Guide to Gift Giving

Gift-giving is supposed to be fun and exciting, but can often become a dreadful task on the to-do list. Whether you’re gifting for a birthday, holiday, life milestone, or just because, remember that the recipient likely will love anything you get them and the thought is worth so much more than the dollar value. 

Techniques to great gift-giving: 

1.Be attentive

Listen and observe. The more you’re tuned into your receiver, the better you’ll be able to understand what they want and need. Questions I ask myself that I find useful in this respect:

• What do they find useful? What would make them more productive and efficient?

• When was your recipient last surprised, and what did that experience look like?

• How would your recipient describe a perfect day?

• “I already bought you something amazing, try to guess what it is!”

2. Get personal and find a niche

Stay away from generic junk. Buy something that tells a story. Find something that is so personal the receiver must think that it could have only come from you.

3. Be creative

Gifts don’t have to be predictable. Giving is all about the experience and delight the receiver would not be able to get otherwise. It requires a little more reflection, but draw inspiration from common experiences and memories.