Do you need a gift for one of those productive people in your life? Here is a collection that just may be what you’re looking for. Gifts for productive people can include physical things they can hold and display. As they use them on a day-to-day basis, they remind the recipient of you.

Levenger’s Swift Notes

Gifts for productive people can include physical things they can hold and display. As they use them on a day-to-day basis, they remind the recipient of you.

I’m a very digital person, but I can’t imagine not having a pocket memo pad. Aside from being able to jot a quick note, we all need a place for the driver’s license, a few credit cards, and insurance cards. Levenger’s Swift Notes is a great choice.

Bomber Jacket Briefolio

I love this one for all those times I don’t need my briefcase but need to keep a few items together. Also from Levenger’s, the Bomber Jacket Briefolio is just big enough to hold my laptop. A pocket on the inside holds a memo book, a pair of glasses, and any other loose items. It has a great look and feel.

Pen Display Case

Rounding out the selections from Levenger’s is the Point of View Pen Case. I got one two years ago and love it. Imagine having your 10 favorite fine writing instruments on display for everyone to see.

Bourbon Barrel Pen

I own several Bourbon Barrel Pens. They have a wide selection as you will see on their site. The ones I have are roller balls with a magnetic cap. Remove the cap by pulling. While you write, store the cap on the other end of the pen…also magnetized. Having nice pens makes handwriting more fun!

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8

Our watches can do far more than tell time. I made the switch several years ago. Since I have a Samsung Galaxy phone, the Samsung Galaxy watch was a logical choice.

Realize, the smartwatch isn’t a substitute for the phone. At least, the plan I have requires the watch to be nearby for phone calls, texts, email, etc.

So, if you still have to have the phone, why do you need the watch? That’s the question I pondered for quite a while. Here are my thoughts:

• Phone calls and texts. When the phone rings, you can see who is calling without accessing your phone. Accept or reject the call with a gesture. You can read the text straight from your wrist and respond through the watch.
• Exercise. Want to be sure you’re getting in your 10,000 steps? The watch counts them. Whereas I don’t have my phone with me when I am on the treadmill and often don’t have it in a pocket while around the house, the watch is always on my wrist. It turns out 10,000 steps is more than I thought it was. The watch also senses when you are beginning a walk or a session on the treadmill or starting a run. It keeps data on those particular activities. All of that is synching with Samsung Health on the phone.
• Sleep. In the morning, you get a report on how long you slept, and that total is different from how much time elapsed between when you went to bed and when you got up. The phone reports how much REM sleep you logged and how much deep sleep you logged.

This section merely scratches the surface of what the smartwatch will do. While I still don’t think the smartwatch is as attractive as the traditional watch it replaced, we are at a place where our watches can perform more than simply the function of telling time.

Remember the Milk

Gifts for productive people can also include gift certificates for software that helps them take their game to a new level.

When it comes to being organized and being productive, it’s the “things we have to do” that cause the problem. We’re good at showing up for appointments and we have mastered the fine art of keeping addresses and phone numbers in a digital tool. When it comes to to-dos, we’re all over the place with sticky notes, random scraps of paper, and the belief we can just remember it all.

What about giving a gift certificate for a year of Remember The Milk Pro? The link takes you to a page that explains how it works.

TextBlaze or typeDesk

A text expander is an incredible time-saver. You don’t realize how much time it saves until you start using one. Hit a couple of keys and watch words, sentences, or paragraphs appear before your eyes. I talked about TextBlaze in this blog post. Give a friend this link, and they will get a free month of TextBlaze Pro.

I use both TextBlaze and typeDesk. The thing I like about typeDesk is that it works anywhere…in your browser, in a Word document, in your task manager. Anywhere you type, you can insert a snippet saved in typeDesk. I wrote about typeDesk in this post. Get started with this link.

Pacsafe® LS200 Anti-Theft Crossbody Bag

My wife and I enjoy traveling abroad. We spend time on a plane, on a tour bus, and walking the streets of foreign cities. You want to be able to carry the “stuff” you need without being loaded down. You also have to be concerned about safety. Pickpockets are very good at their trade.

I love this bag. There is a pocket inside large enough to hold my 8-inch tablet. The middle section easily holds a pair of glasses and sunglasses (both in their cases), a small notebook, and my phone. A zippered pocket in the back is a handy place for receipts or other small items where you need to place to put them quickly. The bag has other compartments for change or other small items. Pull the snaps on each side of the bag, and you have a place large enough to hold your water bottle.

This video demonstrates all the features:

Get Organized Digitally!

Gifts for productive people can also include books to increase their capabilities.

In January 2022, this book was released, and the feedback has been great! If you have followed my work for very long, you know how much I lean toward digital tools. While the previous books have been a mix of paper and digital techniques, this one goes into depth on strictly the digital tools I think are essential.

In today’s world, we’re often overwhelmed by our digital devices and the volume of available digital information. Get Organized Digitally! outlines a complete digital organizational system for the busy educator and helps you harness the power of technology to save time.

This book is your go-to source, presenting the “nuts and bolts” of exactly how to make technology work for you in both your personal life and your professional life.

Special features of Get Organized Digitally!:

• Details of how to get started with the best digital organizational tools available today.
• Principles of digital organization that make all the components of your system work together.
• Stories that inspire and show how technology can make our lives easier.

Time is the most precious resource we have; managing it well leads to greater productivity and less stress. Get Organized Digitally! shows educators how to harness the power of technology to spend time on what matters most—your school and your students.

You can order from Amazon or order from the publisher (Routledge).

Gifts for productive people come in various forms. Everything in this post is something I use personally and can recommend with no hesitation. Every one of them is designed to put a little joy in the day and make time a friend.

If you enjoyed this content, join the email list so you never miss a thing. You receive two gifts for joining. One gets your desk clean. The other puts everything you have to do in one digital place. It’s time to Get Organized! and make it look easy.

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Want to listen instead? Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or search for Get Organized! by Dr. Frank Buck wherever you listen to podcasts.