Weekly Round-Up #271: Christmas Gifts For Productivity Lovers
In this week’s round-up we take a look at some gift ideas for the productivity lovers in your life.
This week’s Weekly Round-Up is a little different as we’re getting into the festive spirit.
With 10 shopping days left until Christmas, you’ve not left it too late if you’re struggling to find that perfect gift for the productivity fanatic in your life.
In the list below we’ll cover everything from coffee to showers at a variety of price points so you’re bound to find a suitable gift for even the most difficult person to buy for!
We’ve selected the items below from Amazon for two reasons. Firstly, they’re all available to buy through Amazon Prime (or were at the time of listing) so you will be guaranteed delivery by Christmas. Secondly, the links below are affiliate links. You won’t be charged any extra for purchasing items through these links but we will make a small commission on any purchase you do make – plus the tool we use allows us to route you through to the Amazon store in your own country for added convenience.
So, let’s get on with the gift guide. Ho, Ho, Ho and Merry Christmas!
Noise Cancelling Headphones
If you’re working from home with a room mate or your spouse then there’s going to be a lot of background noise. In order to listen to your Spotify playlist or Zoom call in peace noise cancelling headphones are a real help.
Budget Option – VANKYO C751
If you’re on a tight budget then these VANKYO C751 noise cancelling headphones have some great reviews and they’re under £50!
They’re Bluetooth so you don’t have to remember to unplug and mute your computer if you want to step away from it and they have a fantastic 30 hours of play time, come with a microphone and has fast USB-C Charging.
Posh Option – Sony WH-1000XM3
If you’re looking for something with a bit more power then the Sony WH-1000XM3 is just the ticket. It has the sample 30 play time as the VANKYO but it can operate in wired or wireless modes. In wired mode – using the supplied high res cable – will allow you to pump up the bass. While these cost a lot more than the VANKYO, you get a lot for your (approx.) £220 including being able to run the headphones for 5 hours after a 10 minute charge, gesture control and Alexa integration.
Whiteboard
Working from home means that we don’t have the luxury of whiteboards in our offices and while you might not think that you need one, they’re actually very handy for keeping an eye on the progress of your tasks (see our article on Kanban for Productivity here), jotting down motivational phrases, use it as a vision board, mind map – the possibilities are almost endless! And it’s under £25!
If you’re looking for something a little more flexible, White Board Sheet can stick to any surface like a wall, window or door – and it can be bent around corners.
Buy Whiteboard sheeting on Amazon now.
Levitating Plant Pot
We’ve covered the importance of plants in our homes/offices before. And I don’t know about you but my little plant family has gown massively since March 2020 (I wonder why). What better way to showcase your favourite plant baby (yes, I know. We shouldn’t have favourites but you do, come on, admit it) than in a magically levitating plant pot.
Okay, it’s not magical, they run off of magnets but they look super-cool and would be a great addition to any home office desk.
There are a few different styles available but the two that stood out for me were both reasonably priced at under £60 and would suit both modern and traditional (read: cottage-core) style offices.
Buy the wooden levitating plant pot on Amazon now.
Buy the white ceramic levitating plant pot on Amazon now.
All Day Water Bottle
It’s easy to forget to drink when we’re sat at our desk at home – there are no co-workers to bring us a cup of coffee, we don’t visit a water cooler so we might need a reminder to drink that H20.
An all day water bottle is a great way to keep track of your water intake (and we know that it’s super-important to drink enough water) and it has motivational quotes on it too keep you going throughout the day.
Buy an All Day Water Bottle on Amazon now.
Standing Desk Convertor
It’s important to make sure that you’re comfortable at your desk, and a lot of us might not have the space available to set up a designated desk. If you have a work surface such as a small unergonomic desk, kitchen table or worktop you can easily convert it to a standing desk with an adaptor. Make sure you check out the size – you’ll need a wider one if you want to have a laptop and monitor on it, and make sure that it adjusts to a height that works for you.
Buy a Standing Desk Convertor on Amazon now.
Smart Mug Warmer
If you like your coffee to stay warm white it sits on your desk and you forget about it for ages then you’ll want a coffee warmer.
These plug into a USB socket on your computer or plug bank and heat up the bottom of the mug, keeping your coffee, tea or hot chocolate toasty and warm. The one we’ve linked to below is a “smart” coffee warmer which detects when you place a mug on it and only starts heating when it needs to – this is a great power saver and also stops any accidental burns from putting your hand on an always on one.
Buy a Smart Mug Warmer from Amazon now.
Smart Notebook
Smart Notebooks enable you to write down your notes, ideas, journal entries, song ideas and more. You then scan the pages into an app specific to the notebook you’ve chosen, organise the scanned notes.
The great thing about a smart notebook is that you still get the tactile feel of writing while having the advantage of your notes being digitally stored so that you search and archive them. You can also erase the notebook pages which saves paper – and the environment!
Buy a Smart Notebook from Amazon now.
Grind & Brew Coffee Machine With Timer
If you’re missing your freshly brewed coffee on the way to work then why not make your own that will be available when you first wake up?
A grind and brew coffee machine gives you fantastic fresh coffee that can be set to brew at any hour thanks to the nifty timer so you can wake up to the smell of coffee in the morning. They also keep your coffee warm for between 30 and 50 minutes so it’s great if you want to jump in the shower before having your second (or third) cup.
Buy a Grind & Brew Coffee Machine on Amazon now.
Erasable Rollerball Pen Set – Pilot Frixion BL-FR7
If you are one of those people who still like to write note or diary entries you’ll know how frustrating it is to make a mistake and have to hunt out your correction fluid or have a horrible crossing out on your page. Fear not though as you can now rub out your mistake with an erasable rollerball pen set.
While there are many erasable pens available, the Pilot Frixion is one of the best known and most reliable brands, and with the BL-FR7 set you have all the colours you’ll need to mark up your to-do lists and planners.
Buy Pilot Frixion BL-FR7 on Amazon now.
A4 Week to View 2021 Diary
I’ve decided I’m changing up the way I organise my tasks this year (I’ll be writing more about that soon) and one thing I’d like to do is incorporate a calendar into my scheduling of tasks. I could use Google Calendar but I prefer something that is a bit more tactile and will allow me to see how often I have put off a task. I did a bit of research and opted for an A4 (around legal size) planner which has a week to view and an overview page at the start of each month. And as a bonus, if you’re buying it as a gift it comes with a presentation box
Buy the A4 2021 Diary on Amazon now.
15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management: The Productivity Habits of 7 Billionaires, 13 Olympic Athletes, 29 Straight-A Students, and 239 Entrepreneurs
Okay, so the title might be a bit of a mouthful but if the person you’re buying for is complaining about not having enough time to get things done, never leave work on time and have a billion emails in their inbox then this is the gift for them. With just a few small tweaks they’ll be able to be more organised and they’ll thank you for it!
Buy the 15 Secrets Of Successful People on Amazon now.
Magnetic LED Timer
If your recipient is a big fan of the pomodoro technique then this stylish timer is the gift for them.
This timer has a stylish design that will allow them to set the timer for any Pomodoro period they want and comes with a super-loud alarm option so they won’t forget to stop working.
Buy the OVEKI LED Countdown timer on Amazon now.
Anti-Theft Laptop Backpack With USB Charging Port
If the recipient travels a lot – maybe they have to commute to work on public transport or like walking to a coffee shop to work then this backpack is a great choice.
It comes with a USB charging port allowing them to connect a power bank (not included) to the backpack so they can plug in their phone and it also has a handy headphone port so that you can keep your phone inside the water resistant bag and still listen to your music.
An anti-theft lock and anti-theft back pocket provide extra peace of mind when travelling.
Buy the Anti-Theft Laptop on Amazon now.
Waterproof Notepad
Do they always have great ideas in the shower but forget their genius idea by the time they get downstairs?
This waterproof notepad will allow them to jot down their important ideas before they forget them.
Buy the Waterproof Notepad on Amazon now.
Over To You
Do you have any suggestions for last minute Christmas gifts that productivity lovers will adore? Let us know in the comments below.