips, examples, and advice on how to be a better giftee.

READ:

How to Pick Gifts Even Better Than Santa

Creativity Sparkers

☕️ Trick to keep drinks warmer longer. While looking up coffee mugs for the example I used above, I read that any cup will keep your tea or coffee hotter longer if you rinse it with hot water before filling it.
🎁 Surprise budget. Gift-giving is an underrated way to strengthen and grow your network. (Giftology's a good book on this.) If you earmarked a mandatory spend of, say, $100 a month for surprise gifts in 2021, don't you think that would be money well spent?
🐌 Everything's interesting. In the heartwarming book, The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, when the author is immobilized for years by a mystery illness, a friend gifts her live flowers and a snail. Out of boredom, she starts paying close attention to the snail, it’s nocturnal escapades, and even the sound of it eating. I’ll never look at a snail the same way again. What's something boring and unsubstantial around you that could become mightily interesting if you paid closer attention?

That's a Wrap

Kim and I hope you get what you wish for this holiday season,

Chris

10 Days From Now

A gift to give yourself a year from now.

The Unconventional Route

I DON'T LIKE YOUR GIFT (UNSUBSCRIBE)